Seasonings and Flavorings Sensory Perception

Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics

The Five Senses

Human beings have five senses: sight, smell, taste,

touch, hearing

ALL PLAY A ROLE IN COOKING!

The Five Senses

Taste: Food that comes in

contact with our tongue

Taste buds detect flavors

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter,

umami (savory)

Umami is often described as

meaty or brothy and is found in

meats, some vegetables, and

fermented foods such as soy

sauce

Umami = MSG (monosodium

glutamate)

The Five Senses

Sight: What our eyes see

Typically this is the first sense we

experience with food

We prefer foods that look good

“People eat with their eyes.”

If it looks gross, typically people won’t

try it!

The Five Senses

Smell: Another very powerful sense

We use smell to monitor ripeness and cooking process

Humans distinguish between thousands of different aromas

Foods that are especially strong smelling = aromatic

Taste and smell work together

If there is no smell it is often harder to taste!

Example: eating when you have a cold

Smell can also help us determine difference between foods that look and taste similar!

Orange vs. tangerine

The Five Senses

Touch:

How we experience a foods texture and temperature

Another way to determine ripeness

Texture can impact how a food tastes

Thick/chewy foods stay in our mouths longer than thin foods

Fatty, oily, or rich foods coat out mouths for a fuller flavor

We also experience sensations through touch

Examples: burn of a pepper, cooling of a mint, puckering of a

lemon, fizz of carbonation

The Five Senses

Hearing: Important in the

overall food experience

Crisp foods are expected to

make a crunch sound

A hot platter is expected to

sizzle

Chefs use sound to communicate

how quickly a food is cooking

Fast boil vs. simmer

Garlic sautéing in a pan

Baked dish sizzling vs. silent

Changing a Food’s Flavor

Ripening and aging – flavor of most food

changes as it ripens or get older

Not ripe = bitter/bland (because it is not fully

developed)

Ripe = richest flavor

Overripe = spoiled/rotten

Example: green tomatoes are tart, ripe

tomatoes are sweet, overripe tomatoes tastes

fermented

Changing a Food’s Flavor

Temperature – cold foods tend to be less

flavorful than warm/hot foods

Example: a cold tomato from the fridge tastes

more mild than a tomato sitting at room

temperature

Preparation and cooking – how we prepare

foods impacts their flavor

Example: cutting a tomato subtly changes the

way it tastes

Example: cooking that tomato until it’d browned

will change the taste more drastically

Describing Flavor

Can use the five types: sweet, sour, bitter, salty,

umami

…but we want/need more than that!

The way a flavor looks:

You can predict based on appearance

Fresh? Unblemished? Good color?

Other ways to describe flavor based on appearance:

Opaque, translucent, transparent, clear, specific colors

Describing Flavor

The way a flavor smells:

The way something smells before you eat it may be very different than how it smells once you put it into your mouth

Common ways to describe the way a food smells that invoke a taste:

Perfumed

Pungent

Earthy

Stale

Musty

Fresh

Strong

Intense

Describing Flavor

The way flavor feels:

Texture is the way it feels when you touch, cut, or bite it

Common ways to describe the way a food feels that invoke a taste:

Firm, hard

Soft

Melting

Crisp, crunchy, crumbly

Airy, frothy, foamy

Watery, thin

Thick, heavy, dense

Warm, hot

Cold, cool

Describing Flavor

The way flavor sounds:

The sounds a food makes gives us a clue as to how it

will taste

Common ways to describe the way a food sounds that

invoke a taste:

Snap

Sizzle

Pop

Crackle

Crunch

Fizz

Herbs

Leaves and stems of certain

plants

Used to flavor dishes

Certain herbs (or herb

combinations) are associated

with certain cultural groups:

Basil and oregano = Italian foods

Tarragon and chives = Chinese

foods

Oregano and mint = Greek foods

Herbs

Selecting fresh herbs:

Fresh herbs should have a pleasant aroma

Fresh herbs should be a vivid color with leaves in tact

Stems should be firm and not split

As herbs age their flavors become weaker

Yellow/pale or wilted herbs will not have good flavor

Storing fresh herbs:

Should be kept in the refrigerator

Wrapped loosely in damp paper toweling

Kept in a loosely closed plastic bag

Last several days

Herbs

Many herbs are sol dried, ground, or as a powder

Moisture is removed which concentrated the herb’s flavor

Dried herbs should have a pleasant smell

Musty smell or no smell means they are old and should be

discarded

Most last about six months

Should be stored in a cool, dry, airtight space away from

sunlight

For MOST herbs you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried

herb for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herb

Spices

Aromatic ingredients added in small amounts to foods

them a specific flavor

Seeds, roots, bark, stalks, or fruits from a wide

variety of plants

Whole spices last longer than ground spices

Example: whole peppercorns can last several years vs.

ground pepper will lose some of it’s flavor after 6 months

Some spices are “blended” meaning they have more

than one spice/herb mixed

Examples: curry powder, chili powder, pumpkin spice, and

dry meat rubs

Additional Aromatic Ingredients

Aromatic vegetables/fruits – add flavor and aroma

Plants in the onion family (onions, leeks, garlic, etc.) are most common

Additional examples include celery and mushrooms

Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, and oranges

Dried fruits like raisins or apricots

Aromatic liquids – add aroma to a dish

Broths/stocks, spirits (brandy/liqueurs), flavored oils, extracts

Cured foods – foods preserved by drying, salting, pickling, or smoking

Examples: ham, bacon, olives, salted anchovies

Add a savory flavor/aroma along with saltiness

Aromatic Combinations

Any time you use more than one flavoring or aromatic ingredient in a dish

Examples: mirepoix, sachet d’epices, bouquet garni

Mirepoix: combination of vegetables used as an aromatic flavoring

Cut veggies into large or small pieced (depends on cooking time)

Common types:

Standard – 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery (sometimes a tomato paste is included) – used for soups, stocks, gravy

White – 2 parts onion/leeks, 1 part parsnips, 1 part celery – used in white stock and soups

Cajun – combination of onion, celery, green pepper – used in Creole and Cajun dishes

Matignon – combination of onion, carrots, celery, ham

Battuto – cooking fat, garlic, onion, parsley, carrots, celery – used in Italian soups, stews and meat dishes

Aromatic Combinations

Sachet d’epices: (bag of spices)

Mixture of fresh and dried herbs and dried spices that are

tied into a cheesecloth

Standard includes peppercorns, dried thyme, fresh parsley

Bouquet garni:

Mixtures of fresh herbs that are tied together

Usually includes an aromatic vegetable such as garlic or

scallions

Standard includes fresh thyme, fresh parsley, rosemary,

citrus peels

Herbs and Spices

Identifying Herbs Worksheet

Investigation of Spices Worksheet

See Introduction to Culinary Arts

textbook/handout.