Discovering the Flavours of Europe

GARLIC: It has got an intense and unique flavor and aroma. There is probably no end to the uses and potential uses of garlic in the culinary arts. It can be part of dishes that are baked, roasted, and braised, and it is added to soups, sauces, marinades, etc. Garlic is also minced and used as a flavoring in sausages, meatballs, and other ground meat preparations.

PARSLEY: It’s good in stews, sauces, cheese spreads, rice dishes, vegetables, omelettes, and in fish dishes. Fresh or dried parsley may be used in omelets, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes and in sauces to go with fish, poultry, veal and pork. It is included with garlic and butter for making garlic bread.

Italian traditional spices

BASILICO (BASIL): The warm, sweet and characteristic flavor of basil is one of the essentials of Italian food. It's the main ingredient in many pesto sauces, but also combines perfectly with other ingredients such as tomatoes.

ROSMARINO (ROSEMARY): Thanks to its powerful but sweet flavor and aroma, rosemary is frequently used with vegetables and in vinegars and breads.

DILL. A popular, aromatic salad herb in Poland. Dill is slightly sour or bitter and very refreshing. Both the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are used in Polish cooking. It is used to garnish the popular beetroot soup called borscht, and is an essential ingredient in dill pickles. The Polish word for dill is koperek, sometimes koperku.

CARAWAY. These tiny seeds give rye bread its distinctive flavor. This aromatic seed is also a regular in almost everything. Caraway is called kmink in Polish.

BAY LEAVES: Bay leaves appear in almost every soup and stew in Portuguese cooking. The bush with bay leaves can be seen across the countryside in Portugal and were often used to delineate property lines in the past.

CINNAMON: Cinnamon is used often in Portuguese desserts. It is also used very frequently in Portuguese savory dishes, which is not as common in European dishes. A little cinnamon is a common addition to all kinds of chicken soups and stews.