The Holy Trinity represents a base of three key ingredients which serve as the foundation for a nation's cuisine. The Holy Trinity is also sometimes referred to as a mirepoix, or sofrito. Each one uses three key ingredients, most commonly vegetables, herbs, or seasonings, chopped very fine and then sauteed with either oil or butter. This process releases and fuses their flavors together to form a base that serves as a cuisine's cornerstone.
When I first learned of The Holy Trinity of Cooking, I couldn't get enough of it. I've always loved learning about different cuisines and then re-creating them in my kitchen. Knowing the trinities of different cuisines is like having a "cheat sheet" to the secrets behind each cuisine.
Here is a list of Holy Trinities by cuisine:
Brazilian cuisine: Dende oil, coconut milk and malagueta pepper (used in the Northeast region).
Cajun/ Creole cuisine: Celery, bell pepper, and onion.
Chinese cuisine: Scallions, ginger, and garlic.
Cuban cuisine: Garlic, bell pepper, and onion
French cuisine: celery, carrots, and onion (mirepoix).
Greek cuisine: Lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano.
Indian cuisine: Garlic, ginger, and onion.
Indonesian cuisine: Garlic, chili peppers, and shallots.
Italian cuisine: Tomatoes, garlic, and basil (used in the South of Italy).
Japanese cuisine: Dashi, mirin, and shoyu (similar to soy sauce).
Korean cuisine: Garlic, ginseng, kimchi (fermented cabbage).
Mexican cuisine: Uses 3 types of dried chili peppers to make mole sauce- ancho, pasilla, and guajillo.
Spanish cuisine: Garlic, onion, and tomato (garlic is substituted for olive oil in the Catalan region).
Thai: Kaffir lime, lemongrass, and galangal (relative to ginger).
West Africa: Habaneros or scotch bonnets, onions, and tomatoes.
What do you think? Which trinities did you grow up eating and which ones do you use the most in your cooking?
how could you not include puerto rican cuisine on here. grandma's gonna be mad...
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post -- I didn't know about this, but it totally makes sense. I grew up eating a lot of the Mexican Holy Trinities, and also the Spanish. But now that I have married a full-fledged Italian man, we make a lot of foods including the Italian Trinity. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou're spot on with the West African trinity! I still cook almost every dish with that trinity. Yum.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right about Indian cuisine - especially for meats and heavy flavoured vegetables. Even when I'm cooking today and want to make a simple curry, I always start with ginger-garlic-onions and coriander seed powder.
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting - thanks!