The bergamot herb shares its name with the bergamot fruit and its aromatic extract. That’s not the only thing it shares — all three products have the same strong citrus note. Fresh bergamot herb is not easy to find unless you grow it yourself. If you want to use it …
While much of the unique flavor of the jerk style of cooking has to do with the type of wood used to smoke the meat, a lot of has to do with the seasoning. Jerk seasoning’s flavor is as complex as it is pungent. While it has a distinctive flavor, …
Shoyu is Japanese soy sauce and is arguably the most popular variety of soy sauce in the West. It is used in recipes for a variety of Japanese dishes and condiments. It’s great in gyoza dipping sauce and in the glaze for teriyaki chicken. While it helps to have shoyu …
Rose petals are not exactly the most commonplace ingredient for western cooks, but they are essential if you are attempting to cook certain Middle Eastern dishes. You may have a hard time finding them in grocery stores. Roses used in Persian cooking come from a special variety of wild rose …
Ethiopian food has gained a foothold in America that has yet to be equaled by other African cuisines. A big part of this has to do with the distinctive flavor of berbere spice mix, which is used in many of that country’s dishes. If you want to make misir wot …
Garlic chives are a great ingredient, especially if you are cooking Asian dishes. They provide exactly the flavor that you might assume from their name. You can use them in Western dishes as well, since they may be an interesting alternative to both garlic and chives. However, they are not …
Carob is best known as an alternative to products made with cocoa. It is easily the most popular natural substitute for products from the Theobroma cacao tree, which is the tree from which cocoa beans are harvested. Carob powder is made from pods from the Ceratonia siliqua tree, which is …
Harissa powder provides dishes with the traditional flavors found in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. If you are making kebabs, sprinkling harissa powder over them can give them a touch of authenticity. However, no one is perfect and sometimes we unexpectedly run out of spices. If you need a …