Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine

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Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine
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    Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine
    How understanding the elements of taste and flavor—and how
    they’re interpreted around the globe—can help you bring balance,
    inspiration, and creativity to your kitchen. And help you become
    a better cook.

    You know when something tastes good—and when it just doesn’t. But do you know
    how to harness the power of flavor to transform you culinary creations into recipes
    your family and friends will crave? Knowledge of the key tastes will help you to
    balance them within each dish and across an entire meal. Even top chefs make
    mistakes—but luckily you can use the function of our four tastes to troubleshoot.
        Once you have the basics mastered, take a trip around the globe from the
    comfort of your kitchen to see how playing with world cuisines can take your meals
    to the next level. Let knowledge of tastes, flavors, and world cuisines give you the
    freedom to be more creative in your kitchen.

    The Four Tastes
    While we often think of flavor and taste as the same thing, there is actually a
    scientific and culinary difference between the two. Sweet, salty, sour and bitter are
    the four tastes which are sensed through your tastebuds. All other flavors (such as
    floral or earthy note) are ones that you sense through your nose. This is why, when
    you have a cold, almost everything taste bland and one dimensional. Use theses four
    main tastes as the base of your flavor knowledge.

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        Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)
                    Function                                                 Function
    Nature’s flavor enhancer,                                                Sour and acidic tastes
     salt brings out all other                                               make other flavors bright
     flavors and ingredients                                                 and sharp
                    Example                                                  Example
       Miso, olives, seaweed,                                                Lemon, vinegar, citrus,
                      sea salt                                               cranberries
            Pairs well with...                                               Pairs well with...
          Enhances all other             Salty             Sour                 Enhances all other
                     flavors                                                 flavors

                              Sweet                               Bitter

                     Function                 Umami                    Function
Sweet flavors add roundness to                                         Bitterness makes food taste
                 savory dishes                                         sharper
                         Example                                       Example
         Fruit, maple syrup, beets                                     Dark chocolate, bitter greens,
                                                                       (dandelion, broccoli rabe),
                  Pairs well with...
                                                                       horseradish
                             Bitter
                                                                       Pairs well with...
                                                                            Sweet and salty
                        What is Umami?
                        In the transition to a plant-based lifestyle, there may be some days
                        that a salad just won’t cut it. On those days, rely on the 5th taste:
                        umami. While there is some debate in the culinary community
                        about whether umami is a real taste, there is something to be said
                        for the properties of savory or meaty ingredients.
                             Mushrooms, nutritional yeast, soy sauce or tamari, tomato paste,
                        smoked paprika, or mesquite contribute umami, and can give any
                        plant-based dish a more savory, hearty taste. Umami is a low note
                        that will cover your tongue after you finish a soup or sandwich.

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    Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)

    Finding Balance
    A dish must have balance to be satisfying. If one flavor is too prominent, the
    entire dish can feel inadequate or flat. Using a musical analogy, the following four
    elements work in harmony to make a dish taste complete.

    LOW NOTES
    Deep, earthy notes form the base, or canvas, on which other flavors are painted. A
    savory broth, rich mushrooms, or herbs, such as oregano and sage, can give a dish
    its low notes.

    MID NOTES
    Not immediately identifiable, these flavors may add other elements, like color and
    texture to a dish. Raw celery or tofu are good examples of mid notes—their taste is
    neutral but enhanced by both low and high notes.

    HIGH NOTES
    You taste high notes first—they pop out at your first bite. Citrus, spicy peppers, and
    bitter herbs like horseradish, have high notes.

    ROUND NOTES
    To bring low, mid, and high notes together, you need something salty and/or
    something sweet. These two enhance the other flavors, and bring a sense of
    completion to a dish.

    PAIRING
    Another way to find balance is to pair one element of taste with its exact opposite.
    Try pairing:
       Sweet + Bitter
       Salty + Sour
       Hot + Cold
       Raw + Caramelized
       Richness (fat) + Relief (sour/bitter)
       Creamy + Crunchy

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    Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)

    Troubleshooting
    You just spent an hour in the kitchen, and there’s just something not quite right about
    the finished product. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it could probably best
    be described as flat or bland taste. Let’s apply what you’ve just learned about taste
    and flavor to get to the root of such dilemmas—and make you feel like a culinary
    genius for taking dinner from okay to awesome.

       If it’s too rich…                         Add an element of bitterness.
                                                 Horseradish, arugula, or broccoli
                                                 rabe (rapini) can help to add
                                                 sharpness to your meal.

       If it’s too heavy…                         Add an element of sour.
                                                 A squirt of lemon or lime juice
                                                 brings a little acid to cut through
                                                 heaviness

       If the flavors don’t sing...              Try a pinch of sea salt.
                                                 Salt enhances all other seasonings,
                                                 drawing out flavors otherwise lost in
                                                 the crowd.

       If it’s too bitter...                     Try caramelizing the onions or garlic
                                                 to bring out their natural sweetness—
                                                 rather than their pungency.

       If you can’t tell one spice               Try toasting the spices before
                                                 adding them to your dish.
       from the next...
                                                 Toasting dry spices—or sautéing
                                                 curry pastes or dried chilies in a
                                                 little oil—draws out natural oils to
                                                 enhance their aromas and taste.

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     Flavors of World Cuisine
     Flavors can define a culture. Every region within a country has its own unique play on
     local and traditional ingredients that create a flavor profile that represents home for its
     citizens, and acts as a kind of cultural signature for visitors. The beauty of this diversity of
     flavor profiles is that, by incorporating them into a base recipe, you can easily transport a
     dish to another part of the world.
          Play around with these common flavor themes in your kitchen using the Base Noodle
     Bowl, Quinoa Cakes and Dragon Bowl recipes found with this lesson.

     French
     French cuisine contains earthy, heavy flavor notes complemented by a focus on fresh
     herbs. Truffles (and other mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini, and even humble
     button mushrooms) add a rich, meaty taste to any plant-based meal. Apple cider vinegar
     and wine bring lightness to heavier herbs. (Don’t worry—the alcohol content in wine is
     cooked off before serving!)

         Apple cider vinegar              Herbes de Provence*                  Rosemary

         Sage                             Shallots                             Truffle oil/Truffles

                                          Typically savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender,
                                          herbes de Provence varies from chef to chef. This is
                                          the most common version of it, but some can also
                                          include marjoram, tarragon, bay leaf and rosemary.
         Wine                             Play around to find your favorite combination.

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

    Greek
    The islands of Greece have long embraced their olive, nut, and lemon trees in
    creating dishes that revolve around these light flavors. Look for cold-pressed extra
    virgin olive oil, and sample a wide range of fresh olives to see the small nuances in
    flavors they can provide.

        Almonds                              Garlic                     Lemon

        Olives*                              Olive oil                  Oregano

         Paprika                              Parsley                    Pistachios

          Beyond kalamata olives, explore olives that are brined,
          salted, sundried, marinated, or pickled; green, black,
          large, small, firm, or buttery.

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

     Italian
     The smell of tomatoes roasting with garlic, olive oil, and basil can instantly transport
     you to Italy. These are balanced by balsamic vinegar and spicy chili flakes.

         Balsamic vinegar                 Basil                            Chili flakes

         Garlic                           Oregano                          Tomato

         Onion                            Olives                           Olive oil

         Parsley

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    Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

    Japanese
    Most Japanese dishes rely on a balance of sweet, salty, and umami tastes. As you
    transition to a plant-based diet, incorporating more umami flavors from soy sauce,
    mushrooms, and seaweed can give you the hearty taste you crave.

                                        Daikon                         Ginger
       Citrus                           (pickled or fresh)             (pickled or fresh)

                                        Mirin
       Green onion/scallion                                            Rice vinegar
                                        (sweetened rice wine)

        Sesame seeds                    Sesame oil                     Soy sauce or Tamari
                                                                       (gluten-free)

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        Wasabi

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

     Japanese (continued)

                                        Miso is fermented from either soy, barley or brown rice. As
                                        you’re shopping you’ll notice that there are many different colors
            Miso*
                                        as well—ranging from white, to yellow to red. Darker colors are
                                        generally stronger in flavor. You can select the type of miso
                                        depending on how much you want this umami taste to stand
                                        out in a recipe.

                                        There are many different types of seaweed to choose from.
                                        Kombu is a thick seaweed often used to flavor soups and beans.
                                        Arame and wakame make a delicious addition to salads and stir-
            Seaweed*                    fries. Nori is used to make sushi rolls, or can be crumbled onto
                                        salads. Play around with different types of seaweed, depending
                                        on your recipe.

                                        Mushrooms add a savory earthy taste to your dish. White
            Mushrooms*                  button mushrooms have the most mild flavor. Enoki mushrooms
                                        have a delicate flavor that is often added to salads. Shiitake
                                        mushrooms are traditionally used in Asian soups and have a
                                        deep earthy flavor. Oyster mushrooms have a smooth taste that
                                        resembles seafood. There are many other varieties—look at your
                                        farmers market for locally foraged mushrooms!

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

     Middle Eastern
     A sweet, earthy warmth is characteristic of Middle Eastern dishes. Look in
     specialty grocery stores for fresh turmeric—its vibrant orange/yellow color helps
     with the presentation of any dish.

         Almonds                           Cinnamon                    Cumin

         Dried fruit                       Garlic                      Onion

         Turmeric

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

     Mexican
     Lime accents and lightens most Mexican dishes, while cumin brings earthy
     warmth, and a spectrum of chilies create heat. The Mexican flavor profile includes
     elements of sour, spicy, and bitter tastes, and most signature ingredients can be
     found in your local grocery store.

         Chipolte chilies               Cilantro                       Cinnamon

         Cumin                          Corn                           Green onion/scallion

         Jalapeño                       Lime                           Onion

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     Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)

     Southeast Asian
     While there are numerous regional nuances as you travel from Laos to Malaysia to
     Thailand, there are several flavor elements that remain consistent across borders.
     Here you’ll see a blend of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet tastes.

         Chilies                       Cilantro                              Coconut milk

         Garlic                        Ginger                                Lime

         Lime leaf (or lime zest)      Lemongrass                            Shallots

                                       Curry paste has a much richer taste than simple curry
                                       powder. Look for red, green or yellow curry paste
                                       in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store or in a
         Red curry paste*              speciality store.

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