The Science of Spice

74 World of Spice

“

French cooking tends to

draw heat from garlic and

pepper, but chillies feature in

Basque and Provençal dishes.

”

Signature

Garlic, mustard, fennel, nutmeg

French cooking and garlic are

utterly inseparable. Whether

smoked, fresh, or green, for

many it is the defining taste

of Gallic food.

Supporting

Caraway, vanilla, anise,

white pepper, juniper, saffron

White pepper is essential

to the quatre épices mix,

and you’ll find juniper

used in Alpine regions,

and saffron for the southern

fish stew bouillabaisse.

Caraway, vanilla, and anise

flavour creams and cakes.

Supplementary

Angelica, tonka bean,

clove, mace

The French kitchen utilizes

a number of more unusual

spices: angelica stalk is

added to sweets and digestif

liqueurs, while the powerful

tonka bean is infused into

creams and custards.

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SPICE

PALETTE

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Quatre épices

This “four spices” mix is often used to season

terrines. Proportions can be tweaked and,

confusingly, cinnamon added as a fifth spice.

1 tbsp white peppercorns

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

Grind the whole spices and combine with the nutmeg and

ginger. To make a mix for sweet bakes, replace the white

pepper with allspice or cinnamon.

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Paella mix

Saffron and pimentón are

essential to the flavour of

paella, Spain’s versatile

rice-based dish.

2 pinches of saffron

3 tbsp pimentón (a mixture

of smoked and sweet)

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

(^1) / 2 tsp dried parsley
(^1) / 2 tsp ground cloves
(^1) / 2 tsp ground cumin
Grind the saffron threads using a
pestle and mortar, and combine with
the remaining ingredients. Makes
approximately 6 tablespoons.
FRANCE
Pungent | Fragrant | Comforting
France doesn’t immediately spring to mind as a
country with a spice-rich cuisine, yet the word itself is
derived from Old French espice (meaning “seasoning”),
and it was the 18th-century French botanist Pierre
Poivre who broke the Dutch stranglehold on clove
and nutmeg with smuggling raids to the Moluccas
Spice Islands. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a classic
Dauphinoise potato without the warmth of nutmeg,
Provençal cookery without the aniseedy notes of
fennel, or innumerable French dishes without
garlic or Dijon and Bordeaux mustards.
074-075_Spain_Portugal_France.indd 74 04/06/2018 15:47