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Bittersweet Beauties

All parts of angelica (Angelica archangelica) are used, including the roots, to flavor ice creams, confectionery, cordials, vermouth, vodka and liqueurs. It gives the characteristic sweet flavor to Benedictine liqueur, a 16th-century liqueur named after the Benedictine monks who created it. Originally called an elixir, Benedictine was said to possess healing powers.

Roots of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) yield a flavor most people associate with black, chewy, braided candy called licorice whips (although that flavor is actually extracted from other plants). In addition to confectionery uses, licorice is used in making the famous Irish ale Guinness and as a flavoring in the Italian liqueur Sambuco. The strong smell and taste of licorice is sometimes used to disguise unpalatable flavors in medicines.

The Pungent Ones

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) leaves are known as Chinese parsley, Arabic parsley and by the Spanish/Mexican name, cilantro. Yet many herb growers are not aware the roots are an important ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine, especially Thai cooking. They are used in green curry pastes, soups and stews. The strong-flavored roots are also used in certain areas of Mexico, also in soups and stews. Coriander has been used both as a flavoring and as a medicinal plant since ancient times.

The roots of asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida) are called devil’s dung and contain a strong sulphurous resin that exudes when the root is harvested and cut. When dried, the resin is ground and used in very small amounts with vegetables, sauces and pickles in the cuisines of Northern India, Iran and Afghanistan. The resin is considered to have the foulest odor of any herb, but its sulphurous smell disappears when the powdered resin is heated in oil. The oil then takes on an onion- or garlic-like flavor. In India, it is popular with the Brahmin and Jain castes where the use of onions and garlic are prohibited. Asafoetida is one of many ingredients in Worcestershire sauce.

Sweet Tonic Types for Health

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used as a qi (vital essence) tonic in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. The bittersweet roots are eaten raw, fried, candied or added to tonic soups and other dishes. Roots of ginseng aged in spirits are taken as an elixir. Ginseng, believed to improve resistance to stress, is found in food supplements, soft drinks, herb teas and chewing gum.    

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