On Food and Cooking

creates the character, and that makes a spice well suited to serve as a unifying bridge among several dif ...

Terpene compounds are constructed from a zigzag building block of five carbon atoms, which turns out to be ...

Flavor Families: The Phenolics Phenolic compounds are constructed from a simple closed ring of six carbon atom ...

Examples of terpene aroma compounds. The black dots show the backbone of carbon atoms. Limonene ...

Chemical Compound Aroma Terpenes Pinenes Pine needles and bark Limonene, terpinene, citral Citrus fruits Geraniol Ros ...

Vanillin Vanilla Thymol Thyme Carvacrol Oregano Estragole Tarragon The Flavor Components in Common Herbs This chart and ...

mainly terpene compounds, the “warm” and “penetrating” categories mainly phenolic compounds. “Distinctive” c ...

Flavor Families: Pungent Chemicals There is a major exception to the rule that herbs and spices provide aroma. ...

chemicals. One group, the thiocyanates, are formed in mustard plants and their relatives, horseradish and wasabi, when ...

sensation of irritation or pain. The mustard thiocyanates appear to act in a similar way in the mouth and nose. ...

Stimulation and Sensitizing We may also enjoy spicy food because irritation adds a new dimension to ...

Examples of pungent flavor compounds. capsaicin Strong pungency actually diminishes our sensitivity to true ...

Herbs and Spices as General Medicinals The idea that herbs and spices have medicinal value is an ancient one ...

control the growth of tumors. And some phenolic compounds and terpenes are antiinflammatory agents; they moderat ...

PiperineBlack pepper 1 GingerolGinger, fresh0.8 ShogaolGinger, old (from gingerol)1.5 ZingeroneGinger, heated (from g ...

not. And many, especially black pepper and others that take several days to dry in tropical climates, ca ...

the air, or to reaction-causing heat or light. To preserve herbs and spices, their tissues must be killed ...

Storing Fresh Herbs Many herbs are young, delicate stems and leaves, and so more fragile than other produce. ...

the flavor has oozed into the oil. Herbs in oil should always be kept in the refrigerator, because the same ...

aromatics that persist in drying conditions (oregano, thyme, rosemary, as well as bay laurel from the laure ...