I've read some answers say that you should put things like cloves, black pepper, bay leaves, etc. at the end of cooking a curry, as spices will loose their properties. I notice that Bangladeshi cuisine always uses these items at the very beginning of cooking. Why so? I'm imagining its been done like this for a long time. What do they know that we don't? Perhaps there is some other goal?
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https://www.spiceography.com/cooking-with-bay-leaves/ – Johannes_B Dec 02 '19 at 04:47
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What is a property of bay leaves other than to give taste? The longer it stay in the dish the more time it will have to infuse the fat and mix with other ingredients. So the time would be dictated by strenght of the aromatics and what you would like to underline. – SZCZERZO KŁY Dec 02 '19 at 09:12
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2@SZCZERZOKŁY not necessarily true. If you have highly volatile aromatics, the flavor evaporates if you leave it too long. – Juliana Karasawa Souza Dec 02 '19 at 10:12
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3You need to link to the answers making that specific claim, as I wouldn't save any of your named ingredients until the end, though pepper works at both beginning & end, for different reasons.. – Tetsujin Dec 02 '19 at 10:32
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@JulianaKarasawaSouza The time to stay was regarding the bay leaves. The last sentence is about any other ingredient. – SZCZERZO KŁY Dec 02 '19 at 10:56
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Just like many other ingredients, when spices are added to a dish is a function of what effect you want them to have on the final dish. If you want deep, well-integrated flavors, or even undertones, you add them early so the flavors meld into the product. If you want a more pronounced flavor or an aroma, they are added at or near the end of cooking. In addition, you can certainly do both, as the flavor and aroma can be enhanced by this double addition (at the beginning and at the end). When these aromatic spices (and often alliums) are used, like in curries, they are heated in oil or ghee. The oil is flavored, and this helps to carry the flavor of the aromatics throughout the product. Spices and herbs also contain many volatile compounds, which will be lost with heat and time. In this case, a last minute addition, just before serving, is the best approach.
"What do they know that we don't?" Well, "they" know the final result that they are trying to achieve, and how ingredients behave at various points in the cooking process. The end goal is a well-integrated dish.
moscafj
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2Great answer. I'd only add that the *form* of the spice also has something to do with usage. If using whole cloves, whole peppercorns, and whole bay leaves, they will gradually release flavor over longer cooking and might be *required* to be added a bit earlier for flavor. But using a ground version of these will cause the flavors to be absorbed faster (and then perhaps to lose more potency with longer cooking). – Athanasius Dec 02 '19 at 14:25
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It really depends on the specific spice/herb, and on how strong you want it to be in the dish.
Some aromatics are destroyed by prolonged heating, while others can't be tasted unless left to steep in the dish as it cooks.
Cumin, mustard seed, coriander seed and others are at their most powerful when mixed into oil/fat at high temperature, usually in the beginning of the dish with the onions.
On the other hand, turmeric or nutmeg would lose their flavour at high heat, and usually get added near the end, or at least after the water is added.
It can be even more complex. For example, salt added at the beginning will take water out of ingredients and into the sauce. Salt added near the end will just make the dish saltier.
There are also things like bay leaves or tea leaves, where the flavour depends on how long they have been cooking.
Carmi
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