On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 784

notes, and contain little or no safrole, a
compoundthat’sprominentinthetree’sroots
and bark, and that used to give root beer its
characteristicflavoruntilitwasfoundtobea
likelycarcinogen(seehojasantabelow).
OtherCommonHerbs

BorageBorageisamedium-sized
Mediterraneannative,Boragoofficinalis,with
brightblueflowersandlarge,fuzzyleaves
thathavethedistinctflavorofcucumber,
thankstoenzymesthatconvertitsfattyacids
intothesamenine-carbonchain(nonanal)
producedbycucumberenzymes.Itwasoncea
commoningredientofmixedsalads(seethe
recipeonp.251).Plantsintheboragefamily
accumulatepotentiallytoxicalkaloids,so
borageshouldbeeateninmoderation.
Capers Capers are the unopened flower buds
of a Mediterranean bush,Capparis spinosa,


which have been gathered from the wild and
pickled for thousands of years, though
cultivatedonlyforacoupleofcenturies.The
caper bush is distantly related to the cabbage
familyandhasitspungentsulfurcompounds,
which dominate in the raw flower bud. The
bud is preserved in various ways — in brine,
in vinegar, dry-salted — and used as a soursalty accent in sauces and dishes, especially
with fish. When drysalted, the caper bud

undergoes an astonishing transformation: its
radish and onion notes are displaced by the
distinct aroma (from ionone and raspberry
ketone)ofvioletsandraspberries!
Curry Leaf Curry leaf is the leaf of a small
tree in the citrus family,Murraya koenigii, a
native of south Asia. It is primarily used in
south India and Malaysia, where households
oftenhavetheirownplantandaddittomany
dishes. Despite its name, the curry leaf
doesn’ttastelikeIndiancurries;itismildand