citrusy, minty, herbaceous, and piney (p.
391).
“Phenolic” aromas, produced by a series
of enzymes from an amino acid with a 6-
carbon ring. These are offshoots of the
biochemical pathway that makes woody
lignin (p. 266), and include many spicy,
warming, and pungent molecules (p.
391).
“Sulfur” aromatics, usually produced
when tissue damage mixes enzymes with
nonaromatic aroma precursors. Most
sulfur aromatics are pungent chemical
defenses, though some give a more subtle
depth to a number of fruits and
vegetables.Fascinating and useful as it is to analyze
the flavors of the plant world, the greatest
pleasure still comes from savoring them
whole. This is one of the great gifts of life in
the natural world, as Henry David Thoreau