I love this topic, it is at the very heart of so much analysis and conjecture. I see nothing has changed.
I once asked did anyone bother to stick their herbs in a vial and compare it to the pics, also did anyone know if there was a standard mesh size for these herbs and spices?
Here are my vials, contrasted with, "
The Picture."
flic.kr/p/QQzp1LHere is a second picture, different angle.
flic.kr/p/QT389tThere are a few notable points:
1. The first two vials do not match at all. (A) Corriander Seed (Dahini) & (B) Bay Leaf. The probable cause of this is that I used fresh ground seeds and leaves. I will get some commercial samples and see how they compare.
2. (C) Vanilla (whole ground bean), (E) Clove, (F) ginger, (G) white pepper and (K) black pepper are all on the mark.
3. (H) Cardamom Seed is really wide of the mark, and (J) red chilli pepper is a bit squiff. I used d'Espelette as a substitute for Ancho as all my ancho is gone.
4. Lastly, (D) Sage and (I) Savory, are raising some questions. My sage was home grown, and the savory commercial.
Cardamon is interesting. I get a better match with (H) black cardamom pods.
flic.kr/p/RW5GKe Also in this image, I substituted (E) Allspice (Piment) for (E) Clove.
flic.kr/p/S81YPe. I don't think Allspice is at all a match.
Here highlights the problem with trying to match new herbs and spices to this image.
Colour space. White Balance. Tint. Angle. Age of Contents. We can't know these for sure, its all just one big merry guess, however, it is quite uncanny that some of the most, '
in doubt ingredients' in the TCK34 list (given at the beginning of this thread) are so visually close to the present photograph, that there is no further doubt about them… well, for me.
On the topic of cardamom, black cardamom has a lemon-citrus scent, and an under note of smoke, and it is a good match for vial (H) - yet, is it an ingredient that CHS would have used? Is there historical precedent for its use in Southern Cuisine? Therein lies the rub.
If you can better match the greens
I'd like to see it! (…photographically, I mean.)
I'd like to see it! (…photographically, I mean.)