BlueSky Business Aviation News
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Continuing her definitive series of articles on aviation catering, Paula Kraft, founder and President of Atlanta, GA-based Tastefully Yours Catering, explains the differences between herbs & spices.

Variety is the Spice of Life

don’t know about you, but I love trivia. I love to collect bits of information and store it away in the event that I may someday be called upon for an answer to a question that my stored trivia will provide.

Well, that day came last week during the Thanksgiving holiday when I was asked if there was a difference between an herb and a spice. Well, they are both food flavor enhancers, they are both vital ingredients in many dishes. They both add flavor, aroma, color, texture and even nutrients. Herbs and Spices are even used to preserve foods, cure illness and enhance cosmetics. They seem to be the same.

I would think that this question would be similar to a person asking a pilot the difference between aircraft fuels. The answer is  . . Yes there is a difference. The difference between the two is where they are obtained from a plant.

Herbs come from the leafy and green part of the plant. Spices are parts of the plant other than the leafy bit such as the root, stem, bulb, bark or seeds.

The Spice Trade Association, defines a spice as “any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes”. This really broadens the definition of spices, allowing it to include herbs, dehydrated veggies, spice blends and spice seeds. With this official definition, there would seem to be no difference, but, let’s look at other  differences in the two groups. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that, like spices, they are used in small amounts and provide flavor rather than substance to food.

Some examples of herbs are basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley and mint. Herbs are usually grown in more temperate areas than spices and have great medicinal value and are also used in the preparation of cosmetic products.

Spices are usually dried before being used to season foods. Some examples are cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. Unlike herbs, they are grown in more tropical countries. They’ve also been known to preserve foods and some have medicinal value, such as turmeric with its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal properties. Some plants are used as both an herb and a spice, such as dill weed and dill seed or coriander leaves and seeds.

Herbs and their Nutritional/Medicinal Benefits:

Basil Rich in Vitamin A and K. Assists rheumatoid arthritis.

Mint Helps with digestion and asthma.

Oregano Assists with inflammation.

Parsley Protects against rheumatoid arthritis, antioxidant-rich, fights cancer, high in vitamin C and iron.

Thyme Contains the oil, thymol, especially helpful for chest and respiratory problems, also acts as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

Spices and their Nutritional/Medicinal Benefits:

Cinnamon Lowers blood sugar levels, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides especially in people with type 2 diabetes.

Ginger Can stop nausea and may also relieve heartburn and bloating, preventing the symptoms of motion sickness, especially seasickness. Vomiting, anti-inflammatory.

Chili Contains capsaicin which puts the heat in chilies, may lower the risk of skin and colon cancers, shown to suppress appetite and boost metabolism, also anti-inflammatory.

Cloves Have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic properties; they are known for relieving flatulence and can actually help promote good digestion as well as metabolism.

Mustard Seeds Contain phytonutrient compounds that protect against cancers of the gastrointestinal tract; believed to reduce the severity of asthma.

Considering the nutritional information and medical benefits associated with each of these herbs and spices you can plan the medical result you want when you select your meals by adjusting the seasoning. Crazy thought isn’t it? But it is possible… If you need an anti-inflammatory to relive arthritis pain, or joint pain, you might plan to use more Oregano or Ginger in seasoning your meals. Research shows that an anti-inflammatory diet is ideal for overall good health. Proponents of the diet say” it can reduce heart disease risk, keep existing cardiac problems in check, reduce blood triglycerides and blood pressure, and soothe tender and stiff arthritic joints”.

As one example of a day's worth of anti-inflammatory eating, a breakfast of toasted steel-cut oatmeal with candied ginger and berries, yogurt, or other topping and coffee or green tea. Lunch could be Mediterrean basil tuna salad on 7-grain bread and a smoothie with seasonal fruits. For a snack, try an ounce of dark chocolate and about four walnuts. (now, who wouldn’t love that?) Dinner could be spaghetti with turkey meat sauce, or a curry (also very high in anti-inflammatory powers), spinach salad with oranges and walnuts, and apple cranberry pie made without butter.

If you choose to add any specific herbs or spices to your meal planning to achieve a desired benefit, below are a few simple suggestions that can easily be implemented. The herbs and spices listed here are common enough that it should not pose a problem to have your catering source make any recipe adjustments for you. One thing to remember is that unlike pills for these listed ailments, menu changes may take up to a week to see the results.

Chili Powder:

  • Add a sprinkle of Chili Powder to your leftover hummus to give it new life. Serve with pita or tortilla chips.
  • Sprinkle a little chili powder on French fries
  • For a quick chili, brown 1 pound ground beef or turkey in large skillet. Stir in 2 tablespoons Chili Powder, 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced or no salt added diced tomatoes and 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed. Simmer 10 minutes.
  • Spice up your scrambled eggs in the morning. Sauté 2 tablespoons each diced onion and bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder in 1 tablespoon butter. Add 4 eggs, beaten, to the skillet and scramble. Sprinkle with shredded low fat cheese.

Cinnamon:

  • Perk up your morning coffee with Ground Cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon over ground coffee before brewing. Stir some cinnamon into your coffee cream or mix with sugar before adding to your morning drink.
  • Next time you order French toast, pancakes, waffles or muffins, request the food source adds ground Cinnamon to the batter.
  • Give lunch box sandwiches an unexpected flavor boost. Add a sprinkle of Ground Cinnamon to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Also tastes great on peanut butter and banana sandwiches!

Cloves:

  • Perk up jarred applesauce by stirring cinnamon and ground cloves into applesauce.
  • For a fragrant fall beverage, simmer 1 bottle (64 ounces) apple juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 4 Cinnamon Sticks, 1 teaspoon Whole Cloves and 1/2 lemon, sliced, in large saucepot for 30 minutes. Strain. Serve warm or chilled.
  • Roast fall vegetables with spiced maple syrup. Mix ground cloves with maple syrup. Drizzle over acorn or butternut squash, halved and seeded, or toss with cubed sweet potatoes. Roast in oven until tender.

Ginger:

  • For a fresh fruit pick-me-up, try a light sprinkling of ground ginger on peaches, pears, cantaloupe, pineapple or honeydew melon.
  • Add a hint of spice to frozen yogurt. Stir ground ginger into a softened pint of frozen vanilla yogurt. Refreeze before serving or have your food source do this for you.
  • Quench your thirst with Ginger Lemonade. Add ground Ginger to freshly squeezed lemonade.

Oregano:

  • For a twist on the typical grilled cheese, prepare sandwich with sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato and Oregano Leaves.
  • Sprinkle sautéed cherry or grape tomatoes with Oregano Leaves, Garlic Powder, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Perk up frozen pizza by sprinkling Oregano Leaves over pizza right from the oven.

Thyme:

  • Dress up seafood or tuna salad by adding Thyme Leaves. Serve as a sandwich filling or on a bed of greens.
  • Wake up your taste buds with Herbed Scrambled Eggs. Request the catering source to add thyme leaves into eggs before scrambling.
  • Add hearty flavor to soup. Stir thyme leaves into chicken, beef or vegetable soups.

Curry /Turmeric:

  • For a new twist to chicken salad, add a dash of Curry Powder along with nuts, fruit, or chopped apples.
  • Lightly dust hot popcorn or snack mixes with Curry Powder for a new taste sensation.
  • Use Turmeric in place of the more expensive saffron in rice dishes such as paella or risotto, or in seafood dishes such as bouillabaisse.
  • Stir Turmeric into low fat plain or Greek style yogurt. Swirl mixture into a serving of lentil or split pea soup to add a color and flavor boost

Variety is said to be the spice of life, and enjoying a variety of herbs and spices may help you live a happier and healthier life as well.

 


Let me introduce myself . . . 

My name is Paula Kraft and I am founder and President of Tastefully Yours Catering, an aviation specific caterer, located in Atlanta, Georgia for 35 years.

Aviation Catering is a science not taught in Culinary School; it’s a function of experience, experimentation, basic trial and error, with constant feedback from flight crews and clients. It is a two-way communication. It is vital that this information and knowledge be shared throughout the industry. To this end, I have worked as the Chairman of the NBAA Caterer’s Working Group, a subcommittee of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee, the NBAA Caterer Representative to the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee, for 9 years. 

Currently I am an active member of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Advisory Board and the NBAA International Flight Attendant Committee, Women in Corporate Aviation, Women in Aviation International, National Association of Catering Executives, International Flight Catering Association, the International Food Service Association and the International Caterer’s Association.

I have coordinated training programs and clinics for NBAA, EBAA and BA-Meetup conference attendees for over 10 years, created mentoring programs for caterers and flight attendants to broaden their aviation culinary skills, and to assist them in adapting to the unique challenges and constraints found in catering for general aviation. I recognize the need for training and have worked closely with flight departments, flight crews, schedulers and customer service reps at the FBOs to ensure that catering specific training provides information and skills necessary to reduce risk while assisting them in their job duties that include safe food handling, catering security, accurate transmission of food orders, and safe food production, packaging and delivery.

I fell into aviation catering quite by accident. I was the in-house caterer and bakery supplier for Macy’s department stores in Atlanta when catering was ordered for a Macy’s customer which was soon to change my life. After the client enjoyed the catering provided, I was summoned to the client’s corporate office to provide several of the items delivered through Macy’s to the executive dining room. Within a week, I was providing food for the flight department and my first order was for the President of a foreign country (as I was too be told soon after). So, here I am, some 35 years later, still loving every minute of every day in aviation catering.


Got a question?

Paula welcomes your comments, questions or feedback
email: paula.kraft@blueskynews.aero

 

©BlueSky Business Aviation News | 7th December 2011 | Issue #154
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