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Rosemary isn't a spice, sage isn't a spice, cilantro isn't a spice, thyme isn't a spice...
That is correct, they are not classified as spices. They are classified as medicinal herbs because of their powerful medicinal constituents. There are thousands of times more herbs than there are spices and most commonly used spices are derived from herbs.
All herbs have powerful medicinal properties used for treating (or causing) health issues, and herbs are used to manufacture pharmaceuticals as well as poisons. Some common "culinary" herbs, like the ones you mentioned above, can be safely used for culinary purposes as flavouring agents or flavour enhancers if they are used in moderation in very small quantities but they should not be used on their own as foods. All herbs, including the culinary herbs, can have serious side effects, becoming toxic if used in excess and many of them may have very fast acting fatal consequences.
I love Italian Seasoning. Nice mix of rosemary, oregano, little bit of red pepper, usually dried garlic. Works on red meat, poultry, pizza or any Italian dish, some salad dressings. I wouldn't use it on fish, though.
I also have something labeled "Fish Spice" which contains paprika, cayenne, ginger, garlic, and black pepper. That's great on most anything.
When I was learning to cook, I would read the spice jars to see what they recommend. I love that Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme are good on chicken.
I never use jar sauce, but I add a splash of vinegar and a dash of sugar to my tomato sauce. I'm sure it's a lot less sugar than the jars--it never tastes sweet, just balances the flavor.
um, just what do you mean? I thought most herbs are leaves/stems/flowers from smaller annuals/biennials/perennials, while spices are seeds or bark from trees.
Of course, bay leaves come from trees. Does that make them an herb or a spice?
Ha!!! I did the same thing. I just didn't care for the type of smokiness it added, and I'm an avid BBQer.
Hi DGrinder. The worst for me is it was a surprise. I didn't look at the label well enough, so had no idea I was buying smoked paprika. When I fry morning potatoes... one of my favorite things... I coat them more than liberally & fry 'til they're crunchy tidbits... one taste & I literally spit them out on my plate. I thought the potatoes had turned overnight. Glad I was alone. I could manage a few bites, but ate it like a kid being forced to drink broccoli-prune juice & ended up tossing them.
I'm surprised, too. I love smoked turkey pieces from which to make soup or to slow cook with potatoes. It's a mystery why I don't care for the paprika... sounds right up my alley. And, I have to replace paprika more than any other spice.
I know, but OP listed salt, so I was going with the flow....
Haha. Me, too, Elnina.
I think in the US, the word spice has become interchangeable with seasoning. It's fine... language changes. Some never say herb, but only spice. I still know what they mean. Besides, I'd rather focus on the delicious food, like you!
Hmm - IME, as far as HOME MADE savory food, I can think of only one recipe that uses sugar - the rest (I'd ALMOST say all but I can't go through that many recipes right now) do not. Processed food, yes, I agree. In fact, it has become so prevalent, I'm finding I dislike MORE foods that are processed than I used to!
About the same here. I buy very little processed foods. I don't like my food created in a lab.
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Yeah I don't get this sugar is in all American food. I am born and bred in America. The only sugar I ever use in savory is brown and then only in BBQ rubs. My mother (horrible cook) and my father (a pretty good cook) never used it. My MIL from middle America never uses it. I do not taste it in my friends and family's food.
Is this just a sterotype?
Most of the processed foods are created/tested in labs. They add sugar to most of it nowadays for a variety of reasons but 2 of them are, sugar acts as a preservative and it's addictive. It sparks up the pleasure receptors in the brain and they want you to keep buying their product.
"...Oreos have also been shown to be more addictive than both cocaine and morphine, according to an unpublished 2013 animal study by Connecticut College researchers. To come to this finding, researchers fed rats rice cakes, Oreos or gave them injections of cocaine or morphine and found that the cookies had the greatest effect on the pleasure center of the brain—which likely explains why it’s so hard to eat just one."
And back to the spices....
Some time ago one of my daughters wanted several of my recipes from when she was growing up and after writing them all down it was funny how many of the recipes tasted so different from one another yet.. almost all of them contained salt, pepper and garlic powder, lol. And half of those had onion powder.
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