A rejoicing about ingredients
Today I finally found the specimen bags I need for my teaching spices and herbs. I just labelled them and put them away. This means that instead of the next book in my ‘must-out-away’ pile, you get a small celebration of these lovely things. We even get to celebrate the ammonia, though I admit that celebrating ammonia is hard to fathom.
What did I add to my tin tonight?
Sumac (the Middle Eastern version, not the poisonous one)
Mustard (because I found an empty bag labelled mustard last time I sorted)
Galingale (because I was so busy cooking with it I forgot to package any!)
Zedoary
Forest berry herb
Indian bay (I need to cook with this)
Alum powder
Ammonia (my nose is still full of it)
File (gumbo – I can make gumbo! Though not from my teaching sample, obviously)
Ancho
Grains of paradise
Long pepper
Gum benzoin
Cubebs
Frankincense
Dried medlar
Bush tomato
Pasilla
Silver leaf
It’s no way near finished yet, this tin of mine. But I have all that I can easily obtain in Australia. Because Australia has really restrictive importation laws, my next step is to wait and watch. If people have gardens with rare herbs and will let me dry some, or if a shop has unusual stock, then my collection will grow a little. In my ideal world, it’s about 300 ingredients strong, because that will really expand my capacity to teach that aspect of various cuisines. This addition adds a bit more South America and a bit more modern Australia and a bit more 19th century British Empire cooking.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
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November 1st, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Not a food question — I think — but one about that photo: What Brian Aldiss book is that, lurking beneath the tin?
November 1st, 2007 at 10:27 pm
The most visible is The Twinkling of an Eye and the other is Forgotten Life. Thanks for asking - you helped me remember I carefully put the first on entirely the wrong bookshelf. I’d better go fix it :).