Chapter 17: Herbs and Spices

What are the 4 families of Herbs that we discussed?

1. Mint - Lamiaceae 2. Mustard - Brassicaceae 3. Parsley - Apiaceae 4. Amaryllis - Amarylliaceae

How many flowers are picked to give you 1lb of saffron?

75k-100k flowers.

Who is Marco Polo?

A Venetian trader who travelled to china with his father and uncle to find spices. Captured during a war and wrote "The Travels of Marco Polo".

What was on of the most important spice trading centers in the old world during the time of Alexander the Great.

Alexandria, Egypt.

What are the 3 New World spices discussed?

Allspice, Vanilla, and Capsaicin peppers.

What family does Parsley come from?

Apiaceae.

What part of the tree does cinnamon come from?

Bark of an evergreen tree.

What is the Mustard Family called?

Brassicaceae.

What are the ways terpenoids are classified?

By # of units.

In the US, much of what is called cinnamon may actually be _______.

Cassia.

What is the "Nutmeg State"?

Connecticut. Yankees sold fake nutmegs.

Scientific name for flower that produces saffron?

Crocus sativus.

Scientific name for turmeric?

Curcuma longa.

What is the biologically active ingredient in turmeric that has been shown to fight cancer?

Curcumin.

What part of the plant does allspice come from? What Species?

Dried berries of Pimenta dioica evergreen.

Where does black and white pepper come from?

Dried berries of Piper nigrum, a climbing vine.

What part of the plant do cloves come from?

Dried flower bud from an evergreen tree.

Dutch Imperialism.

Dutch broke portuguese control in the 17th century. Uprooted 75% of spice trees to create scarcity.

What is responsible for the scents from aromatic plants?

Essential Oils which is a secondary plant product.

What is the scientific name of the evergreen tree thats flower buds give us cloves.

Eugenia caryophyllata.

What is thought to be the main reason spices were incorporated into the human diet?

For food preservation.

What is the general difference between an herb and spice?

Herbs are generally aromatic leaves or sometimes seeds. Spices are aromatic fruits, flowers, bark or other plant parts.

Where is black pepper native too?

India and East Indies.

Where is Cinnamon native to?

India and Sri Lanka

Saffron belongs to what family?

Iridaceae (Iris family)

What are terpenoids made from?

Isoprene units

Some medical issues regarding Lavender oil?

It is shown to be an indocrine disrupter. Stimulates breast tissue devlopment in young women and also has been linked to gynecomastia in young boys.

Where is Allspice grown?

Jamaica controls the world production.

What family does mint come from?

Lamiaceae (Mint family).

What family does cinnamon belong?

Lauraceae.

Main origin of the mint family?

Mediterranean.

Where is saffron native to?

Mediterranean.

What family does the evergreen Pimenta dioica come from?

Myrataceae (Myrtle Family)

What family do Nutmeg and Mace belong?

Myristicaceae (Nutmeg family)

What family do cloves belong?

Myrtaceae (Myrtle family).

When ________ died a years worth of cinnamon was burned at their funeral to honor them.

Nero's wife, Poppaea.

What spice is known to be a potential hallucinogen?

Nutmeg and mace.

What family do vanilla vines belong?

Orchidaceae.

What was vitamin C first isolated from?

Paprika.

What plant does Vanilla come from?

Perennial vines. Vanilla planifolia.

What family does peppercorn belong?

Piperaceae.

Who discovered the spice islands?

Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan.

Mustard and Horseradish get their unique taste by ____.

Reactions between sinigrin, which is a compound found in these herbs, and myrosin, an enzyme

Where part of the plant do Ginger and Turmeric come from?

Rhizomes.

What is the family of peppers?

Solanaceae

Where are cloves native to?

Spice islands.

Where is the nutmeg tree native too?

Spice islands.

Most essential oils are classified as __________.

Terpenes.

What part of the plant does saffron come from?

The stigmas.

Why are tonka beans bad for you?

They contain Coumarin, a blood thinner that could cause internal hemorrhaging.

What are imitation vanilla products made from?

Tonka beans.

Where is ginger native to?

Tropical Asia.

Pepper Fruits are also excellent sources of vitamin __.

Vitamin C.

What species rhizomes provide us with ginger and what family does it come from?

Zingiber officinale of the ginger family. (Zingiberaceae).