Harold McGee, food scientist and celebrated author
of On Food & Cooking, offers his insights on
Pernod and why cooking with this distinctive spirit differs from
other liquors and wines.
1. Pernod and Other
Pernod belongs to the family of spirits whose
flavor is dominated by the aroma of anise. Other members of the
family include anisette, Greek ouzo, Turkish raki, and pastis, which
is flavored with licorice as well as anise.
Anise spirits differ widely in their alcoholic
strength and sweetness. Pernod is 40% alcohol, Greek ouzo 45%, and
U.S. anisette 30%. Pernod contains 1.8 Tb sugar per cup (22 grams
per 240 ml), and anisette as much as 6 Tb (70 grams).
“Differences in alcohol content don’t
have major consequences for the cook,” says McGee. However,
the high sugar content of anisette makes it very sweet and syrupy.
“Pernod is more versatile than anisette, because it can flavor
vegetable, fish, and meat dishes without making them sweet,”
he adds. Pernod also gives the cook greater control over the flavor
balance of mixed drinks and desserts.
2. Anise Flavor:
The characteristic aroma of anise-flavored spirits
comes from a chemical compound called anethole. Several kinds of
plants—anise, star anise, and fennel—produce and store
anethole in their green tissues and seeds, where it acts as a repellant
to insect predators. “However, anethole produces the opposite
reaction in humans – it attracts us and encourages us to eat.
We cultivate anise-flavored plants in order to enjoy their anethole,
and Pernod is made by extracting that and the flavors of several
other different herbs and spices,” explains McGee.
Anethole belongs to a family of chemicals called
phenolic compounds, which also includes the molecules that provide
the characteristic aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, clove, and thyme.
All phenolic compounds dissolve more easily in oils and in alcohol
than in water, and Pernod’s high alcohol content holds anethole
in solution. McGee explains, “As a cooking ingredient, Pernod
resembles vanilla extract: it’s a convenient form of pre-dissolved
flavor that can be infused instantly and evenly throughout a dish.”
as an Ingredients
Why do we find certain flavors and flavor combinations
especially pleasing? This is still a scientific mystery. Whatever
the explanation might be, anise is a much-loved flavor. “The
warm, sweet aroma of anise can play the leading role in a drink
or a dish, as it does in Pernod aperitifs or a fennel gratin,”
states McGee. “It also excels in a supporting role, which
is why cooks call on Pernod to provide a background richness for
many other foods, from vegetables to fish
Another promising role for Pernod is suggested
by the traditional Chinese method of cooking meats in a mixture
of soy sauce, onions, and star anise. “Scientists have found
that the anethole from star anise reacts with the onion sulfur
compounds to form new aromatics, and these intensify the meaty
quality of the dish. Slowly cooking onions with Pernod may well
produce similar aromatics, which enhances the savory flavors of
both meat and meatless dishes.”
as an Ingredient
In addition to bringing the distinctive flavor
of anise to a dish, Pernod also brings alcohol. The concentrated
alcohol of undiluted spirits has a harsh taste, a quality that is
intensified in warm or hot foods. Too much alcohol in a sauce overpowers
the other ingredients and makes it harder for us to sense and enjoy
them. At the same time, alcohol is a cooking asset that forms new
flavors, especially during long, slow cooking. “The addition
of Pernod or other alcohols to a dish enhances flavor by encouraging
the escape of aromas into the air and the nose,” explains
McGee. Cooks typically and historically use Pernod in seafood dishes,
but it is also an enticing addition to all types of meats, vegetables,
soups, sorbets, and desserts.
5. Cooking with Pernod
Pernod is a delicate ingredient. Two cooking
techniques commonly applied to wines and spirits turn out to be
unsuitable for anethole and for Pernod, McGee explains:
- “Cooks often boil wines and spirits
down to remove their alcohol and concentrate their flavor. But
because anethole is a volatile substance like alcohol and has
more affinity for alcohol than water, boiling Pernod drives off
its anethole along with its alcohol. The remaining liquid ends
up less flavorful, not more.”
- “Cooks also like to ignite the alcohol-rich
fumes of hot spirits in a showy flambé. Unfortunately,
anethole is a fragile molecule. When Pernod is ignited, the high
heat of the flame breaks anethole apart into other, less pleasantly
aromatic molecules. The anise flavor is damaged.”
Overall, Pernod is best treated gently.
Add it toward the end of the cooking, or heat it slowly with other
ingredients, so that they have time to absorb the anethole.
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