Curry - Herbs And Spices Lexicon

Table of contents:

Curry - Herbs And Spices Lexicon
Curry - Herbs And Spices Lexicon

Video: Curry - Herbs And Spices Lexicon

Video: Curry - Herbs And Spices Lexicon
Video: Homemade Curry Powder Recipe | Show Me The Curry 2024, March
Anonim

curry

The term “curry” can stand for very different things. On the one hand, it means curry powder, on the other hand, two completely different leaf spices, namely curry leaf and curry herb. Last but not least, the term curry can also mean a spicy dish from Indian cuisine, among others. The taste of the curry herb differs significantly from the curry leaf. Curry herb is more reminiscent of sage or mugwort, and is often compared to the aroma of curry powder and fenugreek. Curry powder is a varying mixture of spices…

navigation

  • Continue reading
  • more on the subject
  • Botany
  • Ingredients, smell and taste
  • Use and preparation

Botany

The curry leaf (also called curry orange rue) comes from the curry tree (Murraya koenigii), which is native to India and belongs to the diamond family (Rutaceae). The green leaflets up to five centimeters long are used as a spice.

Botanically, the curry herb, also called the Italian sand straw flower, belongs to the sunflower plant family (Asteraceae) and belongs to the everlasting genus (Helichrysum sp.). Twigs and leaves serve as a spice. The leaves are narrow, needle-shaped and silver to light gray. The curry herb comes from southern Europe. The numerous subspecies differ in the composition of the essential oil.

Curry powderis a more or less hot, mostly yellow spice mixture that originally comes from India. There it can consist of up to 35 individual spices. The main ingredients include turmeric, pepper, paprika, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, mustard, ginger, galangal, allspice and cumin. The typical yellow of curry powder comes from turmeric (turmeric) which is intensely yellow in color. Most of the mixtures available on the market also contain table salt, legume meal (such as ground fenugreek seeds), starch or dextrose.

Tip The curry herb also thrives under local climatic conditions. As a winter-hardy dwarf form, the plant can grow to a height of 20 centimeters and can even withstand sub-zero temperatures.

Ingredients, smell and taste

The curry leaf has a citrus-nutty to mandarin-like, tart to slightly bitter aroma and is also dried and ground in some curry mixtures. However, this happens more because the name has the same name as the curry powder, because the aroma of the leaves evaporates very quickly and does not affect the taste or smell of such mixtures. The most important components of the essential oil in the curry leaf are - in varying proportions - mono- (including α- and β-pinene) and sesquiterpenes (including β-caryophyllene).

The taste of the curry herb differs significantly from the curry leaf. Curry herb is more reminiscent of sage or mugwort, and is often compared to the aroma of curry powder and fenugreek. Curry powder tastes and smells very differently depending on the composition of the mixture, namely sweet to spicy to hot.

Use and preparation

Curry leaves are best used fresh and whole. Since they are soft, they can also be eaten. Drying is not advisable as the aroma evaporates quickly. Curry leaves can be frozen very easily or stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Curry herb (leaves and twigs) is cooked whole and removed before consumption. It can be used fresh or dried and goes well with spicy dishes such as rice and meat, as well as with Mediterranean cuisine. Depending on your taste, it can also be used for Asian dishes, but is not necessarily typical for this. Dried curry herb is also drunk as a tea.

Curry powder can be used in a variety of ways, be it with rice, meat or fish dishes. Along with many other spices, it is a central component of taste in Indian dishes, e.g. in curries. Soups and sauces can also be seasoned with curry powder.

Recommended: