One of the World’s Most Expensive Spices

                                                      Green cardomom is the highest quality

I’ve just spent 10 glorious days on a foodie’s trip in Turkey.  While I’ve always been a raving fan of cardomom (also spelled cardomon), I was reminded during this decadent tasting journey of how much I adore the spice.  It was used throughout the country in their cuisine in everything from coffee to desserts, and many dishes in between as a savory component.

Cardomom is an intensely aromatic, complex, and utterly beguiling spice that is indigenous to India.   It is often one of the secret components in India’s most flavorful curries.  The Scandinavians (who were a strong maritime power during the time when Constaninople was the center of the universe and the epicenter of world’s spice market), use cardomom in many of their sweet breakfast breads, cookies and other baked goods.  I first learned to appreciate the spice over 30 years ago in a Middle Eastern cooking class where it was a component of a rice dish, as well as the baklava.

On a recent visit to Istanbul’s fascinating Spice Market I saw an array different types of cardomom.  It was here in speaking with a vendor that I learned that cardomom seeds come from a plant that belongs to the ginger family.  Prices clearly indicated that the green cardamom was the most valuable---when I smelled it I knew why as the green seeds were much more pungent.  Black seeds, although aromatic, didn’t deliver the complex profile of the green.   Ground cardamom could be purchased, however, it quickly looses its flavor so it was not recommended by the spice merchants. 

Looking for cardomom in the US?  If you live in a large metropolitan area, I suggest a Middle Eastern market where the seeds are likely to be fresher since the spice is frequently purchased for their cooking.  Do keep in mind that cardomom  is surpassed in cost only by saffron and vanilla---but a little goes a long way so the cost is really negligible considering the  flavor it provides.  

If you’re wondering what to do with  cardamom, just substitute it in lieu of cinnamon.  With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, for example, it could easily be used in a pumpkin pie, or for that matter in a home-made cranberry sauce or chutney.   Once you’ve smelled cardamom and tasted it, there will be no turning back.

Markets of Provence

June has arrived which means that the outdoor markets of Provence (located in France’s southern Rhone region) are just beginning to really buzz.   Market days in this area clock the change of the seasons and have done so for hundreds of years.  These much beloved weekly markets drive the mood of their respective villages and reflect France’s fascination with the best and freshest of culinary products.

Each village has its special day of the week for its market.  The biggest and best markets, however, can draw locals from a hundred miles away.  Among my faves are the Sunday market in pretty Isle Sur Sorgue.  France’s answer to Venice, the town meanders around the Sorgue River which creates a scenic background in which to shop.  This market (one of the largest in Provence) is popular because it’s also an antique market.   Radishes in every color of the rainbow set next to Louis XIV clocks.  Go early if you don’t want to walk a couple of miles as parking is limited and the market is among the most popular in Provence.

Aother darling is the Tuesday market in Vaison le Romaine (VLR).  History buffs shouldn’t miss this one as there are captivating Roman ruins (thus the town’s name, “Romaine”).  VLR isn’t as crowded as Isle Sur Sorgue, however, it can be jammed packed as well.   The perfect day for me is the market in the morning, followed by lunch at one of the many outdoor cafes (or, a picnic from market ingredients in the shaded central square), then a guided tour in the afternoon of the illustrious Roman amphitheater, baths and millennium old mansions.

We can’t discuss Provence’s outdoor weekly markets without discussing olives.  Olives and olive oil are synonymous with Provence.  Tapenade?  It’s one of the area’s culinary gifts to France (for that matter, the world).  An entire cadre of non-edible olive products also fill the markets…everything from a host of skin products to stunning serving bowls made from olive wood.

The markets are, likewise, a shopper’s paradise for perfumes, spices, potteries and fabrics.  Markets are perfumed with intoxicating scents of lvender products---soaps, oils, lotions, sachets, and organic lavender used in cooking.  (BTW…lavender is one of the 10-12 ingredients found in the ubiquitous Herbs de Provence).  You can’t come to Provence without being mesmerized by the super colorful Provençal fabrics made from centuries old patterns.   There are a plethora of vendors selling the fabric by the yard, but there are even more vendors offering it in the form of tablecloths, napkins, placemats, purses, bedspreads and the like.   Pottery is available in an addictive array of earth & jewel tone colors.

Travelers joining the Wine-Knows group for the harvest tour this September will have the opportunity to experience the market in Vaison le Romaine.  Oh, yes, and the market has vendors who sell suitcases for all of the tourists who can’t stay away from the special products of the Provençal markets.

 

Herbs of Provence

One of Provence's many outdoor weekly markets

Provençal cuisine (from southeastern France’s Provence district) has traditionally used many herbs which are often characterized collectively in France as "herbes de Provence."  No two blends are alike, but most contain a combination of the following aromatic herbs that perfume Provence: thyme, lavender, rosemary, fennel, marjoram, basil, sage, oregano and savory. 

The seasoning is quite versatile and can be used with meat, poultry, vegetables and fish.  My favorite ways to use herbs de Provence are with grilled foods, as well as a classical vegetable stew from Provence called ratatouille.  The mixture should be added to foods before or during cooking to infuse the flavors, but remember it’s pungent so a little goes a long way. 

While herbs de Provence can be found today in most American supermarkets, the mixture surprisingly was not even known in France before WWII.  Prior to this time Provençal cooks simply used individually the vast array of wild herbs that were gathered from the countryside.  A lot has changed.

Herbs de Provence is a generic term and is not a D.O.P. food (protected origin).  For example, by law Roquefort cheese can only be produced from cows in the town of Roquefort.  Furthermore, the cheese must be aged in the caves surrounding the town.  In contrast, herbs de Provence can be from anywhere.  Because its origin is not protected by law, many of these blends can come from Eastern Europe, North Africa or China---even the herbs de Provence sold in Provence.

On the 2013 harvest tour to France we’ll be in the Provencal countryside for several days.  You’ll have numerous occasions to sample the mixture from the region’s vast array of culinary specialties all the way from tampenade to the famous goat cheese crusted with herbs de Provence.  Bon appetit!