Herbs and spices
- notes recorded during a day with Ian Hemphill

What is the difference between herbs and spices?

Herbs, says Ian Hemphill, are usually the leaves of a plant. Sage, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, chervil, tarragon, basil, mint - these are all herbs.

Spices are buds, bark, roots, berries, seeds and, in the case of saffron, the stigma of a flower.

Herbs are available in both fresh and dried forms. Dried herbs are best in long cooking whereas fresh herbs should be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Hemphill expanded on this by citing the example of peppermint tea. If dried peppermint was used, the flavour would intensify as the herbs steeped in the boiling water. However, with fresh mint, the flavour tended to disappear the longer it brewed.

Many of us buy bunches fresh herbs, only to find that once we've taken the amount required for a recipe, there's a lot left over that will tend to wilt and deteriorate if not used within a couple of days. Hemphill's solution - chop up the excess and put it in an ice-tray with a little water. Cubes of "fresh" herbs can then be removed and use as required.

Some dried herbs are a pale imitation of the fresh herb. Basil is a good example. Fresh basil contained eugenol, which has a clovey aroma. Eugenol is also found in allspice and if fresh basil isn't available, say for sprinkling on tomatoes, Hemphill suggests using a little lemon juice with the dried basil, along with some oil and a little allspice, or indeed a pinch of ground cloves.

Fresh herbs have fragrant, volatile top notes which get lost when they are dried. This occurs particularly to herbs like basil, coriander, parsley, chives and lemongrass.

Spices, on the other hand, often need to be dried to bring out the best flavour.

Vanilla beans are like any green bean before they are treated. In fact they are tasteless and odourless until treated in a kiln to dry over a couple of days. An enzyme is activated that produces the vanilla flavour. They are put outside to dry during the day then wrapped in blankets overnight to sweat. This goes on for a month under the eye of the curer. They are stored for six to eight weeks before they are fully cured. Over this whole period they are handled 100 to 250 times.

Vanilla is now five times the price it was four years ago because severe weather has caused crop damage.

While some people like hot seasonings like chillies, others run for cover. Hemphill suggests that if you want to leave chillies out of a dish because of the heat, then bring the dish back in balance by substituting sweet pepper or paprika.

Spices are sweet, pungent, tangy, hot or amalgamating.

Sweet spices are those like cinnamon, vanilla, allspice and nutmeg.

Pungent ones include cardamom and cloves. You should use them sparingly. They contribute a fresh flavour note to foods that might otherwise be flat.

Tangy spices include tamarind, sumac, capers and pomegranate. They have acidity.

Most people recognize the hot spices - pepper, chilli, horseradish, mustard.

Amalgamating spices serve to bring all the flavours together in spice mixes such as harissa paste, curry and so on. They include ground coriander, fennel, paprika, turmeric.

To get the most out of that most expensive of herbs, saffron, Hemphill suggests steeping eight to 10 stigmas in warm water for about an hour. The longer soaking brings out the flavour. The liquid can be frozen into iceblocks and used as required.

Hemphill suggests smelling your spices every time you use them. "Subliminally it will increase your understanding and allow your instincts to take over."

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