On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 769
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HerbsandSpicesasThickeners
Someherbsandspicesareusedtoprovidethe
substanceofadishaswellasitsaromatic
essence.Apureeoffreshherbs,asinthe
Italianpestosaucemadefrombasil,isthick
becausetheherb’sownmoistureisalready
boundupwithvariouscellmaterials.And
thankstotheabundanceofthosecell
materials—mainlycellwallsandmembranes
—suchpureesalsodoagoodjobofcoating
oildropletsandsocreatingastable,luxurious
emulsion(p.628).Freshchillis,whichare
fruits,produceawaterypuree,butonethat
cooksdowntoawonderfulsmoothnessthanks
toitsabundantcell-wallpectins.Many
Mexicansaucesaremadefromabackboneof
driedchillis,whichareeasilyrehydratedto
producethesamesmoothpuree;and
Hungarianpaprikashesarethickenedwith
powderedchillis.
IndianandSoutheastAsiandishesoften
owetheirthicknesstoacombinationofdried
andfreshspices.Groundcorianderabsorbsa
lotofwaterthankstoitsthickdryhusk;
ginger,turmeric,andgalangalarestarchy
root-likerhizomes,andtheirstarchdissolves
duringprolongedsimmeringtoprovidea
thickeningtangleoflongmolecularchains.
Grounddriedsassafrasleaves,orfilépowder,
similarlythickensLouisianangumbo.And
fenugreekisremarkableforitshighcontentof
amucilaginouscarbohydratecalled
galactomannan,whichisreleasedsimplyby
soakingthegroundseeds.
ASurveyofCommonHerbs
MostoftheherbsusedintraditionalEuropean
cookingaremembersoftwoplantgroups,the
mintfamilyandthecarrotfamily.Thefamily
membersresembleeachothertovarying
degrees,sointhissurveyI’vegroupedthem
together.Theremainingherbsthenfollowin
