Spicing up barbecue season with nothing but nature
Meat, fire and fine weather. For many people around the globe these are all ingredients needed for having a good time together, as barbecuing is as inseparable from the warm season as the beach is from the sea. Whether it is grilling, smoking, slow-roasting or open-pit cooking - preparing meat over open fire is almost always in season. Driven by our passion for the power of nature, we took a closer look at how herbs can spice up your barbecue and help creating unforgettable tastes and memories.
Grilling is considered to be the oldest way of preparing food as humans have learned to use fire for this purpose thousands of years ago. Still, by some kind of magic, it seems that staring at the fire awakens our primal instincts, bringing people together and creating a certain sense of wellbeing. For us, uniting food, summer vibes and nice people is the perfect mix for great social events.
Nature talents for the finishing touch
Around the globe, the typical smell of barbecue rises to our noses on sunny days. Adding fresh herbs can help even refining the flavor and aroma of our barbecue dishes and recipes in various ways. Containing not only vitamins and minerals, but also essential oils, fresh herbs help adding a special flavor to marinades, salad dressings, sauces, and toppings. Perfect, that especially herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage can be grown quite easily in the garden or on the windowsill, as they guarantee a very intense taste when freshly picked and used.
Did you know?
Not only the seasoning of the meat is responsible for the barbecue taste. Juniper or coriander seeds crushed in a mortar, as well as various herbs such as rosemary or thyme also provide a special aroma when being carefully sprinkled on the hot ash after half of the barbecue time.
Herbs cut a good figure at barbecue
There are plenty of herbs suitable for boosting the flavor of our barbecue dishes leading to countless ways for using them. To name our favorites, there is rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), which is called the “king of herbs” as it can grow up to 2 meters height and has a very intense, unique flavor. It goes perfectly with pork, chicken, potatoes, or beef. Chopped and sprinkled over the food before putting it on the grill is recommendable, as it is releasing its flavor during the cooking process. Remember to use rosemary sparingly to not overwhelm the flavor of the grilled food.
Also, thyme (Thymus vulgaris) combined with lemon (Citrus limon) or garlic (Allium sativum) adds a special taste to your barbecue fish, veggies and chicken, whereas we can recommend oregano (Origanum vulgare) to season especially fish, meat and poultry dishes.
No question, tastes differ, and that’s good. However, giving fresh suitable herbs a try in your next barbecue can definitely help adding your dishes the special kick – it´s worth a try.
Bettina Karlinger
Bettina Karlinger joined our Organizational Development Team in May 2021. Previously, she studied economics in Linz and Spain and worked for over 15 years in market research. Bettina loves spending time in the nature together with her family and friends, enjoying the beautiful landscapes, mountains and lakes of Austria and – whenever possible – her “second home” Spain. Capturing these moments with her camera makes her day perfect.
