SPICES

The term spices generally indicate aromatic substances of vegetable origin that are used to flavor and flavor foods and drinks, and, especially in the past, also used in medicine and pharmacy. The spices coming mainly from the East, and now widely used all over the world, owe their diffusion to the expeditions of great navigators such as Bartolomeo Diaz, Vasco Da Gama, Cristofolo Colombo and Marco Polo who with his expeditions strengthened the commercial relations with the East. Coming mainly from exotic places, spices are used today mainly to give an exclusive flavour to each recipe. Spices, fragrances and aromatic herbs are part of human history. Already in the Neolithic era they were added to the foods they cooked both to preserve them and to flavour them. The roots, stems and leaves increased the appetite and improved the taste of the very frugal cuisine. Salts and resins, such as table salt and honey, were useful in extending the life of perishable foods. The first document concerning spices dates back to about 3,000 years BC. and concerns the Assyrians. They said the gods drank sesame wine the night before they created the world. Since today we know that this spice is native to India, it means that even then there was a trade in spices.

AROMATIC HERBS: Aromatic herbs are essences containing a high percentage of essential oils and aromatic substances. Each harvested during its ideal balsamic period, they are subsequently dried, chopped and sieved to then be used in the kitchen to enrich numerous recipes.

DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES: Through the process of eliminating the aqueous component from vegetables and vegetables, numerous concentrated semi-finished products are obtained, which while maintaining the organoleptic properties of the fresh product unaltered, are used by many chefs to complete their preparations. Dehydrated vegetables are widely used in the food industry and especially in the production of pasta.

SEEDS AND BERRIES: The main seeds used in cooking are: sesame, poppy, fennel, sunflower, pumpkin, flax, cumin, anise, just to name a few. The seeds are separated from the plant when they are completely ripe and then carefully dried and screened to then be used to decorate and enrich numerous dishes, salads and baked goods.

MUSHROOMS: Mushrooms, considered one of the greatest delicacies in the kitchen, are used for the realization of numerous recipes. Once collected and cleaned, the mushrooms are subjected to a dehydration process that allows them to maintain all their organoleptic properties unaltered.