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Organic Spices
Turmeric,
Ginger,
Garlic,
Pepper,
Fenugreek, Cardamom, Cinnamon,
Cumin,
Chili, Nutmeg,
Coriander, Mustard, Tamarind, Vanilla, Sesame
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Organic Foods
Banana, Coconut, Guava, Mango, Papaya, Tomato, Onion, Honey, Arrowroot, Niger, Maize, Peanut, Rice, Castor, Red gram, Black gram, Sorghum, Cashew
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Organic Herbs
Aloe Vera, Amla, Neem, Basil, Bacopa, Licorice, Chebula, Asparagus, Ashwagandha, Stevia, Coleus, Senna
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Thyme (Banajwain)
Thyme Spices: A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is a wonderful addition to bean, egg and vegetable dishes. Both fresh and dried thyme is available in your local supermarket throughout the year. Thyme is included in the French combination of herbs called bouquet garni used to season stock, stews and soups. Thyme is used to season, tomato soups, fish and meat dishes, liver and pork sausages, headcheese, cottage and cream cheese. It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes and eggs. Leaves and sprigs are used in salads as garnishes and most famously in clam chowder, bouquets garnis, and French, Creole, and Cajun cuisines. Its flavor blends well with those of lemon, garlic, and basil.
Thyme Health: Thyme has a long history of use in natural medicine in connection with chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion. Thymol has been found to protect and significantly increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes and other cell structures. Thyme has a high standing on the list of anti-oxidant foods. For thousands of years, herbs and spices have been used to help preserve foods and protect them from microbial contamination. Thyme oil is used in treatment of bronchitis. Thyme is as an excellent source of iron and manganese, a very good source of calcium and a food source of dietary fiber.
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Thyme is a hardy perennial shrub, 20-40 cm high, the dried leaves are curled, brownish green colour, 6.7 mm long, marketed in whole or ground form. The flavour is aromatic, warm and pungent. Flowers are light violet, two lipid, 5mm long, with hairy glandular calyx. The major types of thyme available in the international market are French Thyme, Spanish Thyme and American Thyme.
Origin and Distribution
Thyme is a native to Southern Europe from Spain to Italy. Apart from Europe it is grown in Australia, North Asia, North Africa, Canada and USA. In India, it is cultivated in the Western temperate Himalayas and Nilgiris.
Thyme prefers a mild climate, a mallow upland soil and grows best in the hills.
USES
Thyme is used to season, tomato soups, fish and meat dishes, liver and pork sausages, headcheese, cottage and cream cheese.
Thyme oil is used in treatment of bronchitis. It has anti-spasmodic and carminative properties. It possesses anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties.
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 |
Botanical
name |
Family
name |
Commercial
part |
Thymus vulgaris |
Lamiaceae |
Leaf |
| Hindi |
: Banajwain
|
| Malayalam |
: Thottathulasi |
| Punjabi |
: Marizha, Masho, Rangsbur |
| Urdu |
: Hasha |
| English |
: Garden thyme
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| French |
: Thyme |
| German |
: Thymian, Römischer Quendel, Kuttelkraut |
| Italy |
: Timo |
Further Reading:
Sensory quality: Strongly aromatic.
Main constituents: The content of essential oil varies drastically with climate, time of harvest and storage conditions; extreme values are 0.75% and 6.5%. Main components are the phenols thymol (ca. 40%) and carvacrol (ca. 15%). In winter, phenol content is lower (but mostly thymol); in summer, more phenols (up to 70%) are found, with significant amounts of carvacrol. Further components in the essential oil are thymol methyl ether (2%), cineol, cymene, pinene, borneol and esters of the latter two.
Thyme is an important spice of European cuisines, especially in South Europe. It is especially typical for France, where fresh branches of thyme, tied up into bundles together with other fresh herbs, are added to soups, sauces and stews, being removed before serving.
Dried thyme is also a part of the herbes de Provence, a spice mixture from Provence (Southern France; see lavender). Thyme is furthermore popular in the non-European parts of the Mediterranean; for example, the Jordan condiment zahtar contains thyme as vital aroma. Another example is dukka, a typical spice mixture of Egypt. It is a slightly salted combination of toasted seeds (sesame, hazelnut, coriander, cumin, black pepper and thyme, predominantly used to flavour meat. Egyptian white bread eaten together with olive oil and dukka gives a very simple, but delicious meal.
In Central Europe, Thyme is most used for soups, fish, meat, poultry and eggs. In Britain, thyme is the most popular culinary herb besides mint. It also plays am important rôle in the cooking of the United States, particularly of the East Coast. The Creole cuisine of New Orleans (the only true regional cuisine of the US) is particularly famous for its extensive use of thyme. A typical spice mix for this purpose might, besides quite much salt and thyme, contain medium-hot paprika, white pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powder.
Thyme’s popularity extends even more South: it is common in Central American cuisine. Jerk, the most famous culinary export item of Jamaica (besides rum, of course), often contains thyme;
Fresh thyme is not only less intensive that dried thyme, but is has a more soft flavour, less smoky, and fits perfectly to Mediterranean vegetables or fish. Dried thyme, on the other hand, has a dominating smokiness that comes best in spicy foods, particularly meats.
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