The Trinity
When it comes to cooking there are combination of certain spices that create a “flavor profile” of that region. They are so distinctive that you could taste it blindfolded and know that you are eating either Mexican or Italian, etc. There are usually at least 3 spices that make that food, from the region stand out. I’ve listed the areas and the 3 spices essential to your cooking palate, which will immediately identify that food for that taste. They’re cooked together at the start of a dish, usually in a sauté in butter or oil, so that the flavors release and blend to become a distinctive flavor combination recognized by your mouth, Err…taste buds. With this in mind, below are the most commonly known and cooked trinities in alphabetical order. Start here and you’ll be half way home!
Cajun/Creole: Chopped Onion, Bell Pepper, and Celery. Used in classic Louisiana dishes including étouffée, gumbo and jambalaya.
Chinese: A base of scallions, ginger and garlic.
Chinese Sichuan: The “three peppers” – Chili, Sichuan, and White Pepper.
Cuba: Garlic, bell pepper and Spanish onion.
French: Chopped onions, carrots and celery, sautéed in butter.
Greece: Lemon juice, Olive Oil and Oregano.
Hungary: Paprika, Lard and Onion.
India: 5 Spices – Garlic, Ginger, Onion Cumin, Turmeric
Northern Italian: Carrots, Onions, Fennel with Tomato’s
Southern Italy: 4 Spices -Garlic, Basil, Oregano with Tomato’s
Jamaica: Garlic, Scallion and Thyme.
Japan: Instead of Spices usually use dashi, Mirin (Japanese Wine) and Soy Sauce.
Korean: Garlic, Ginseng and Kimchi (pickled Cabbage with red pepper sauce)
Lebanon: Garlic, Lemon juice and Olive Oil
Mexico: Chili Peppers (ancho, pasilla and guajillo), Cilantro, Onion.
Portuguese: Onions, Garlic, Peppers with Tomato’s.
Spanish: Sofrito — Garlic, Onion and Tomato and Saffron (Saffron is essential when making Paella)
Southwestern: Cumin, Garlic, Cilantro
Thailand: Galangal (a kind of ginger found in Oriental Grocery Stores), Kaffir lime and Lemon grass.
West Africa: Chili Peppers, Onions and Tomato’s.