Chefs use many tools and techniques to turn a standard recipe into a signature dish. Spices, when cleverly used in the preparation of a side, such as a vegetable that complements the main dish, can momentarily steal the diner’s attention.
Why do it? Because it can and because the diner can perceive the extra effort of the chef. After all, the diner expects the main course to be the show, and often dismisses the accompanying veggies as a distraction to what he wanted. The Cook not achieve the desired effect simply by sprinkling spices on the garnish.
For example, the spice called cumin can be purchased as a powder and sprinkled with the intention of imparting its bittersweet flavor to an otherwise sweet or mushy vegetable. But why would a chef select the freshest vegetable, slowly roast it on aromatic wood, and then sprinkle it with powdered cumin? Instead, the chef can roast cumin seeds in a skillet, pluck them just as they release their aroma, then crush them to get the oil inside the seeds to release a hint of saltiness along with the bittersweet flavor of the cumin. Pour the cumin oil over the vegetable just before serving it along with the main dish (which is usually meat).
“Are these carrots delicious? How did you prepare them? I don’t even like carrots. Can I have some more of thesis carrots? ”The chef who is summoned to a diner’s table to listen to such talk knows that he has won a regular customer.
Did you know that the spice is mentioned in the Christian Bible? In ancient times, growing, transporting, storing, preparing, and serving spices was big business. Spices were the main products of the caravans (usually carried on camels) arriving from southeast and southwest Asia to the port cities of Galilee and Judea, where they were loaded onto ships for delivery to many lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Most people assume that only wealthy customers can buy spices, but that was not the case. Many skilled chefs were wives of lowly means, buying or trading in the local spice markets. They turned the roughest hunk of wild meat and vegetables into memorable stews, brandishing spices.
