Editing Seasoning

{{Short description|Process of supplementing food via herbs, salts, or spices}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Achiote paste ingredients.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The ingredients for [[Recado rojo|achiote paste]]: oregano, ground cloves, ground cumin, minced garlic, and ground annatto]]
'''Seasoning''' is the process of supplementing food via [[herb]]s, [[spice]]s, and/or salts, intended to enhance a particular flavour.

==General meaning==
Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Salt may be used to draw out [[water]], or to magnify a natural flavor of a food making it richer or more delicate, depending on the dish. This type of procedure is akin to [[Curing (food preservation)|curing]]. For instance, [[sea salt]] (a coarser-grained salt) is rubbed into [[Chicken (food)|chicken]], [[Lamb and mutton|lamb]], and [[beef]] to tenderize the meat and improve flavour. Other seasonings like [[black pepper]] and [[basil]] transfer some of their flavors to the food. A well-designed dish may combine seasonings that complement each other.

In addition to the choice of herbs and seasoning, the timing of when flavors are added will affect the food that is being cooked or otherwise prepared. Seasonings are usually added near the end of the cooking period, or even at the table, when the food is served. The most common table-seasonings are salt, pepper, and acids (such as lemon juice). When seasonings are used properly, they cannot be tasted; their job is to heighten the flavors of the original ingredients.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://opentextbc.ca/ingredients/chapter/seasoning-and-flavouring/#:~:text=Many%20ingredients%20are%20used%20to,the%20food%20without%20changing%20it.&text=Flavouring%20refers%20to%20something%20that,original%20flavour%20of%20the%20food.|title=Seasoning and Flavouring|date=24 October 2015|access-date=23 December 2020|archive-date=13 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113083831/https://opentextbc.ca/ingredients/chapter/seasoning-and-flavouring/#:~:text=Many%20ingredients%20are%20used%20to,the%20food%20without%20changing%20it.&text=Flavouring%20refers%20to%20something%20that,original%20flavour%20of%20the%20food.|url-status=live}}</ref>

Researchers have found traces of garlic mustard seeds in prehistoric pots that also contained traces of meat, making this the earliest recording of seasoning food.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Saul |first1=H |last2=Madella |first2=M |last3=Fischer |first3=A |last4=Glykou |first4=A |last5=Hartz |first5=S |last6=Craig |first6=OE |date=August 2013 |title=Phytoliths in Pottery Reveal the Use of Spice in European Prehistoric Cuisine |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=8 |pages=e70583 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0070583 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3749173 |pmid=23990910|bibcode=2013PLoSO...870583S |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Oil infusion==
[[infusion|Infused oils]] are also used for seasoning. There are two methods for doing an infusion—hot and cold. [[Olive oil]] makes a good infusion base for some herbs, but tends to go [[Rancidification|rancid]] more quickly than other oils. Infused oils should be kept refrigerated.

==Escoffier==
In ''[[Le Guide Culinaire]]'',<ref name=guide>[[Auguste Escoffier]] (1903), ''[[Le Guide culinaire]]'', Editions Flammarion</ref> [[Auguste Escoffier]] divides seasoning and condiments into the following groups:

===Seasonings===
[[File:2009-07-22-salzverkostung-by-RalfR-02.jpg|thumb|Salts]]
# ''[[Brining|Saline seasonings]]'' – [[Salt#Edible salt|salt]], [[Seasoned salt|spiced salt]], [[Potassium nitrate|saltpeter]].
# ''Acid seasonings'' – [[Vinegar|plain vinegar]] (sodium acetate), or same aromatized with [[tarragon]]; ''[[verjuice]]'', lemon and orange juices.
# ''Hot seasonings'' – [[Black pepper|peppercorns]], ground or coarsely chopped pepper, or ''mignonette pepper''; [[paprika]], [[curry]], [[cayenne pepper|cayenne]], and mixed pepper spices.
# ''Spice seasonings'' – made by using essential oils like paprika, clove oil, etc.

===Condiments===
[[File:Seasoning.jpg|thumb|Condiments]]
# ''The pungents'' – [[onion]]s, [[shallot]]s, [[garlic]], [[chive]]s, and [[horseradish]].
# ''Hot condiments'' – [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]], [[gherkin]]s, [[caper]]s, English sauces, such as [[Worcestershire sauce]], [[ketchup]], etc. and American sauces such as [[chili sauce]], [[Tabasco sauce|Tabasco]], [[A1 Steak Sauce]], etc.; the wines used in [[Reduction (cooking)|reductions]] and [[braising]]s; the finishing elements of sauces and soups.
# ''Fatty substances'' – most animal fats, [[butter]], vegetable greases ([[edible oil]]s and [[margarine]]).

== Non-culinary uses ==
Seasonings have also been used for non-culinary purposes throughout history. [[Cinnamon]], for example, was widely utilized in the production of [[Kyphi]], a perfume used in ancient [[Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zohar |first1=Amar |last2=Lev |first2=Efraim |date=January 2013 |title=Trends in the Use of Perfumes and Incense in the Near East after the Muslim Conquests |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/trends-in-the-use-of-perfumes-and-incense-in-the-near-east-after-the-muslim-conquests/625BD0241F4533A07910048D40E3FB63 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |language=en |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=11–30 |doi=10.1017/S1356186312000673 |issn=1356-1863 |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502125842/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/trends-in-the-use-of-perfumes-and-incense-in-the-near-east-after-the-muslim-conquests/625BD0241F4533A07910048D40E3FB63 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other [[herb]]s and [[spice]]s have also been used in a variety of historical medicinal treatments, such as those described in [[Ebers Papyrus]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Temkin |first=Owsei |date=1938 |title=Review of The Papyrus Ebers |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/225822 |journal=Isis |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=126–131 |doi=10.1086/347320 |jstor=225822 |issn=0021-1753 |access-date=2023-05-02 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502125842/https://www.jstor.org/stable/225822 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Condiment]]
* [[Flavoring]]
* [[List of culinary herbs and spices]]
* [[Spice mix#List of spice mixes|List of spice mixes]]
* [[Popcorn seasoning]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Herbs & spices|state=expanded}}
{{Veganism and vegetarianism}}

[[Category:Cooking techniques]]
[[Category:Culinary terminology]]
[[Category:Spices]]