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Seasoning
 
 
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Seasoning is the process of imparting flavor
Flavor

Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other chemical substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and olfaction....
 to, or improving the flavor of, food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
. Seasonings include herbs, spices, and all other condiment
Condiment

In the United Kingdom, a condiment used to be confined to salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar. Use of the term condiment has broadened and now is generally considered to be any prepared edible Chemical substance or mixture, often Food preservation or Fermentation , that is added in relatively small quantities, most often at the table...
s, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". However, Larousse Gastronomique
Larousse Gastronomique

Larousse Gastronomique is an encyclopedia of gastronomy. The majority of the book is French cuisine with many French dishes, cooking techniques, and recipes featured....
 states that "to season and to flavour are not the same thing", insisting that seasoning includes a large or small amount of salt being added to a preparation. Salt may be used to draw out water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, or to magnify a natural flavor of a food making it richer or more delicate, depending on the dish.






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Seasoning is the process of imparting flavor
Flavor

Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other chemical substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and olfaction....
 to, or improving the flavor of, food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
. Seasonings include herbs, spices, and all other condiment
Condiment

In the United Kingdom, a condiment used to be confined to salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar. Use of the term condiment has broadened and now is generally considered to be any prepared edible Chemical substance or mixture, often Food preservation or Fermentation , that is added in relatively small quantities, most often at the table...
s, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". However, Larousse Gastronomique
Larousse Gastronomique

Larousse Gastronomique is an encyclopedia of gastronomy. The majority of the book is French cuisine with many French dishes, cooking techniques, and recipes featured....
 states that "to season and to flavour are not the same thing", insisting that seasoning includes a large or small amount of salt being added to a preparation. Salt may be used to draw out water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, or to magnify a natural flavor of a food making it richer or more delicate, depending on the dish. This type of procedure is akin to curing
Curing (food preservation)

Curing refers to various food preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of edible salt, sugar, nitrates or nitrite....
. For instance, kosher salt
Kosher salt

Koshering salt sometimes branded as Kosher salt in the USA, is a term that describes one of the most commonly used varieties of edible salt in commercial kitchens today....
 (a coarser-grained salt) is rubbed into chicken
Chicken

The chicken is a Domestication fowl. Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago....
, lamb, and beef
Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, European cuisine and the Americas, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia....
 to tenderize the meat and improve flavor. Other seasonings like black pepper
Black pepper

Black pepper is a flowering plant vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning....
 and basil
Basil

Basil , of the Family Lamiaceae. Basil is a tender low-growing herb that is grown as a Perennial plant in warm, tropical climates. Basil is originally native to Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years....
 transfer some of their flavor to the food. A well designed dish may combine seasonings that complement each other.

In addition to the choice of herbs and seasoning, the timing of when flavors are added will affect the food that is being cooked.

In some cultures, meat may be seasoned by pouring sauce
Sauce

In cooking, a sauce is liquid or sometimes semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish....
 over the dish at the table. A variety of seasoning techniques exist in various cultures.

Infused Oils
Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of Wikt:steep plants with a desired flavour in water or edible oil.An infusion is very similar to a decoction but is used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil....
 is another method of seasoning. There are two methods for doing an infusion — hot and cold. Olive oil
Olive oil

Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. The wild olive tree originated in Anatolia and spread from there as far as southern Africa, Australia, Japan and China....
 makes a good infusion base for some herbs, but tends to go rancid
Rancidification

Rancidification is the decomposition of fats, oils and other lipids by hydrolysis or oxidation, or both. Hydrolysis will split fatty acid chains away from the glycerol backbone in glycerides....
 more quickly than other oils. Infused oils should be kept refrigerated.

Escoffier


In Le Guide culinaire
Le Guide Culinaire

Georges Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide culinaire is a pivotal book in the history of European haute cuisine, being Escoffier's largely successful attempt to codify and streamline the common French restaurant food of the day....
, Auguste Escoffier divides Seasoning and Condiments into the following groups:

Seasonings:

  1. Saline seasonings—Salt
    Salt

    A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
    , spiced salt, saltpeter
    Saltpeter

    Saltpeter or saltpetre may refer to:*Potassium nitrate, the critical oxidizing component of gun powder*Sodium nitrate , an ingredient in fertilizers, explosives and solid rocket propellants...
    .
  2. Acid seasonings—Plain vinegar
    Vinegar

    Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
    , or same aromatized with tarragon
    Tarragon

    Tarragon or dragon's-wort is a perennial plant herb in the family Asteraceae related to Artemisia . Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is "dragon herb." It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to India, western North America, and south to...
    ; verjuice
    Verjuice

    Verjuice is a very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavour....
    , lemon and orange juices.
  3. Hot seasonings—Peppercorn
    Peppercorn

    The original meaning of Peppercorn is the fruit of Black pepper.It may also refer to:* Peppercorn , a very small payment used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract...
    s, ground or coarsely chopped pepper, or mignonette pepper; paprika
    Paprika

    Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of many dried sweet red or green bell peppers . In many European countries, the word paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves....
    , curry
    Curry

    Curry is the English language description of any of a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in Asian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine....
    , cayenne
    Cayenne

    Cayenne is the Capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Ocean coast....
    , and mixed pepper spices.
  4. Saccharine seasonings—Sugar and honey.


Condiments:

  1. The pungents—Onions, shallots, garlic
    Garlic

    Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive....
    , chives
    Chives

    Chives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. They are referred to only in the plural, because they grow in clumps rather than as individual plants....
    , and horseradish
    Horseradish

    Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes Mustard plant, wasabi, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, but is popular around the world today....
    .
  2. Hot condiments—Mustard, gherkins, capers, English sauces, such as Worcestershire, Harvey, ketchup, etc. and American sauces such as chili, Tabasco, A-1 Steak Sauce, etc.; the wines used in reduction
    Reduction

    Reduction, reduced, or reduce may refer to:...
    s and braising
    Braising

    File:Potroast.JPG#fileBraising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour....
    s; the finishing elements of sauces and soups.
  3. Fatty substances—Most animal fats, butter, vegetable greases (edible oils and margarine).


See also

  • Flavor
    Flavor

    Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other chemical substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and olfaction....