Rare and unknown spices
Cubeb is a pepper typically used in Indonesian cuisine. it is also an ingredient used in North African cuisine Ras-el-hanout. It has a warm aroma, suggesting terebenthene; it is also slightly bitter and sharp tasting. It is closer to Jamaican pepper than black pepper.
Growing wild in Indonesia, it is produced in Java, Sri Lanka. Sometimes grown with coffee, but most of it is still grown in the wild.
History
Native to Indonesia, and probably Java, cubeb was used by the Ancient Chinese as a medicinal plant to fight respiratory problems.
It crossed the East before being brought to Europe by Arab merchants. It has been used in Europe since the Middle Ages but very soon its use was limited to medicine and magic.
The English botanist, Parkinson (1567-1650) described it as follows: ""… small relatively sweet berries, the size of peppercorns, but rougher or striped and less black, each ending by a tail-like appendage". It was popular in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but became rare like many strong spices (Xylopia aethiopica). It was banned by the King of Portugal to promote black pepper which made up the major share of the country's trade. By the 19thcentury, it had practically vanished in Europe. It is however still frequently used in North Africa, namely as an ingredient of ras el hanout
Beliefs
used in charms of passion, love philtres, aphrodisiac amulets (small red cotton bags filled with cubeb)...
Virtues
- Anti-tussive, used in respiratory disorders
- Antiseptic (especially the urinary system. In Morocco, it is ground into powder and used as an antiseptic)
- Stimulant
- Carminative
- Against gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, cystitis, etc.
- Anti-gonorrhoea
Literally, Daun Salam means "peace leaf"... could this be the Asian equivalent of the olive branch? Not necessarily!
The Indonesian bayleaf is not well known in Europe where it can only be found in Indonesian, Malaysian and sometimes Surinam restaurants.
These leaves have a spicy fragrance and aroma ideal for cooked dishes: soups, stews, marinades, sauces... or even to decorate jellies and pâtés. Its use is very similar to the common bayleaf (Laurus nobilis, lauraceae) even though they are very different products.
by PhM, Toil'd'épices correspondent in Java.
History
This "bayleaf" comes from a tropical tree (the Salam) native to Indonesia but which grows everywhere in South East Asia and also in Surinam. During the Dutch colonial era, there was strong Indonesian emigration to Surinam which undoubtedly explains the presence of Daun Salam in Surinam.
Virtues
- Besides their use in cooking, Duan Salam leaves are also used in teas against flatulence.
- Insecticide, fungicide
Pandanus forms a set of plants used throughout Asia. Two species are used as major condiments: pandanus leaves (P. amaryllifolius) throughout South-East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand…) and pandanus flowers (P. fascicularis) in the Indian Sub-Continent.
Pandanus leaves have a delicate scent, they are used fresh, rarely dry. They flavour food, giving it a green colour. In Thailand, the broad leaved variety, less strongly flavoured, is used to make parcels to cook chicken, vegetables, fish... the smaller variety, with a stronger flavour, is often used in the form of a juice or puree, especially in desserts. Pandanus tectorius leaves are also used in China where young leaves are eaten as vegetables once cooked. But more often, mature leaves are used to make huts or textiles.
In India, pandanus flowers produce an essential oil called Kewra which is similar to rose. It is used to flavour chicken dishes or pilaf.
Several species of pandanus produce oleaginous fruit which are edible. The above-ground roots are used in the Philippines to make a drink.
- Etymology :
- Pandanus : from the Malay pandan (local name for the plant)
Virtues
Refreshing
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