Last herb/spice you bought

Most recently I bought some star anise for some pho that I finally got around to making.

dan

If you can't remember when you last bought it, then it's time to buy new. Dill is one of those herbs that just doesn't last.

But you knew that. ;)

I've tried keeping a list of what I've got and storing them in trays together by cuisine (Asian; Indian; Latin American), but I still get confused and forget to buy more OR think I'm out when I'm not and end up buying doubles. :p

Albahaca- got it in Spain, I don't know if there is an English work but it kinda tastes like a combination of basil and mint.

I try not to buy dried herbs if I can help it, I grow as many as possible myself. But there is one thing I cannot manage to grow and that is coriander, no matter how I try, they always die. The big bummer is, I cant buy it in Spain either, they just dont use it here, or if they do, they dont sell it anywhere that I know of.
So, the last herb I would have bought would have been coriander, if indeed there was any to buy.

Coriander for my soups and salads
Fennel
Mint - for tea (home) / garnishes (work)

Albahaca is one form of basil, of which there are many. They use the full albahaca plant in summer to ward of mosquitos, it works too.

Regular albahaca is just sweet basil. I'm not sure where the hint o'mint in yours comes from. Maybe the soil in which it was grown.

There are some other albahacas like albahaca aquatica which are one kind of thistle or another.

Last herbs we bought were fresh tarragon, cilantro, Italian parsley, and basil from a "Mediterranean" (really Lebanese/Armenian) super nearby. We'll go to some other ethnic supers today or tomorrow and get other fresh stuff, like garlic scape, cilantro and so on. Last dry stuff was, I think, smoked paprika from a local Italian deli (Claro's) which has very good prices on some things.

Herb heaven 'round here -- especially if you can navigate around places where English as a spoken language doesn't get spoken, and if you don't want distinctly western European or east coast type stuff. Good luck finding fresh sorrel or savory for instance. Saw grass? No problem.

BDL

Ah cool! It taste different than the Italian basil though.

I almost never buy dry herbs because I grow so many of my own, and dry the surplus. One exception is basil; I see no use for dry basil at all, and never use it.

If y'all consider lemon grass to be an herb, then that was the last fresh herb I bought.

As to spices, last one I bought was ajwain.

Just bought some fresh thyme and parsley - making roast chicken with potatoes tonight and the thyme is going to be added to the potatoes and chicken after it's cooked.

But I was glad I had fresh herbs around: I opened a can of sardines, crushed them in a bowl with minced shallots, minced parsley and thyme, olive oil, softened butter, fleur de sel, pepper and squeeze a bit of lemon juice in it, which we then spreaded on toasted bread. I'm going to make a couple of sweet crepes later, which should hold us until tonight's roast chicken! :peace:

Just bought some Sumac for a taste and try. Not real sure what to do with it :rolleyes:

Gotta get me some more tumeric and smoky paprika.....borrowed bunch of osemaary from local plant I found :D

herbs

DC: have you made a note to yourself to return it when you're finished using it? :smiles:

Me...

I picked up some basil, fennel leaf and parsley at the market last night. Made a seafood chowder with clams, scallops, cod, shrimp and crab.

Joe

DC, the sumac will have a slightly sour, citrusy flavor. Very much like lemon. In fact, there are places where it's used to make an erstwhile lemonade.

It's mostly used in Mid-Eastern foods, either alone, or as a component of a spice mixture called Z'ataar.

Lemon pepper and rogan josh spice mix, from Penzey's.

asafoetida

Just sprinkle it on any salad, on raw onions you use as garnish for Mediterranean food, on hummus, etc...

Last I bought was Saffron last week, there is a Mediterranean market that sells a jar for like $3.50. I just seen the price and bought it but is there imitation Saffron? i thought it was like 20 bucks a pinch.

The jar is at a friends house so i will get the brand name next weekend when i do laundry as I been living out of a hotel room for the last 6 weeks due to broken water main that flooded my condo.

Edit: the same market uses Sumac on the yummy Shawarma's they make.

There are several qualities of saffron, for sure. As for an "imitation saffron"... I guess that would be turmeric? But surely you could tell. :lol:

I asked my friend to take a picture for me so here it is.

Hmmm, yeah, $3.50 for that whole jar seems too good to be true, for sure. But I guess you'll be able to tell when you use it!

If it is, indeed, saffron, I would consider changing career and opening an online saffron business? :lol: You could make good money. I guess a jar like that could easily go for $150 or so.

Saffron?

I've never heard of "qualities" of saffron, aside from those where the strands are obviously broken up or old. I've certainly never seen a rating system for such.

It's easy to find shredded, chopped or otherwise ground saffron that's been blended with safflower ("Mexican saffron").

I went on-line and found Yoruk Brand Saffron in 1 oz packets (I'm thinking about the same as the jar in the photo) for $3.99. It's Greek and supposedly a reputable brand.

Joe

You may want to check this out: ISO/TS 3632-1:2003 - Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) -- Part 1: Specification

Also: ::: Tarvand Saffron ::: [Grading & Classification]

In Spain, Saffron is typically graded between:

Coupe (best quality), La Mancha, Rio, Standard, Sierra.

Saffron

Thanks French Fries.

Next time I buy saffron, I'll have to read the label to see if it really is "graded".

Joe

Honestly, while I haven't seen it graded on the label, I know I have bought different qualities (without knowing which grade I was buying). Although come to think of it I've seen the term "coupe" on some labels - never seen any of the other ones though - guess they only tell you when it's good. There's also yellow saffron, and sometimes they mix a bit of yellow saffron in the red saffron, resulting in a cheaper saffron.

There's also spanish saffron and indian saffron which are not exactly the same.

But in this case, the price is just too ridiculously low to be a matter of quality... I don't think it could be saffron at this price?

Thanks for the tips on the Sumac ....it's something a little different to what I'm used to, so wasn't sure.

That saffron sounds way to cheap. Here, it's like AUS$6 per 5g (approx. 1/6th ounce). Can only taste it and try. If it does the job, good luck to you :)