Flavor Combos For International Cooking

A really good way to add flavor to food without adding calories is with spices. Spices and seasoning add interesting dimensions to your food so you don't get bored eating the same bland foods. Different combinations add different international flavors to your food so you can get creative and take your meals all around the world.

I came up with the idea for this post while I was cooking my beans for the week. I cooked chickpeas and pinto beans and added spices to each pot. Although I added some spices to both, I added different ones to try to create two distinct flavors. It's amazing how you can take a couple flavors and combine them differently to really change how they taste together.

Here I'm including a short list that just covers the basics. I feel that it's easier to buy a couple basic spices and mix and match those, but feel free to buy more exotic flavors and experiment.

Mexican:
Mix and match cumin, oregano, cayenne, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and cinnamon to make yummy southwestern flavors.

Italian:
For Italian cooking, include seasoning like basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Mediterranean:
For Greek flavors, it's all about freshness. Lemon, garlic, fresh oregano, dill and mint are great for those dishes. For other Middle Eastern dishes there's a smokier, deeper flavor with things like cumin, cayenne and dried oregano.

Indian:
For an exotic Indian dish, use things like cumin, tumeric, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cilantro, red chili paste, and saffron. You can accent with coconut, sesame, and peanut butter. Other Asian flavors are pretty similar with a couple little tweaks.

Salt and black pepper and garlic and onion pretty much go with everything. I always try to add something fresh at the end of cooking too. So if I'm making Italian, I'll stir in some fresh basil at the end. Or I'll finish a batch of hummus with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Feel free to mix and match any of the above flavors. There's really no set rule that says you have to stay in one country while cooking. That's what I love most about cooking. You can do whatever you damn well please. And you should. Happy cooking everyone :)