creates the character, and that makes a spice
well suited to serve as a unifying bridge
among several different ingredients.
Coriander seed, for example, is
simultaneously flowery and lemony; bay leaf
combines eucalyptus, clove, pine, and flowery
notes. It can be fascinating — and useful — to
taste spices analytically, trying to perceive the
separate components and how their flavors are
built. Terms from perfumery can be helpful:
there are “top notes,” perceived right away,
ethereal and quick to fade; there are “mid-
notes,” the main flavors; and there are
“bottom notes,” which are slow to develop
and which persist. The charts on pp. 392 and
393 list the prominent aroma components in a
selection of herbs and spices. There are two
particular chemical families that contribute
many of the aroma compounds in herbs and
spices.
Flavor Families: The Terpenes