BLACK PEPPER HISTORY AND USES

BLACK PEPPER
Yes, common or garden black pepper is not quite as it seems; believe it or not is known as “the King of Spices” and has been greatly prized. It used to grow wild in Kerala in India, and probably still does, as it’s now cultivated there. India is one of the major exporters of pepper today, as it was in the ancient world.
Peppercorns were very expensive commodities, and rents and dowries were sometimes paid with them. You know that we now use the phrase a ‘peppercorn rent’ to mean that you pay virtually nothing in rent, but it used to mean the exact opposite.In Europe, in the Middle Ages, pepper was used to preserve meat and to cover up its deficiencies, after it had been stored over winter and then cooked. It has been traded for more than 4,000 years, and along with ginger is one of the oldest exported products.
One tidbit of information I gleaned while researching its history is that Attila the Hun wanted 3,000 lbs of this valuable commodity, along with other items, for the ransom of the city of Rome. It didn’t say whether or not he got it, but I guess he didn’t.
It has been used in traditional medicine on the subcontinent for centuries as a cure for problems in the digestive system, and to cure coughs and colds. Scientists of today have reported that it has anti-fungal and anti-oxidant properties, and can assist in the treatment of fevers. It is also reported to be an anti-inflammatory and can kill and repel insects.
Ants hate it, so if you have ants in the house, sprinkle their paths with pepper, and this will deter them from using them. If you mix ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper in 2 pints of warm water, this will kill ants on your plants in the garden or in pots, and will even kill cockroaches (even the BIG ones).
In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached the coast of India and is accredited for opening up the lucrative spice route to India. Ships could voyage there safely before the monsoon season- which I’m currently impatiently waiting for.
White, black and green peppercorns come from the same plant, but I prefer not to use the white ones as I’ve had a few culinary disasters with white pepper. If your hand slips when you’re putting it into food then start again, as the result will be inedible. Black pepper on the other hand isn’t too bad; if your hand slips you can still eat the food, although you might not like the pungency of the taste. Green peppercorns are good and milder, I think, than their black and white siblings, and they look pretty (see pic).
In the recipe below, you can use a mixture of peppercorns if you wish, but if you’re using white ones go easy. You’ve been warned!



PEPPERCORN STEAK
Ingredients
Steaks, beef or pork
2 tbsps peppercorns, crushed, by rolling them with a rolling pin
butter for grilling

Method
Having crushed the peppercorns, rub them into the steaks on both sides, and cover them with aluminium foil. Leave for 30 mins.
Preheat the grill to high and grill the steaks according to your taste, blue, rare, medium etc. Use the butter so that it keeps the meat tender. Put a pat of butter on each side of the steak as you grill it.
Serve with our rocket salad.
These are a Treat and have Taste.

CINNAMON AND CASSIA BARK, MY RICE PUDDING RECIPE

CINNAMON AND CASSIA BARK
First of all I think I should clear up any confusion you have regarding these two spices. You can substitute on for the other and it really doesn’t make much difference, although true cinnamon quills are sweeter than cassia bark. There’s a lot of stuff written about how you tell one from the other, but in Britain, if you buy from a shop which has imported things from the subcontinent, cassia is clearly labeled as such, and looks darker, is thicker and a duller colour than actual cinnamon. Cassia is the cheaper spice. Now you know!
Cassia comes from China, Vietnam and Indonesia, whereas cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean. It originated in the subcontinent and was first exported to Egypt as early as 2,000 BC. It came to Europe via Arab traders. The Venetians bought it in Alexandria, and shipped it back to Italy. Later the Portuguese ‘discovered’ Sri Lanka, where it grew in abundance, in the early 16th century.
Pliny the Elder wrote complaining about the cost of cinnamon, as it cost the equivalent of 10 months wages for 327 gr .It was used in cooking and in temples as sweet-smelling incense. Interestingly, modern studies have found that the odour of cinnamon increase cognitive processes.
The ancient Greeks used it to flavour wine, and we still use cinnamon as an ingredient in mulled wine.
The Arabs made up myths about cinnamon to protect its origins from the Europeans. Herodotus got wind of one of these myths and relates that the Phoenix used cinnamon sticks to build its nest, and the brave Arabs would trick the bird by giving it huge pieces of meat which it would take back to its nest. The meat was so heavy that the nest materials would fall to the ground and that’s where cinnamon came from (it’s actually the harvested bark from trees).If you are interested in other stories by Herodotus the historian you should look up his description of a crocodile!
We use cinnamon quills in desserts and cassia in savoury dishes, but it doesn’t really matter all that much, just use whichever bark you have. Cinnamon and cassia can be brought as a ground powder, but we prefer to make our own when we need it from the bark.
Whichever you use is good in teas if you have a cough, cold or flu, especially when mixed with finely chopped ginger root.


MY RICE PUDDING
Ingredients
1cup broken rice
1 litre milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup rose water
2 green cardamom pods
1 tbsp freshly ground cinnamon

Method
Wash the rice well. Put the milk and sugar in a pan and let them boil. Add the rice and cardamoms and cook over a low heat for 2-3 mins. Add the rose water and continue cooking over a low heat, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. When the rice is well cooked and has absorbed some of the liquid, remove from the heat and pour into small dishes. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of each, and put in the fridge until cold.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

TRY OUR TASTY SALADS RECIPES

SALADS
We guess that summer’s happening in Europe now, so we thought we’d post some tasty salad recipes for you to try. It’s been sweltering here in Pakistan for about two weeks now, and we haven’t wanted to do much cooking- even sitting typing at the computer is thirsty work. Luckily we have a supply of lemon squash, liberally laced with tukh malanga-see our basil page.
For those of you where it’s hot, but not this hot, you’ll probably be planning BBQs, and these salads will be ideal for these occasions. You can eat them alone or with any kind of meat or fish. We give alternatives to some ingredients so that you can more easily find appropriate ingredients. We’d really like to know what you think of these recipes, so please leave comments when you visit Herbs- Treat and Taste. This site can be much more interactive than it is at present. We‘d really appreciate more feedback.
So here they are; give your taste buds a treat.



THE THREE C’S SALAD
Ingredients
2 tsps cumin seeds
250 gr carrots, grated
2 medium sized courgettes (zucchini) grated
30 gr pine nuts, lightly fried in olive oil
30 gr sultanas
4 tbsps lemon juice
1 lettuce, cos or iceberg, shredded
salt and black pepper to taste
1 handful fresh coriander leaves to garnish


Method
Soak the grated carrots in the lemon juice, mixed with cumin seeds. Leave for 15-20 mins. Add all the other ingredients, including the oil you fried the pine nuts in, but not the lettuce, to a large bowl and mix together.
Arrange the lettuce in a salad bowl and place the other ingredients in the middle of it.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves or leaves of flat parsley.
You can serve it with a tomato and cucumber salad, or with meat, chicken or fish.
It has taste and is a Treat.


CHICKPEA AND MANGO SALAD
Ingredients
150 gr chickpeas
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 curry leaf
½ tsp salt
80 ml sunflower oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
2 medium mangoes
2 green chillies (more if you like) finely chopped
1 handful shredded coriander leaves
3 tbsps lemon juice
1 lettuce (cos or iceberg)

Method
If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak them over night and drain them. Put them in a pan of boiling water with the bicarb.,and cook for 30-40 mins, or until they are cooked through. You can use tinned ones for ease of course, but remember to rinse them well to get rid of the preservative juice. Drain the cooked chickpeas and leave to cool.
Dry fry the seeds and curry leaf until they change colour then crush them to a powder. Alternatively, use a tbsp of our garam masala (see recipe). Add the turmeric, and the salt.
In the same frying pan, heat ½ the oil and fry the onions for 5 mins. Add the spice mix and cook for a further 5 mins. Remove from the pan, leaving some of the spicy oil. Put onions in a large bowl.
Blanch the cauliflower florets for 1 min in boiling salted water. Drain and when dry, fry them in the remaining oil until they change colour. You can use a high heat to do this.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chickpeas, coating them in the residue of the oil. Add the contents of the pan to the bowl. Stir well. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Peel, cut and dice the mangoes, and add to the bowl, stirring with all the other ingredients.
Serve immediately.
This has Taste and is a Treat


BULGUR WHEAT SALAD
Ingredients
250 gr bulgur wheat
2 carrots, grated
½ tsp chilli powder
1-2 tsps cumin seeds
300 gr tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
40 gr sultanas
6 hard boiled eggs
1 handful fresh coriander leaves, shredded


Method
Cook bulgur wheat according to directions on the packet; don’t be tempted to add water, as you don’t want soggy wheat. Add the cumin seeds and chilli powder to the water and cook for about 5 mins, until the water has been absorbed. Leave to cool.
Soak the grated carrots and sultanas in the lemon juice. Leave for 15 mins.
Mix all ingredients together when bulgur wheat is cold.
You can either garnish with slices of egg, or chop up the egg and mix in the salad, or garnish with egg halves. Sprinkle the coriander leaves over the salad and serve.
This has Taste and is a Treat.



ROCKET SALAD
Ingredients
1 bunch rocket (or an oak leaf lettuce and radicchio)
300 gr fresh tomatoes peeled and sliced (or sun dried tomatoes)
100-150 gr black olives or a mixture of black and green pimento stuffed olives
1 tbsp capers
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
250 gr of Parmesan cheese, cut into thin slivers
1 handful fresh coriander leaves, shredded, or fresh flat leaved parsley shredded
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil


Method
Thoroughly wash the rocket or substitute lettuces, drain and dry thoroughly. Arrange on a large serving platter, or in a salad bowl and add the other ingredients, and toss well. Place the cheese on top and pour balsamic vinegar and olive oil over to taste.
This has Taste and is a Treat.


SPICY RED KIDNEY BEAN SALAD
Ingredients
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 red onion thinly cut in circles
1 lettuce, shredded
6 green chillies, finely chopped
1 Mediterranean tomato, peeled and seeded and roughly chopped
½ handful each of fresh mint and coriander leaves
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 hard boiled eggs cut in slices for garnishing
olive oil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste


Method
Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a salad bowl with the salt and black pepper. Place the egg slices on top, and drizzle with oil.
Serve immediately.
You can use tinned beans as long as you wash them thoroughly to remove the taste of preservatives, and dry them before using in the salad. If you wish, sprinkle some dried oregano over the egg slices before drizzling them with olive oil.
This has Taste and is a Treat.


WHITE SALAD
Ingredients
1 small white cabbage, rinsed in cold water after shredding, drained and dried
1 large mooli, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of dill

Dressing
2 tbsps tahini
200 ml natural yoghurt, Greek yoghurt is best
a little olive oil

Method
Mix together the cabbage, mooli and chopped dill in a salad bowl.
Make the dressing in a separate bowl. Mix the tahini and yoghurt well until you have a mixture which will pour from a spoon, but which is not too runny. To make the mixture thinner, add olive oil’ but only a little and stir, briskly into the yoghurt mixture.
You can make your own tahini using ¼ cup vegetable oil to 1 cup of sesame seeds and blending these to form a paste.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

CUMIN SEEDS HISTORY AND USES, HOW TO MAKE RAITA

CUMIN SEEDS
We know that these have been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, and were used in cooking and in medicine. The Egyptians buried them with their pharaohs, as they believed they would be useful to them in the afterlife. Apparently cumin was once used as currency, as it was so valuable.
Pliny the Elder wrote that cumin seeds produced a pallid complexion if smoked and as students in ancient Rome believed that scholars should look pale, after all those hours of study in a library, they probably took his advice. Other sources say that if you drink the essential oil of cumin seeds, this will also produce a very pale complexion

Cumin plant

The ancient Greeks weren’t worried about having pale complexions; they kept cumin on the table and used it as a condiment, as it is still used today in Morocco.
In the Middle Ages it was believed that cumin would stop people and animals from straying, so soldiers going off to battle would be given a loaf of cumin bread by their wives and sweethearts. It was reported that if you feed pigeons or hens with it they wouldn’t go far from home.
In Ancient Rome, it became a symbol of greed and miserliness, and people were given nicknames with ‘cumin’ in them. We know that the Celts baked fish with cumin in the first century A.D. In the Middle Ages, people smeared it over peacocks and hens before cooking them, and it was then a symbol of love and fidelity, taken to weddings.
It has been used to energize the body, and is rich in iron, and it is an anti-oxidant. There are many claims for this little seeds, including that it can protect us from stomach cancers. Whatever the case we use it almost every day, as we love its flavour and the punch it packs when added to food. Try one of our salad recipes to check this out.
We have also found that it helps when we have coughs and colds, mixed with honey and water and drunk hot. However, I think we are addicted to the taste.
It came from Iran and the Eastern Mediterranean originally, and is now used throughout the world.
In Pakistan the following mixture is used to stop a small child wetting the bed. You give 3 gr in the morning and 3 gr in the evening; if you have a bedwetting child, here’s the mixture. 12 gr each of caraway seed, thyme, and cumin seeds; grind them to a powder and mix in 24 gr of sugar cane sugar. (We guess other sugar would be ok.)
Here we have given a Treat(ment), and one recipe.


RAITA
Ingredients
250 gr natural yoghurt
1 medium-sized onion
1 cucumber
1 tomato, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
½ handful fresh coriander leaves, shredded finely
½ handful mint leaves shredded finely
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Method
Rub onion and cucumber with salt and leave them for 2-3 mins, then wash them thoroughly. Put yoghurt and cumin in a small bowl and mix well. Grate the cucumber and finely chop the onion and put all the ingredients into the bowl with the yoghurt and cumin. Add ½ cup water, stir well and leave for 15 mins or until the cumin seeds become soft.
Serve with a Chicken or Lamb Biryani.(See our recipe for Chicken Biryani)
This has Taste and is a Treat.