Spices and Herbs III

Fennel

Here is another herb from the Carrot Family and with a flavor of Anise, but very mild.

It is one of the  spices used in the Chinese 5 spice powder.
Indigenous to the Mediterranean, it has migrated throughout Europe, India and China.

From that, you can surmise that it would have many uses in food, liquor, candies and in Italy it is found in some of their renown dishes but especially the Risotto.

The bulb of the plant resembles an onion and can be used as a vegetable, that is, sautéed, boiled, braised, and in a pinch can be eaten raw.

The fresh leaves are used as a garnish or as a flavoring for salads.

The seed also have unique uses, such as flavoring in organic toothpaste; but also candy coated individually and sold as candy in some parts of the Middle East. It is also used as a breath freshener.

This herb is heavy in the B and C vitamins.

Garlic Chives

Despite the name, the more common name of this plant is Chinese Leek. It is part of the Onion family.

Unlike other variants of the onion group, this plant produces tiny white flowers.

It is the aroma and subtle flavor of the leaves and flower petals used as flavoring in soups and salads that qualify this plant as a spice.

It is also used in making Chinese dumplings.

For me, it is more interesting to note that here in the U.S., usage of this plant is more toward being a decorative garden plant along with other garden type flowers and bushes, rather than grown and used as a food supplement. Too bad.

Ginger (Root)

Here we have another herb that is used almost equally as a spice and in medicine

Ginger usage comes from the root and that root is what is universally called Ginger

It is one of the spices that has been known and used for a very long time; so far back in time that we can only speculate on where or what country it originated from. India seems to be the consensus opinion at the moment. Suffice to say it made its way to Europe via the Silk road and the ancient Romans had a variety of ways to use it.

The most common uses are as a flavoring for such items as Ginger Bread, Ginger cookies; Ginger ale; specialty cakes and as a favorite during the holidays.

In medicine it is used to treat nausea, seasickness and in some cultures, morning sickness for the newly pregnant; although there has been evidence that using it for that problem may cause harm to the fetus (the stage of pregnancy where all of the parts of the body are recognizable; about 8 weeks into the process of creating a new body).

Also, using large quantities of this root can cause heartburn, gas, bloating and nausea.

This root is heavy in Vitamins, especially the B's, with B6 being the most and in Minerals with Magnesium being the leader.

Horseradish

From the family of foods that include Broccoli, Cabbage, Mustard and the Japanese tongue lasher, Wasabi and by that I mean that it is hot hot.

It qualifies as a spice due to the aroma and pungency.

The plant grows quite tall, about 4-5 feet and sports a beautiful white flower. When harvested the root looks like a long white carrot and it has no noticeable aroma to speak of....until you cut into it...then the cut cells produce a type of mustard oil and just a whiff of this will make you think "Oh. Yeah. This is going to leave a mark".

The primary use of the grated form, mixed with vinegar, is what we are most familiar with as a side dish for spreading small amounts onto a cut of prime rib, steaks and Roasted meats.

One of the side effects of using too much at a time is watering of the eyes and secondly a clearing of the sinuses.

The Japanese Wasabi is a different breed of the same family as noted earlier. In Japan it is one of the condiments served with Sushi.

Because the Wasabi plant is rare, it is not exported. What we see here and what is called Wasabi is not. It is regular horseradish with green food color added. But even so, it still packs a wallop.

On a trip I made to Japan I had the Wasabi and what I can say about it is that it should come with a warning label.

Another interesting development in Horseradish usage is the newly developed "creamed horseradish" It has ingredients added that tone down the hotness and is very easy on the mouth parts and it eliminates the above noted side effects. Just make sure to read the ingredient label to ensure that High Fructose Corn Syrup is not one of the items. There could be other added ingredients that you may be allergic to.

Dad