Leeks, Shallots, Chives, and Scallions • They
add delicate flavor and a touch of green color
to soups, salads, and other mixed dishes
u.s. DA.
used. Other fruits added in the form of
juice, puree, or small pieces contribute their
desirable flavors to many dishes.
Wide use is made of the aromatic fresh
vegetables in seasoning. The onion family,
the peppers, green and red, the herbs, may
add both flavor and texture. Nuts too add
their special flavors and textures to some
dishes. The use of many of these has been
discussed in previous chapters.
The purpose of this chapter is to point
out the importance of flavor in food, and
to give, in addition to the flavor foods al¬
ready discussed, a list of the important con¬
diments and some very general rules as to
their use.
IMPORTANCE OF FLAVOR
Flavor is important to good nutrition. It
stimulates appetite, promotes good digestion,
and adds to the enjoyment of meals. A well-
balanced meal does nothing to improve nutri¬
tion unless eaten, and eaten in the amounts
required to supply needed nutrients. A well-
known British biochemist designated con¬
dimental substances the "catalysts of nu¬
trition." While they may contribute little
'directly to the nutritive value of the diet,
they make a real contribution to good nutri¬
tion through their influence on appetite and
the amount of food consumed.
Many foods have their own characteristic
flavors that may need only to be brought out.
Salt does just this; so to all prepared dishes
[348]
one adds salt — not much; just enough to
bring out the natural flavor of the food. Salt
is best added during preparation — enough,
but not too much. More can be added at
the table if needed, but too much cannot
be removed.
Some food flavors need to be pepped up;
so along with the salt goes the pepper that
gives just the needed lift. Onion juice or
one of the herbs may be added, just a bit to
give more character to something on the
insipid side, not enough to steal the show,
but enough to strengthen the leading char¬
acter in the dish. The herbs basil and rose¬
mary and a suggestion of garlic added to a
dish of squash do just this.
Some foods more or less neutral in taste
are used as a background for highly flavored
dishes. Rice and present-day white breads
are said to be good carriers of flavor. We
serve with them foods with high flavor value,
fats, relishes, or a sweet spread. Most dishes,
however, should be flavored so as to be com¬
plete in themselves.
Sensory Factors in Flavor. One tends to
think of flavor just as taste. While taste is
important in flavor it is only one of the phys¬
ical senses involved. Flavor is a complex
sensation to which odor and feel (texture,
consistency, and temperature) contribute as
well as taste.
Food loses a surprising amount of flavor
when one has a cold that blocks off the sense
of smell. The feel of food to the lips, the
tongue, the throat, and its temperature con¬
tribute to flavor. For most people, tender¬
ness and crispness are desirable texture at¬
tributes; butteryness, greasiness, pastiness,
and toughness are undesirable.
While the temperature at which foods are
served influences the keenness of taste and
odor sensation, the preference for some foods
at specific temperatures seems evidence that
temperature in itself is sometimes a factor
in flavor.
Page 322
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Leeks, Shallots, Chives, and Scallions • They add delicate flavor and a touch of green color to soups, salads, and other mixed dishes
u.s. DA.
used. Other fruits added in the form of juice, puree, or small pieces contribute their desirable flavors to many dishes.
Wide use is made of the aromatic fresh vegetables in seasoning. The onion family, the peppers, green and red, the herbs, may add both flavor and texture. Nuts too add their special flavors and textures to some dishes. The use of many of these has been discussed in previous chapters.
The purpose of this chapter is to point out the importance of flavor in food, and to give, in addition to the flavor foods al¬ ready discussed, a list of the important con¬ diments and some very general rules as to their use.
IMPORTANCE OF FLAVOR
Flavor is important to good nutrition. It stimulates appetite, promotes good digestion, and adds to the enjoyment of meals. A well-balanced meal does nothing to improve nutri¬ tion unless eaten, and eaten in the amounts required to supply needed nutrients. A well-known British biochemist designated con¬ dimental substances the "catalysts of nu¬ trition." While they may contribute little 'directly to the nutritive value of the diet, they make a real contribution to good nutri¬ tion through their influence on appetite and the amount of food consumed.
Many foods have their own characteristic flavors that may need only to be brought out. Salt does just this; so to all prepared dishes
[348]
one adds salt — not much; just enough to bring out the natural flavor of the food. Salt is best added during preparation — enough, but not too much. More can be added at the table if needed, but too much cannot be removed.
Some food flavors need to be pepped up; so along with the salt goes the pepper that gives just the needed lift. Onion juice or one of the herbs may be added, just a bit to give more character to something on the insipid side, not enough to steal the show, but enough to strengthen the leading char¬ acter in the dish. The herbs basil and rose¬ mary and a suggestion of garlic added to a dish of squash do just this.
Some foods more or less neutral in taste are used as a background for highly flavored dishes. Rice and present-day white breads are said to be good carriers of flavor. We serve with them foods with high flavor value, fats, relishes, or a sweet spread. Most dishes, however, should be flavored so as to be com¬ plete in themselves.
Sensory Factors in Flavor. One tends to think of flavor just as taste. While taste is important in flavor it is only one of the phys¬ ical senses involved. Flavor is a complex sensation to which odor and feel (texture, consistency, and temperature) contribute as well as taste.
Food loses a surprising amount of flavor when one has a cold that blocks off the sense of smell. The feel of food to the lips, the tongue, the throat, and its temperature con¬ tribute to flavor. For most people, tender¬ ness and crispness are desirable texture at¬ tributes; butteryness, greasiness, pastiness, and toughness are undesirable.
While the temperature at which foods are served influences the keenness of taste and odor sensation, the preference for some foods at specific temperatures seems evidence that temperature in itself is sometimes a factor in flavor.