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Cooking with Herbs
Can you imagine spaghetti without basil? Turkey without sage dressing, a burger without tomatoes and cabbage dressing, pickles without fruits and vegetables, mint…nothing is as fresh, tea without tea powder. There are countless spices which are actually herbs and have medicinal effects on our body i.e. basil, ginger, garlic (which is said to cure 59 diseases), tea leaf, cardamom, coriander seeds, chili, chives, cloves, lemon grass, mustard seeds, parsley, tarragon, pepper, mushroom plant, cucumber the list is never ending. All the spices we have been using for adding taste and flavor to our dishes are herbs which have medicinal values.
There is no reference given in the history of human civilization about the date and time since when people started using herbs for cooking. Herbs were included in our daily cooking and it formed unintentional food habit influenced by geographical locations and culture of the community. Use of herbs in cooking is as ancient as the concept of cooking, because herbs were never used in cooking for their food value but primarily for adding taste and aroma to the broth. We do need plant seeds, leaves, flower and fruit to spice up our eatables. Actually cooking is not possible without the use of herbs; we use herbs in the form of spices but do not identify them as herbs.
There is more than one reason behind the use of spices in cooking, human started using herbs as spices for seasoning his food, to conceal the foul odor and taste of less fresh food, aid to digestion, adding taste and as appetite stimulator. Slowly cooking became an art and an institute and even a means of earning money. Different styles of cooking flourished depending on culture and locality. Today modern science and ancient natural cure is going hand in hand for healing human lives. As a result, a conscious effort has been made to include Nature into daily human lives. Although the fast food and package food culture have already overpowered the human race, which, to a great extent, are responsible for obesity, heart disease, lethargy, loss of energy and unknown diseases, conscious men are finding ways to lead a healthy life therefore they are accepting the natural way of living.
The culture of cooking with herbs is prevalent in Asian countries, mainly China, India, Japan etc, recently France and Germany and many other European countries have taken interest in herbal cooking for healthy benefits. Today, using dry and fresh herbs in cooking is considered a new and healthy style of eating. Herbal cooking allows you to cut down your calories, salt, sugar, and fat without compromising with flavor of the food, and provides antioxidants which help in fighting diseases like cancer, heart attacks, skin and eye diseases, protects kidney and liver, purifies blood, strengthens nerves and controls the bile in the human body which is very important for physical and mental well-being.
Cooking with herbs can instantly make an ordinary meal to an extraordinary treat! Food cooked with herbs is fine-looking, wholesome and yummy. Try it to believe it!
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