Lesson video

Hello, I am Mr. Ballam.

Thanks for joining me today and picking this lesson.

This lesson's all around "Food for the Senses." So let's get started, shall we? So what are we going to learn? Well, by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe a range of different ingredients used to flavoured dishes from around the world.

Doesn't that sound amazing? I'm gonna go through a few key words now, which we're gonna pick up in the lesson today.

And the first word is cuisine, and this is a style or method of cooking in a certain country or region.

The second word is senses.

This is the sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

The next one is herbs, and these are the leafy green parts of plants which are used in cooking.

Then we've got spices, which are the seeds, root, bark, or dried fruit of plants.

And lastly, we've got aromatic ingredients.

And these are other fruits and vegetables that add aroma and flavour to dishes.

So things like garlic or fresh ginger.

So let's get started with the first part of the lesson, which is all around sensory cuisine.

Now there are many different types of cuisines around the world, and a type of cuisine is often linked to a country or a region.

And different cuisines are shaped by the traditions, culture, climate, geography, and the ingredients grown in that area, for example.

Now, can you name four different types of cuisine? Well, if you think about it very hard, you might be able to think about the different foods that you eat, for example.

So maybe foods from Italy.

So that would be Italian cuisine, wouldn't it? Or perhaps things from Britain.

So that would be British cuisine.

Or how about Mexico? Mexican cuisine.

And the last one, well, one of my favourites, Japanese cuisine.

So there are many different types of cuisines around the world in different countries or regions.

Now let's have a quick check for understanding, shall we? So true or false, different cuisines are shaped by the traditions and culture, climate, geography, and the ingredients that are grown or reared in different countries? Yes, that's true, isn't it? And why is that? Well, different cuisines are shaped by the traditions and culture over time, the climate and geography, that's the weather and landscape, plus the local ingredients too.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

So Italian cuisine, which I've already mentioned, features a lot around tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, Parmesan cheese, and fresh pasta or rice.

That sounds delicious, doesn't it? And the flavours include things like sweet from the tomatoes, salty from the cheese, and aromatic from the herbs.

And common smells or sometimes called aromas, include things like garlic, tomatoes, and basil too.

Now, Italian cuisine changes a lot from the north to the south.

So in the north they use more butter and rice, where in the south they use more olive oil and wheat past the too.

And just like Izzy's saying here, "Popular foods include things like pizza, lasagna, "risotto, and focaccia bread." Have you had any of those? I bet you have.

Now another cuisine is Indian cuisine, and this is a very large country with many languages, climates and cooking traditions too.

And its cuisine varies around the country and the different types of ingredients that are used, such as lentils, spices, things like cumin and turmeric and vegetables too.

And the flavours of the cuisine are warm, spicy, tangy yoghourt and creamy sauces, and the smells of toasted spices and fresh coriander.

And popular foods include things like dal, which is made from lentils, tandoori chicken, naan bread, and biryani, which is a rice dish.

Absolutely delicious.

So let's have a quick check, shall we? So which ingredients are associated or linked to Italian cuisine? A, B, C, D? Well, that's right.

The first one is A, basil.

Anything else? Yes, well done.

D, pasta.

So these two ingredients are associated or linked to Italian cuisine.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

Now, Japanese cuisine, which I've told you is one of my favourites, focus on natural taste and careful preparation.

And meals are built around balance and presentation.

And the main ingredients include things like rice, seaweed, fresh fish, soy sauce, miso, vegetables and pickles too.

And the flavours are not too strong either.

And the smells include that of warm rice, steamed fish, soy sauce, and stock too.

And popular foods here include things like sushi, which you can see on the screen here, ramen, which is a noodle soup, as well as tempura too, which are often pieces of fried vegetable, prawn, fish or chicken.

And another cuisine is British cuisine as well.

And this has been shaped over time by its geography, farming traditions, and many other cultural connections too.

And the main ingredients include things like potatoes, carrots, other root vegetables, beef, berries and dairy foods.

And flavours are often savoury using rosemary or mint and the smells, or do you remember that word aromas, are often associated with roast meat like a Sunday roast for example, or baked pies too.

But British cuisine today is much more diverse and includes foods from South Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa too.

So we eat lots of different types of foods and British cuisine has changed over the years.

Another type of cuisine is Ghanaian cuisine, and this brings together local ingredients with strong flavours, and tomatoes, onions, ginger, hot peppers, plantain, cassava and beans are often used.

And the flavours include things like a smoky, spicy, slightly sweet or tangy.

And the smell, remember aroma, includes things like simmering tomato stew, fried plantain or grilled fish.

And popular dishes include things like jollof rice, fufu, peanut soup, and waakye, which is rice and beans.

Doesn't that sound absolutely delicious? So that's Ghanaian cuisine.

So let's have another quick check for understanding, shall we? So which dish here is from Ghanaian cuisine? A, B, or C? Yes, that's right.

It's B, isn't it? Jollof rice.

Now can you guess what the others are? Yes, that's right.

A, sushi.

That's Japanese cuisine.

And how about the Sunday roast? Yes, that's British cuisine.

So you can see there's lots of different types of foods and different cuisines around the world.

Okay, so I've got a little task for you now.

And what I want you to do is using books and the internet, I want you to research two recipes from four different countries.

And I want you to highlight their main ingredients.

So I just want you to fill in the chart below.

So good luck, remember to pause the video and we'll come back very soon to see how you've got on.

Okay, so how did you get on? Well, let's look at a few examples together, shall we? Just to see this type of thing that you would've probably got.

So the first one I'm going to do is Japan.

Do you remember, I told you it was my favourite? And the recipes I'm going to use is sushi and ramen.

Do you remember, that's a type of noodle soup? And the main ingredients, well, the first one is rice, raw fish, pickled ginger, and wasabi, which is quite a strong aromatic ingredients, a bit like horseradish.

And the ramen has noodles, a broth, sometimes called stock, vegetables, soy sauce, and also miso too.

Another one is Peru, which I've always wanted to go to.

And the first one is ceviche and the second one is aji de gallina.

Now let's have a quick look at what ingredients are in these.

Well, ceviche is actually raw fish and it's kind of cooked in lime or lemon juice, and it's flavoured with onion, chilli and coriander too.

And the other one is basically chicken with yellow chilli, milk, bread, cheese, garlic, nuts and spices too.

Doesn't that sound absolutely amazing? Let's look at a few more, shall we, together? The first one is Poland, and the first one is pierogi, and the second one is zurek.

Now the main ingredients here, the first one is a dough, which is made from flour and water combination, potato and cheese.

And the next one is sour rye flour, white sausage, bacon, potatoes, eggs, and more spices too.

And lastly, Vietnam.

So the first thing here is I've got pho, and I've also got a banh mi.

And the ingredients here is the broth or a stock again, rice, noodles, beef, fish sauce, ginger and spices.

And lastly, we've got bread, sausage, coriander, cucumber, pickled carrot, red chilli, and mayonnaise.

So you can just see here, can't you, that just four countries around the world, they have very different types of foods, different types of recipes, that use different types of ingredients.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

So now let's move on to the second part of the lesson all around sensory ingredients.

Now, as we've seen with the four examples we did for the last task, for each cuisine, a range of different herbs, spices, fruits, and other aromatic ingredients are used.

And these types of ingredients give dishes their unique smell and flavour too.

So for example, herbs, and these are the leafy parts of a plant, and they can be used fresh or dried in cooking.

Let's look at a few examples together, shall we? The first one is mint.

I'm sure many of you have perhaps tasted mint or definitely, smelt it.

And it has a cool, fresh smell or flavour and it's used in tea in Morocco and mint sauce in the UK.

Some of you might have had it on roast lamb or lamb chopped, for example.

Another herb is basil.

And we've already mentioned this herb earlier today, haven't we? And this is a sweet peppery type of smell or flavour, and it's used in tomato sauces and pestos often in Italian cuisine.

Other types of herbs include coriander, and we've mentioned this one already today.

And this is very lemon-like herb, and it's using curries in India and in salsa in Mexico too.

Or how about parsley? And this is a mild, very clean, grassy-tasting herb and this is used in tabbouleh salad in the Middle East.

Now let's have a quick check that you've been listening, shall we? So herbs are the blank of plants.

What's the missing word? Yes, that's right.

Herbs are the leaves of plants.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

Now, spices, if you remember, this is one of our key words, come from the seeds, roots, bark or dried fruit of plants.

So let's look at some examples of spices, shall we? Well, the first one is cumin, and this has a warm, earthy kind of smell or flavour.

And this is used in chilli in Mexico, in dal, remember we talked about that? The lentil dish in India.

Well, how about cinnamon? I'm sure some of you would've heard about cinnamon before.

And this is a woody, spicy kind of flavour or smell.

And it's used in lots of Middle Eastern stews or perhaps apple crumble in the UK.

There's also herbs like cardamon for example.

And this has a much more sweet, floral flavour or taste.

And it's used in pastries and Scandinavia and curries in India too.

Well, how about chilli flakes? They're hot and spicy, and these could be used to bring heat to dishes.

So for example, in dishes in Thailand, Mexico, and West Africa too.

So there are lots of different types of spice, but which one of these is not a spice? A, B, or C? Yes, that's right.

It's A, isn't it? Coriander is not a spice, it's a herb.

Do you remember herbs of the green leaves from a plant? Brilliant work.

Well done.

Now fruit is also used to add sweetness, sourness, or juiciness to dishes.

Let's look at a few examples together, shall we? Well, the first one is lime, and that's sour and zesty.

And lime is used in fish dishes in Peru.

Do you remember, the dish called ceviche? And also it's used in soups and dressings in Thailand too.

Well, how about pomegranate? Doesn't that look unusual? But delicious too.

And this has a sweet tangy taste or flavour.

And this is using stews in Iran and in salads across the Mediterranean.

Or how about apple? That's much more familiar to lots of you, I would imagine.

And this can be sweet, but sometimes it can be quite tart as well.

And in the UK, for example, it could be an apple pie or sometimes in a pork pie too.

So sweet and savoury.

Or how about mango? And this can be often juicy and sweet, particularly when it's ripe.

And this can be used in chutney in India, and also spicy salsas from Mexico too.

So again, lots of different fruits, lots of different uses in different cuisines around the world.

So let's have another quick check, shall we? So each two words best describe a lime, A, B, C, D? Well, that's right.

B, sour.

That's a great word for a lime, isn't it? Anything else? Brilliant.

Yes, C, zesty.

Great work.

Well done.

So we've already mentioned aromatic ingredients, and these are foods with strong smells or tastes.

So let's look at some examples together, shall we? Well, the first one is garlic.

I'm sure lots of you have come across garlic before.

And this can have a pungent flavour or taste, particularly when it's raw.

And garlic is used internationally from Italian pasta to Chinese stir-fries.

Well, how about ginger? And this has a warm spicy flavour and smell, and it's using curries and stews in China and the Caribbean too.

Other examples are lemongrass, and this has a citrusy, sharp smell or taste, and it's used in soups and marinades in Thailand and Vietnam.

Or how about galangagal? Or how about galangal? And this has a fresh, citrusy taste.

It looks a little bit like the fresh ginger, doesn't it? And this is using a rendang Curry from Indonesia, or a laksa from Singapore.

So again, lots of different aromatic ingredients.

So which ingredient here would be using soups from Vietnam? A, B, C? Yes, that's right.

It's A, isn't it? Lemongrass.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

Okay, so I've got another task for you here, and you're doing really well today, so I'm sure you're gonna do really, really well.

What I want you to do is using books or the internet, create a world map showing the herbs, spices, fruits, and other aromatic ingredients commonly used by four different cuisines from around the world.

I'm sure you can do brilliantly at this task.

So pause the video and we'll come back very soon to see how you've got on.

Okay, so how did you get on? Well, let's look at some examples together, shall we? Let's see what you could have put.

I'm sure you come up with some great examples.

Well, my example is Ecuador, and they have things like coriander, cumin, oregano, fennel seeds and annatto, which is a type of fruit too.

And this is where Ecuador is on the map.

Or how about Spain and things that they might use and things like paprika, for example, garlic, saffron, bay leaf, cumin, for example.

And here's where Spain is on a map, a little bit more closer to home.

How about two more examples.

How about Kenya? Ginger, garlic, cumin, cardamon, for example.

They're all delicious, as well as paprika too.

And here's Kenya on the map.

And lastly, Pakistan, turmeric, red chilli, cardamon, cloves, and mint too.

And here's where Pakistan is on the map.

And I'm sure you've investigated some great different aromatic ingredients, herbs and spices in different cuisines around the world.

There's so many of them, isn't there? Brilliant work.

Well done.

Now let's move on to the last part of the lesson, which is all around sensory evaluation.

Now we can use our senses to describe different ingredients.

We can use our sight to look at the appearance, we can use our hearing for sound, we can use our sense of smell, our sense of taste, and the tongue detects the taste, but also it can detect touch, the texture of food as well.

So the mouth can also detect the texture of food as well.

Let's have a quick check, shall we? So what are the missing words here? The blank detects taste and the blank texture.

Well, that's right.

The first one is tongue.

The tongue detects taste and the, brilliant, mouth texture.

Great work.

Well done.

Now the process of describing food using our senses is called sensory evaluation.

And sensory evaluation can help us describe the food for example, you might say it is green or perhaps you can say whether you like it or not.

If I say, "I like garlic" or "I dislike ginger." Or you might compare one food with another.

So for example, if you've given two ice creams, you might say, "Ooh, this one is the smoothest ice cream." So let's have a quick check for understanding, shall we? So true or false.

Sensory evaluation can only help us decide whether we'd like a food or not? That's why that's false, isn't it? And why is that? Well, sensory evaluation can help us decide whether we like a food, but it also allows us to describe and compare foods too.

Great work.

Well done.

So as we said, we can describe ingredients.

So we might describe its appearance, for example.

So this apple, how would you describe this apple? Well, you could say something like, it's round and red with yellow spots.

Or perhaps the sound of food, you could describe.

How would you describe this pear? Well, you could say when you're eating it, "It sounds crunchy when I eat it." So that's how we can describe the appearance and sound of food.

Well, how about we can describe the smell? So here's some cheese here.

Looks like some very strong cheese.

So "It's got a very strong smell.

"Very cheesy," says Lucas.

Or perhaps the taste.

And this lemon here, Alex is saying, "It's sharp and citrus, but also sour." There's some great describing words here.

And how about the texture of food? So look at this.

This looks like a custard with apple crumble.

So you could say, "The custard is smooth "and the crumble is crunchy." So lots of different words we can use to describe food.

So let's have a quick check for understanding, shall we? So which of these would taste citrusy? A, B, or C? That's right, it's C, isn't it? Lemon.

Well done.

Now we can also use our senses to rate or measure the appearance, smell, taste, or texture of foods too.

So for example, we could say out of these two dishes, which one is the most spicy, for example.

So we're rating them one against the other.

Or we could say, out of these two breakfast cereals, which one is the least crunchy? So again, we are comparing or rating one against the other.

Now a sensory test could be to rate the zestiness of this lime and you could give it a score between one and five.

And a one means that it's not very zesty at all and number five means it's really, really zesty.

So you try the lime and then you rate it between one and five.

And Izzy here has rated it number four.

So it is not number five, which is the most zesty in the world, but she still thinks it's very zesty.

And another type of test might be to compare different herbs and rate how strong or intense they are.

So I've got three different herbs here on the screen, again from one to five.

And you remember, one means it's not very strong or not very intense, and five means it's very strong or very intense.

So again, I could try each of these herbs and I could rate them.

So parsley, two, it's not really that strong.

Rosemary, that's much more strong, and coriander, it's about in the middle.

So again, I'm using sensory evaluation to rate or compare the intensity or how strong the flavours are in each of these three different herbs.

And one important thing to remember, it's only your personal judgement.

So a friend of yours in the class might taste the same things and come up with a different rating too.

So let's have a quick check, shall we? So true or false, we can rate or measure the appearance, smell, taste, and texture of different herbs, spices, and fruits? Yes, that's right.

It's true, isn't it? And why is that? Well, the appearance, smell, taste, and texture can be rated.

So for example, using a scale between one and five, but remember, it's a personal judgement.

Okay, so I've got a last task for you here.

And what I want you to do is to use your senses to describe a range of different herbs, spices, fruits, and/or other aromatic ingredients.

So you might have some of these already, or your teacher might bring these to you now.

And what I want you to do is to write down their name and then write a short description about how you're going to describe them with your senses.

I'm sure you're gonna really love this task and I'm sure you're gonna do really, really well too.

So remember to pause the video and we'll come back very soon to see how you've got on.

Good luck.

Okay, so how did you get on? Did you enjoy it? I bet you did.

Well, let's look at some examples together, shall we? 'Cause I don't know what you've tried.

So I'm gonna come up with just a few, which I've tried, and then we can compare them together, can't we? So the first one I tried was basil, and this had a sweet and peppery smell and it had green leaves too.

I also had cinnamon and it had a hard brown bark and it was woody and spicy.

That smelled really good.

The other one I had was a lime, and that was bright green, it really was.

And it was zesty and fresh smelling too, but it had a sour taste, but I did enjoy it.

I also tried ginger, for example, and that was lovely.

And it has a knobbly root and it had a light, brown skin and it was lighter inside and it was warm and had a spicy smell too.

I also tried lemongrass, which I hadn't tried before, and looked like a bit like a spring onion.

It was tall and thin and it was sharp and a citrusy smell.

And lastly, I had mint, which was really nice.

And it had jagged green leaves.

It was cool and fresh to the smell and the taste too.

So those were the six things that I described with my senses.

How did you get on? I bet you did really well.

Well, I really hope you enjoyed today's lesson all around "Food for the Senses." So let's have a quick summary of what we've learned today, shall we? Well, the first thing is there are many different types of cuisines around the world, and they're shaped by their culture, geography, and local ingredients.

Also for each cuisine, there are a range of different herbs, spices, fruits, and other aromatic ingredients that are used.

And these type of ingredients give dishes their unique smell and flavour.

Also that we've learned about we can use our senses to describe, but also rate different ingredients too.

And lastly, the process of describing food using our senses is called sensory evaluation.

Well, brilliant work.

Well done.

And I hope you enjoyed using your senses to describe different types of food from around the world and learning all about different cuisines too.

And hope you come back very soon for another cooking and nutrition lesson with me.

Thanks a lot.

Bye.