The beauty of spices and aromatic herbs is that – in addition to being innumerable – every kitchen interprets them in a different way: what for us is novelty or exotic, in other territories is part of normality. This is why some elements like sage, bay leaf, rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano, the precious saffron for an Italian cook – professional or home – they are so common that they do not deserve emphasis.
You want for the availability in the area or because they have always been protagonists in regional cuisine.
From salvia for the Brescia spit al basil for the pesto, give it saffron for the yellow risotto al parsley for the sauces. Or the chili pepper, king of southern cuisine, as soon as he arrived in Spain from Latin America. The turning point dates back to the 16th century with the opening of the spice route – thanks to the Portuguese – who initially brought pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon to Europe from the Indies: an immense commercial value, since they were not only used to flavor the dishes, but also to make medicines. Given the very high prices, they enter the kitchens of the rich – in Italy, the first to enjoy them are Venetians and Genoese because of their relations with the Portuguese – to give the extra touch and subsequently become more accessible. Even if reserved for dishes that are not traditional, but imaginative.
THE BOOM OF SPICES
The real boom of spices in Italy is due to three aspects: the greater propensity to leave the Mediterranean to go to the East (from China to South-East Asia) discovering a different use, the increasingly wide presence of places that celebrate (well) ethnic cuisine and ‘contamination’ thanks to haute cuisine where ginger and its surroundings have entered by force. The second case is what brought such a talent Paolo Griffa to get passionate about the topic. “My family has always loved authentic Chinese cuisine and since I was a child it was a prize for me to go with them to taste it – says the executive chef of the Petit Royal, the starred restaurant of the Grand Hotel Royal and Golf in Courmayeur – so I I started to appreciate the flavors of their spices and in my career I have always tried to deepen my direct knowledge ». Between trips to the East for work and for pleasure, the 30-year-old Piedmontese tasted everything and even attended a specialized course on kimchi, the basis of Korean cuisine based on fermented vegetables and spices that is indigestible to many Italians. «I use it for some dishes of the Petit Royal, obviously balancing it with extreme care, as it is right to do with any food that does not belong to our classic repertoire» he explains.
Griffa has an extraordinary passion: in his pantry there are almost 500 spices («In 50 gram bottles, while the original bags are in a wardrobe that I personally keep as if it were my treasure» he says) and he uses them in many dishes. «I try to find the right nuance in those spices that are little used or underestimated in our kitchen, for example juniper or cumin, but the list is very long. The top remains the mixes: even the rarest ones can be found in specialized stores or e-commerce. Just try one made with peppers on a meat dish, even if only grilled, to understand the difference compared to simple black or pink pepper. But it also applies to raw prawns: a touch of one spice or another totally changes the taste »underlines the starred chef of the Petit Royal.
THE TEN SPECIES THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSING IN THE KITCHEN
Of course, there is no point in having hundreds of spices and herbs at home. Griffa who has chosen a dozen of the most interesting for us, considers fifty useful to ‘cover’ all the preparations: from a raw appetizer to dessert, without forgetting the mixology that is increasingly enjoying spicy influences. «Apart from those on which there are historical recipes or which an Italian knows how to dose by nature, you must always have a light hand: add a pinch of spice, taste it, maybe add a little and try again. A very fun exercise, in my opinion ». Then, it is evident that only a talent like him can make a dish like Vegetable tajine, cumin and mint lassi sauce, lemon and cinnamon couscous, a beautiful mosaic of rolled and boxed vegetables. It is part of a gastronomic journey that explicitly refers to the works of art mentioned, in this case the Paper Art dell’illustratrice russa Yulia Brodskaya. «I prepare it in the tagine, the typical North African terracotta pot that lends itself perfectly to many other cooking methods. In this case, the surprise is that the taste is given by the dish as a whole, and not by the visual part: it is a surprise effect, which you do not expect. It is the whole dish that is completed and pleases the customer. And the secret are the sauces where I used over thirty spices ».
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