Post on 06-Mar-2018
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How understanding the elements of taste and flavor—and how
they’re interpreted around the globe—can help you bring balance,
inspiration, and creativity to your kitchen. And help you become
a better cook.
You know when something tastes good—and when it just doesn’t. But do you know how to harness the power of flavor to transform you culinary creations into recipes your family and friends will crave? Knowledge of the key tastes will help you to balance them within each dish and across an entire meal. Even top chefs make mistakes—but luckily you can use the function of our four tastes to troubleshoot.
Once you have the basics mastered, take a trip around the globe from the comfort of your kitchen to see how playing with world cuisines can take your meals to the next level. Let knowledge of tastes, flavors, and world cuisines give you the freedom to be more creative in your kitchen.
The Four Tastes While we often think of flavor and taste as the same thing, there is actually a scientific and culinary difference between the two. Sweet, salty, sour and bitter are the four tastes which are sensed through your tastebuds. All other flavors (such as floral or earthy note) are ones that you sense through your nose. This is why, when you have a cold, almost everything taste bland and one dimensional. Use theses four main tastes as the base of your flavor knowledge.
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Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine
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Salty Sour
BitterSweet
Umami
FunctionNature’s flavor enhancer,
salt brings out all other flavors and ingredients
ExampleMiso, olives, seaweed,
sea saltPairs well with...
Enhances all other flavors
FunctionSweet flavors add roundness to
savory dishes Example
Fruit, maple syrup, beetsPairs well with...
Bitter
FunctionBitterness makes food taste sharperExampleDark chocolate, bitter greens, (dandelion, broccoli rabe), horseradishPairs well with...
Sweet and salty
FunctionSour and acidic tastes make other flavors bright and sharpExampleLemon, vinegar, citrus, cranberries Pairs well with...
Enhances all other flavors
What is Umami?In the transition to a plant-based lifestyle, there may be some days that a salad just won’t cut it. On those days, rely on the 5th taste: umami. While there is some debate in the culinary community about whether umami is a real taste, there is something to be said for the properties of savory or meaty ingredients.
Mushrooms, nutritional yeast, soy sauce or tamari, tomato paste, smoked paprika, or mesquite contribute umami, and can give any plant-based dish a more savory, hearty taste. Umami is a low note that will cover your tongue after you finish a soup or sandwich.
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Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)
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Finding Balance A dish must have balance to be satisfying. If one flavor is too prominent, the entire dish can feel inadequate or flat. Using a musical analogy, the following four elements work in harmony to make a dish taste complete.
LOW NOTES
Deep, earthy notes form the base, or canvas, on which other flavors are painted. A savory broth, rich mushrooms, or herbs, such as oregano and sage, can give a dish its low notes.
MID NOTES
Not immediately identifiable, these flavors may add other elements, like color and texture to a dish. Raw celery or tofu are good examples of mid notes—their taste is neutral but enhanced by both low and high notes.
HIGH NOTES
You taste high notes first—they pop out at your first bite. Citrus, spicy peppers, and bitter herbs like horseradish, have high notes.
ROUND NOTES
To bring low, mid, and high notes together, you need something salty and/or something sweet. These two enhance the other flavors, and bring a sense of completion to a dish.
PAIRING
Another way to find balance is to pair one element of taste with its exact opposite. Try pairing:
Sweet + Bitter
Salty + Sour
Hot + Cold
Raw + Caramelized
Richness (fat) + Relief (sour/bitter)
Creamy + Crunchy
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Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)
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Troubleshooting You just spent an hour in the kitchen, and there’s just something not quite right about the finished product. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it could probably best be described as flat or bland taste. Let’s apply what you’ve just learned about taste and flavor to get to the root of such dilemmas—and make you feel like a culinary genius for taking dinner from okay to awesome.
If it’s too rich… Add an element of bitterness.
Horseradish, arugula, or broccoli
rabe (rapini) can help to add
sharpness to your meal.
If it’s too heavy… Add an element of sour.
A squirt of lemon or lime juice
brings a little acid to cut through
heaviness
If the flavors don’t sing... Try a pinch of sea salt.
Salt enhances all other seasonings,
drawing out flavors otherwise lost in
the crowd.
If it’s too bitter... Try caramelizing the onions or garlic
to bring out their natural sweetness—
rather than their pungency.
If you can’t tell one spice from the next...
Try toasting the spices before
adding them to your dish.
Toasting dry spices—or sautéing
curry pastes or dried chilies in a
little oil—draws out natural oils to
enhance their aromas and taste.
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Taste, Flavor, and World Cuisine (continued)
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Rosemary
Truffle oil/Truffles
Herbes de Provence*
Shallots
Apple cider vinegar
Sage
Wine
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Flavors can define a culture. Every region within a country has its own unique play on local and traditional ingredients that create a flavor profile that represents home for its citizens, and acts as a kind of cultural signature for visitors. The beauty of this diversity of flavor profiles is that, by incorporating them into a base recipe, you can easily transport a dish to another part of the world.
Play around with these common flavor themes in your kitchen using the Base Noodle Bowl, Quinoa Cakes and Dragon Bowl recipes found with this lesson.
French French cuisine contains earthy, heavy flavor notes complemented by a focus on fresh herbs. Truffles (and other mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini, and even humble button mushrooms) add a rich, meaty taste to any plant-based meal. Apple cider vinegar and wine bring lightness to heavier herbs. (Don’t worry—the alcohol content in wine is cooked off before serving!)
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Flavors of World Cuisine
Typically savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender,
herbes de Provence varies from chef to chef. This is
the most common version of it, but some can also
include marjoram, tarragon, bay leaf and rosemary.
Play around to find your favorite combination.
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Greek The islands of Greece have long embraced their olive, nut, and lemon trees in creating dishes that revolve around these light flavors. Look for cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and sample a wide range of fresh olives to see the small nuances in flavors they can provide.
Lemon
Oregano
Pistachios
Garlic
Olive oil
Parsley
Almonds
Olives*
Paprika
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Beyond kalamata olives, explore olives that are brined,
salted, sundried, marinated, or pickled; green, black,
large, small, firm, or buttery.
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
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Chili flakes
Tomato
Olive oil
Basil
Oregano
Olives
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Onion
Parsley
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
Italian The smell of tomatoes roasting with garlic, olive oil, and basil can instantly transport you to Italy. These are balanced by balsamic vinegar and spicy chili flakes.
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Japanese Most Japanese dishes rely on a balance of sweet, salty, and umami tastes. As you transition to a plant-based diet, incorporating more umami flavors from soy sauce, mushrooms, and seaweed can give you the hearty taste you crave.
Ginger(pickled or fresh)
Sesame seeds Soy sauce or Tamari(gluten-free)
Daikon(pickled or fresh)
Mirin(sweetened rice wine)
Citrus
Green onion/scallion Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Wasabi
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
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Miso*
Seaweed*
Mushrooms*
Miso is fermented from either soy, barley or brown rice. As
you’re shopping you’ll notice that there are many different colors
as well—ranging from white, to yellow to red. Darker colors are
generally stronger in flavor. You can select the type of miso
depending on how much you want this umami taste to stand
out in a recipe.
There are many different types of seaweed to choose from.
Kombu is a thick seaweed often used to flavor soups and beans.
Arame and wakame make a delicious addition to salads and stir-
fries. Nori is used to make sushi rolls, or can be crumbled onto
salads. Play around with different types of seaweed, depending
on your recipe.
Mushrooms add a savory earthy taste to your dish. White
button mushrooms have the most mild flavor. Enoki mushrooms
have a delicate flavor that is often added to salads. Shiitake
mushrooms are traditionally used in Asian soups and have a
deep earthy flavor. Oyster mushrooms have a smooth taste that
resembles seafood. There are many other varieties—look at your
farmers market for locally foraged mushrooms!
Japanese (continued)
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
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Middle Eastern A sweet, earthy warmth is characteristic of Middle Eastern dishes. Look in specialty grocery stores for fresh turmeric—its vibrant orange/yellow color helps with the presentation of any dish.
Cumin
Onion
Cinnamon
Garlic
Almonds
Dried fruit
Turmeric
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
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Mexican Lime accents and lightens most Mexican dishes, while cumin brings earthy warmth, and a spectrum of chilies create heat. The Mexican flavor profile includes elements of sour, spicy, and bitter tastes, and most signature ingredients can be found in your local grocery store.
Cinnamon
Green onion/scallion
Onion
Cilantro
Corn
Lime
Chipolte chilies
Cumin
Jalapeño
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
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Southeast Asian While there are numerous regional nuances as you travel from Laos to Malaysia to Thailand, there are several flavor elements that remain consistent across borders. Here you’ll see a blend of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet tastes.
Coconut milk
Lime
Shallots
Cilantro
Ginger
Lemongrass
Chilies
Garlic
Lime leaf (or lime zest)
Red curry paste*
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Flavors of World Cuisine (continued)
Curry paste has a much richer taste than simple curry
powder. Look for red, green or yellow curry paste
in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store or in a
speciality store.