Get to know your herbs and spices : Black Pepper

Basic Information:
Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum) is native to India.The edible part of the pepper plant are the fruit(peppercorns).The peppercorns are harvested,boiled and dried.The actual black color of the peppercorn is achieved during the drying process.Black pepper is the spiciest of all peppers (Green,red,white) and it is the most commonly used spice after salt.

What food to use it for?
Pepper is essential in every savory dish to make it yummy.Even a tiny dash of pepper in chocolate will make a huge difference

How to buy/store it:
If you buy pepper you should always go for whole peppercorns,because the ground pepper available in the supermarket lacks aroma.A lot of super markets carry whole peppercorns along with peppercorn mills.
The ideal would be to purchase organic whole black peppercorns.You will get the maximum of flavor and health benefits.Store your pepper either in a peppermill or in an airtight container in a cool,dry place.But after 3-4 months of storage,pepper will loose it's wonderful aroma.

Health benefits:
-Aids digestion (breakdown of enzymes)
-avoids growth of bad bacteria in the intestine
-helps to reduce gas during the digestion process
-very rich in antioxidants (anti-aging)
-speeds up the metabolism
-consumed in larger amounts it clears the respiratory tract from mucus,it will also make you sweat
-keeps arteries clean
-stops diarrhoea (1 teaspoon finely ground pepper taken with 100 ml of water)

whole peppercorns

 

freshly ground peppercorns from a peppercornmill 

You see that pepper is more than just a spice :)

Get to know your herbs and spices: Dill

Hi dolls

You lovely people have voted for a "Get to know your herbs and spices" series in my survey.Thank you so much for taking the time.Herbs and spices are a wonderful thing to have in your life,because you can compose the most beautiful things with them.Turn something simple into something wonderful.Herbs and spices give you the power to alter or refine flavors,to highlight them and to make them blend together.And apart from amazing flavors herbs and spices also have health benefits and medical properties.
In this series I will list all the information you need about herbs and spices.Because when you start to cook it can be confusing to read about all those fancy herbs.



The first herb featured is *drumroll* Dill!


Basic info about Dill 
Dill (Anethum Graveolens) is quite a great herb to use in your kitchen.It's leafs are fern like and very delicate.The edible part of dill are the leafs and the seeds.


What food to use it for??
Fish,potatoes,dips,salads,cucumber salads,pickles and soups.
Try to pick only the tender leafs ,because the stalk needs a lot of cooking time and is not very pleasant to chew on if raw.


How to store it:
Dried dill is not an option.You can find fresh dill at almost every super market.Here in Greece they sell it in bundles.Once you purchased your dill put it in a glass of water(like a bouquet of flowers) for 1-2 hours,so it will be hydrated.You can chop it up and put it in a freezer safe bag in your freezer for up to 4 months.This will preserve the delicate aroma the dill has.
But you can also buy a whole dill plant and cut a little product when you need it.


Health benefits:
-Chewing a few dill seeds after a heavy meal will support the digestion and easy the discomfort.
-The dill leaves act as an appetizer because the essential oils activate the production of digestive juices.
-Dill is also helpful for those who suffer from a cough or other respiratory problems,because it contains natural
  kaempferol,which is an anti-congestive.
-Helps to release trapped gases from the GI-tract.
-Dill is a great source of calcium
-increases libido
-chewing dill leafs will help to heal any mouth-related mild inflammation and it provides a good health for teeth and gums.




A little bit of dill will always make a great addition to almost any food.If you add it to dips and other raw dishes,make sure to add the softest,tiniest leafs.