Range of fresh herbs in Italian food
Italians insist on fresh ingredients in their food, and their herbs are no exception. There are a range of fresh herbs found in Italian cooking.
The general public is acquainted with the small bottles of dried herbs from the grocer, but if you have not prepared food with fresh herbs, you actually need to give it a try. What’s the difference between an herb and a spice? Spices are made of the seeds, root, fruit or barks of savoury plants, while the herbs basically consist of the leaves and stems.
Herb plants contain oils which are really perfumed and add the particular odour and flavour that Italian food is famous for.
A couple of the most typical herbs are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. Basil is an affiliate of the mint family, and like all mint herbs, it is highly fragrant when picked fresh. Basil leaves darken when exposed to metal, so it’s common in Italy to tear the leaves by hand before throwing the basil into a sauce or onto a dish. Basil is the first herb for the famous pesto sauce. Oregano is another popular herb in both Italian and Greek food. The general public is acquainted with this herb in tomato based pasta sauces and with meats.
Italian Parsley, sometimes called flat-leaf parsley, is freely available in most grocery stores and is straightforward to distinguish it from the kinky variety often used as a garnish. Italians favor this parsley for cooking because it has got a far better flavour, while the curlier variety is best saved for garnishing your dish. Rosemary is another generally available herb and seems like a little branch from an evergreen tree. This is one of the most perfumed of all of the fresh herbs and it’ll keep its flavour and odour when dried. It’s fantastic with plants and is commonly cooked into the dough of bread like focaccia. Sage has long, broad leaves and is the herb which tastes the standard Italian Saltimbocca dish. Sage is also terribly perfumed so be certain you do not use too much and overwhelm your meal. Thyme is another herb of the mint family, but against this to the other mints, it has little leaves that may simply be thrown entire into your sauce or dish. I use this herb often because its mild flavour goes well with everything and will not overshadow the remainder of your dish. There are some essential rules for cooking with fresh herbs.
Fresh herbs are far more fragile than dried and can lose some of their flavour when cooked too long. For slow cooked sauces and meats, you are able to add the fresh herbs at the very end keeping their flavours and scents intact. On the other hand, the oils in dried herbs are concentrated requiring a smaller amount of than fresh herbs in your recipes. A good general guideline is to use one big spoon of fresh herbs for each one little spoon of dried herbs required in a dish. But remember, cooking is a skill and you may use as much or as little as you like. Next time you need to spruce up an everyday meal, chuck in some fresh Italian herbs.
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