Flavorings

Move over, dessert! Chocolate adds a tasty element to salads, sauces, and more

If you like a bit of spice, bright green serrano chiles make a zippy addition to any savory recipe. Typically smaller

Annatto Also called achiote, this rust-colored, earthy spice–available as whole or ground seeds or paste–flavors and

Though FDA offers a definition of natural flavor, understanding what substances are and are not considered natural when used as flavorings is a difficult task. Federal regulations define a “natural flavorant” as “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or any other edible portions of a plant, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose primary function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

Few companies reveal that exact mixture used in their ‘natural flavorings’ for proprietary reasons. However, naturals companies increasingly list whether their flavorings are derived from vegetarian- and vegan-approved sources.

Pound for pound, highly prized truffles are worth almost as much as gold. Fortunately, just a pinch of this seductive

Often called gingerroot, this spicy Asian flavor enhancer is actually a rhizome an underground, horizontal-growing

Today’s chefs accent food with natural, flavor-enhancing salts. Known for their coarse texture, snappy taste, and high

When flavoring foods, “the idea is not to make things salty, it’s to make them palatable,” says Morton Satin, director

The fifth taste distinguishable by humans, after sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, umami is a savory flavor imparted by