Cooking goes far beyond the simple fact of preparing food to satisfy hunger. Cooking is chemistry, it's an act of love, it's common sense, it's experimentation and above all it's taking care of your health, your well-being and your quality of life. And it all starts with the choice of spices, which are largely responsible for the outstanding flavor of your food.
A lot of talk about healthy eating these days, but I still see many people turning up their noses at the kitchen at home and only going in there to pop the microwave popcorn or put the pizza just delivered by the biker on the table. It is a fact that there are also people who cook daily, but do not have the confidence, desire or time to try new recipes and more natural flavors and that is where a great danger lies: rampant use of industrialized seasonings.
I'm not condemning everything that comes in a bag and makes life easier at the time of preparation, after all, from time to time, we really need to surrender to practicality. I'm just making an invitation and a proposal here. Go to the municipal market closest to your home or a local grocery store that sells a variety of spices and fresh herbs. Research ahead or talk to the owner of the place and try to adapt the seasonings to your family's taste. Oregano, cumin, turmeric, turmeric, mustard, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, various peppers, anise, ginger… It's a gigantic list and I'm sure one or a mix of them will please you.
Once purchased, get home and start cooking by trying each spice alone or a mix of them in your next meals. The secret here is to always test in small portions and use common sense in quantity., after all, the seasoning should bring out the best of the flavor of the food and never dominate. If you intend to eat meat, there is no reason to taste only saffron, for example.
The big differences of using fresh spices instead of industrialized seasonings is the explosive flavor that will invade your taste buds and the health that will soon thank you. Industrialized seasonings are filled with preservatives, flavor enhancers, dyes and even other ingredients that shouldn't be there, just to make the mixture cheaper. Not to mention that for people allergic or sensitive to some type of food, they are real bombs in immunity.
Once you've done the tests and found out which flavors are most pleasing to your family or the people you share your meals with, you can buy the right quantities and have the spice mix you want ready. Just grind them with the help of a pestle or grind them in the processor. Over time, I guarantee that you will have much tastier, healthier and more exclusive spice jars in your kitchen. Your taste buds and your health will thank you!
Written by Roberta Lopes of the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team
