The Science of Spice

Flavour Group | TOASTY PYRAZINES | Wattle 167

Wattle has a unique nutty, roasted coffee-like taste with a lightly charred woody and

smoky aroma, plus notes of popcorn and sweet citrus. The complex flavours of this

spice work well with both sweet and savoury recipes.

Kitchen

creativity

Potatoes Sprinkle wattle over roasted

sweet potato chips or potato wedges.

Custard Infuse custard with wattle, and

then turn it into ice cream or serve it warm

over sweet sponge pudding.

Meat Add wattle to a dry spice rub

or marinade for chicken, lamb, or beef.

Breads Add a sprinkle of wattle to

give a nutty sweetness to bread doughs

and sweet yeast breads.

Tuna Include wattle in a spice crust for

tuna before pan searing.

Chocolate Wattle works well in anything

chocolatey – try adding it to chocolate mousse

or a chocolate ganache.

BLENDING SCIENCE

The flavour profile of wattle is dominated by a water-soluble pyrazine with a bitter, musty,

earthy, roasted-coffee flavour with hints of cocoa, and an oil-soluble pyrazine with a sweet,

nutty, charred wood taste with hints of popcorn. Some intensely lemon-flavoured citral and

bitter-tasting phenols are also present.

RELEASE THE FLAVOUR

Wattle does not need to be fried or

toasted as the nutty, roasted flavours

have already been generated during

processing. The flavour depends

instead on the balance of water

and fats within a dish.

WATER-SOLUBLE

PYRAZINE

bitter | earthy |

coffee

OIL-SOLUBLE PYRAZINES

AND PHENOLS

roasted | charred wood |

sweet citrus

CITRAL

citrus | fresh |

lemon peel

pair with spices that

complement the sweet,

woody, popcorn aromas:

cinnamon enhances

sweet woody warmth,

without bitterness

paprika contributes a

sweet, woody pungency

and smokiness

cacao adds bitter

chocolate notes

cumin has a musky,

earthy, almost burnt flavour

pair with spices that

enhance the roasted,

earthy, bitter flavours:

sumac lends a sharp,

sweet acid tang

tamarind contributes

caramel notes and

cheese-like aroma

juniper adds herbal pine

notes and citrus spiciness

carob enhances the

coffee and cocoa notes,

particularly when roasted

foreground the

lemony component:

lemon myrtle brings a

eucalyptus-like aftertaste

lemongrass adds

mild floral pepperiness

and slight spiciness

dill gives herbal, minty

notes and mild woodiness

caraway lends anise-like,

spicy notes

Maximize water-based flavours while

reducing bitterness by using ground wattle

like coffee in an espresso machine and

cooking with the liquid extract.

Stovetop espresso

FOOD PARTNERS

Cooking in water-based liquids releases the

water-soluble pyrazine and some of the

bitter-tasting phenols, resulting in bitter, earthy,

roasted-coffee flavours with hints of cocoa.

Coffee Cocoa

=

Wattle Water

+

Bitter

Bitter

Nuts

=

+

+

Cooking in fats decreases the levels of

bitter phenols, and releases lemony citral

and the nutty, oil-soluble pyrazines.

Wattle Fat Lemon

+

WATTLE

Wa

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