Holy trinity (cooking)

The holy trinity of cuisine refer to a trio of ingredients key to a particular cuisine. Because these three ingredients are so common in a recipes of a specific cuisine, they are almost indivisible and often end up being treated as a single ingredient. They also provide the distinctive flavoring of specific cuisines. Although it has been used as a generic representation of the cornerstone ingredients of a particular national cuisine, other holy trinities are essentially flavour bases that are often arrived at by sautéing a combination of any three aromatic vegetables, condiments, seasonings, herbs or spices. Cooking these few base ingredients in butter or oil releases their flavour, which is, in turn, infused into a mixture when other ingredients are added. This technique is most typically used when creating sauces, soups, stews and stir-fries.

The name is an allusion to the Holy Trinity of the Christian faith, and its use originated from the Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana in the Southern USA, where chopped celery, bell peppers, and onions is commonly accepted as the staple base for much of Cajun and Creole cooking.

Common trio ingredients in other cuisines are:

• the Indian "wet" trinity of garlic, ginger and onion
• the Chinese trinity of scallions, ginger and garlic
  • the regional cuisine of Sichuan has its own distinctive trinity of green garlic, ginger and chili peppers
• the Greek trinity of lemon juice, olive oil and oregano
• the Thai trinity of galangal, kaffir lime and lemon grass
• the definitive trinity of French cuisine is widely accepted as a Mirepoix of celery, onion and carrot
  • a flavour base trinity of butter, cream and eggs is typically found in classical French haute cuisine.
  • a bouquet garni is a combination of parsley, thyme and bay leaves tied together as a flavour base for liquid dishes.
• the Korean trinity of garlic, ginseng and kimchi
• the Lebanese trinity of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil
• the Italian trinity of tomato, garlic and basil.
  • another trinity in Italian cooking is a soffritto of onion, garlic and celery.
• the Spanish trinity of bread, olive oil and wine.
  • the sofrito of garlic, onion and tomato cooked in olive oil and widely used as a base for many Spanish recipes is also considered a staple trinity.
• the Mexican trinity of corn, beans and chilies. Three types of chilies - ancho, pasilla, and guajillo - are commonly used together to flavour dishes and are also referred as a "Holy Trinity".

References

• "Chinese holy trinity". December 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
• "Greek trinity". December 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
• "Korean cuisine holy trinity". December 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
• "Spanish holy trinity". December 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-22.

External Links

The Holy Trinity: Ingredient Trios