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There’s something to be said for putting in the time and effort required to grow your own vegetables and herbs, but most people on the planet are perfectly content with letting someone else handle the bulk of the legwork before plucking them off the shelf at the store.
In addition to being a more convenient option, it’s also much more feasible for people who don’t have the room (or patience) to cultivate a garden or live in a climate where they couldn’t grow some fairly essential ingredients even if they wanted; planting some rosemary or basil in a box on a windowsill is one thing, but it’s arguably foolish to try to figure out how to make your own cinnamon or garlic powder when you can just pick some up for fairly cheap.
As a fairly competent home cook, I’d be lying if I said I could tell you how those last two items are made off the top of my head (and I have a feeling I’m not alone). While you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with how a particular ingredient is produced to successfully employ it in a recipe, it also never really hurts to do a little bit of research so you have a better idea of what you’re working with and gain a deeper understanding of situations where it could come in handy.
For example, most people who’ve cooked with paprika are likely aware it’s a somewhat sweet and spicy (and occasionally smoked) product with the potential to impart a pleasant “oomph” in whatever you’re whipping up.
As a result, you could get away with not being aware the seasoning gets its start as red peppers that are dried before being finely ground—which apparently came as quite a surprise to the many, many people who were caught off guard by a tweet that recently made the rounds.
Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere
— Make Oxtail Cheap Again (@simsimmaaz) January 23, 2023
If you just had your mind blown, you can take a little bit of solace in knowing you’re not the only one based on the reactions to this somewhat unknown fun fact.
Like I could’ve sworn there was a paprika plant
— Joan Clayton (@cocoaliia) January 23, 2023
— sidneyraz for real (@sidneyraz) January 24, 2023
You are not alone. This was me like four years ago. I think I was even in Hungary when it happened or it was just before the trip. I also thought there was a paprika tree, dont let them shame you
— Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) January 24, 2023
Everyday I learn how powerful my dehydrator is. Got this bad boy to dry shrooms and it has proven to be the most formidable tool in my kitchen https://t.co/MavySrFO6Z
— Kis he/him Free Palestine 🍉 (@blow_me_a_kis) January 24, 2023
The More You Know.