Balancing Flavors and Cravings

The key to creating delicious and satisfying dishes is learning to balance all five flavors. The ratio may vary according to the dish you are creating. Your cravings will subside and you will be left feeling satisfied and content!

Balancing The Flavors:

• Sweet
• Sour
• salty
• Spicy/Pungent
• Bitter

Secrets to balancing flavors:

1. Excess sour is balanced by sweet
2. Overly bitter is balanced by sour
3. Fats tone down pungent/spicy and mellow or too much sweetness
4. Salt and sour bring out flavors
5. Sweet is toned down by fats

Foods and Flavors:

Sweet: apples, bananas, dates, mangos, stevia, agave nectar, raw honey
Sour: grapefruit, lemon, lime, raw apple cider vinegar, grapefruit
Salty: Celtic sea salt, Nama shoyu, kelp, dulse, miso , celery
Spicy: hot peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper
Bitter: Kale, lettuce, culinary herbs, dandelion greens

Flavor Combining For International Cuisines - Culinary Herbs & Spices:

Italian: basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic
Mexican: cumin, coriander, cilantro, chili powder, hot pepers, garlic, lime
Indian: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, curry, tumeric, garam masala, ginger
Thai: cilantro, lemongrass, cumin, curry, ginger, coconut
Chinese: licorice, ginger, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, honey