The Science of Spice

(chientran) #1

Europe 73


SPICE


PALETTE


Bitter orange


powder is made


from the dried peel


of Seville oranges,


and imparts a sour


citrus flavour.


Biscuit shapes
cut from Finnish
piparkakut dough,
see p213.

One of the culinary legacies of the British Empire
is a taste for South Asian spicing, often amalgamated
into all-purpose curry powders. These are used
liberally in the eponymous “national dish”, as
well as a gravy-like sauce for chips, the vegetable
preserve known as piccalilli, and the summer
buffet staple Coronation chicken. Dating further
back to Britain’s medieval past is a love of warming
aromatic spices for flavouring sweet bakes and
alcoholic drinks consumed in the cold winter
months; to a Brit, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg,
ginger, and mace are all immediately evocative
of the festive season.

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Mulling spice


Warm red wine or cider is infused with this
collection of whole sweet spices and traditionally
drunk at winter celebrations, from Bonfire Night
to orchard wassails on Twelfth Night.

2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
6 allspice berries
½ nutmeg
2 bay leaves

Add the spices to a pan of red wine or cider and heat
to simmering point, or tie them up first in a piece of muslin
for easy retrieval. Add sugar or honey, orange and/or lemon
slices, and rum or sloe gin to taste. Enough for two bottles
of red wine or 1.75 litres (3 pints) of still cider.

GREAT BRITAIN


Warming | Gutsy | Festive


Signature
Curry powder, allspice,
clove, cinnamon
Curry powder is a mix of
spices including fenugreek,
turmeric, ginger, and cumin.
Allspice is used in a myriad
of sweet dishes and also in
salted beef.

Supporting
Mustard, cayenne pepper,
nutmeg, mace, ginger, juniper
Potent English mustard is
an essential accompaniment
to cooked meats, fiery
cayenne is used in devilled
kidneys, and juniper is most
often used in game dishes.

Supplementary
Saffron, white pepper, coriander,
anise, turmeric
Historically, saffron and
white pepper were popular,
but their traditional use has
largely dwindled to Cornish
buns and preserved meats,
respectively. In addition to
use in pickling spice, coriander
seeds flavour Lancastrian
Goosnargh cakes.

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072-073_Scadinavia_Britain.indd 73 04/06/2018 15:47

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