Food grade essential oils: Aroma and flavour in your food

Published: 31 January, 2019 - Updated: 19 February, 2021 | 4'

Would you like to bring a special healthy hint in your dishes? Would you like to be surprised by new aromas and flavours? Let us tell you more about food grade essential oils to give a different tasty touch to your dishes.

What are food grade essential oils?

Essential oils are natural aromatic liquid substances extracted from different parts of a plant, flower, fruit or root. They are named after the genuine plant (i.e.: lemon essential oil, rosemary essential oil).

It is important to underline that essential oils are very volatile and degradable (photo sensibly). When you are about to choose a high-quality essential oil is important to check whether it is from 100% pure natural origin (chemotypes), unaltered or blended with another and so about the extraction method.

How essential oils are obtained?

To keep the aroma and flavour of the element in the essential oil is important to do the suitable extraction method: Steam distillation in the case of plants and cold pressing in the case of citric.

Steam distillation is the most used technique with robust plants. Leafs, stems, and trunks can be placed in the alembic. The steam generated goes through the plant and extracts the droplets of the essential oil into an inert metal container with a sieve in the bottom. When it cools off the essential oil is on top and the steam turned into water at the bottom. This is the best way to obtain the purest essence of the plant and keep all its natural properties. In the case of critics, the essence is on the peel so is obtained by cold pressing.

How to use essential oils?

Through history essential oils have been used in many cultures which sought for therapeutic benefits (aromatherapy), improving massages, like perfume or home sanitiser. If you use food grade essential oils you can give a special touch to your dishes as well. Few drops are enough to enrich your meals or drinks. Would you like knowing more?

How to use food grade essential oils?

A few drops of certain food grade essential oils in your salad, smoothie or hot tea, might delight your senses and bring its natural benefits to you.

Food grade essential oils are especially good in winter to ease the symptoms of the typical ailments of the season. They might invigorate and strengthen your body, help you to relax or work as energisers.

Fight cold and the flu with essential oils

Would you like to fight a cold and the flu in a natural way? Just take note about how some food grade essential oils can be added to your infusions and hot dishes as eucalyptus, ginger, cinnamon, orange, and oregano.

Eucalyptus essential oil

Eucalyptus is traditionally known as the antiseptic air fresher used in public spaces during winter where respiratory ailments might proliferate.

How to use it? Dilute two or three drops of eucalyptus essential oil in boiled water and drink it three times a day to ease the congestion in the respiratory airways.

Ginger essential oil

The ginger flavour is very characteristic. Strong, spicy and slightly sweet, might combine in many ways and bring a very special hint in your dishes. We especially recommend it in winter to enrich deserts and pastry. Besides its flavour, the ginger essential oil is known by its benefits as digestive and in traditional medicine as a painkiller.

How to use it? Dilute a couple of drops of ginger essential oil in a stew, for instance, lentils, or infusions. Smoothies, soups, sauces or creams are good options to add this tasteful essence. Try adding two or three drops of ginger essential oil to pumpkin cream to get a very special hint of flavour.

Cinnamon essential oil

Cinnamon is one of the most used species in deserts and pastry in the world. Its sweet aroma and flavour have made cinnamon traditionally used to help to overall well-being. Some of its properties are improving stress resistance, relaxation, favours concentration and stimulation of our senses.

How to use it? Dilute two or three drops of cinnamon essential oil in boiled water. Add some more of ginger essential oil and honey to obtain a delicious infusion to help to fight a cold and the flu. Cinnamon blended with star anise or pepper might be part of a delicious meat or pastry recipes. Savoury dishes as beef stew or couscous are perfect to enrich with a few drops of cinnamon essential oil.

Orange essential oil

Orange is citric with a wide range of benefits. Worshipped and acknowledged for its aroma and flavour is a very important fruit in our daily diet chart. Orange is a proved allied to fight a cold and the flu, as invigorator and a high resource of the vitamin C to help to strengthen the immune system naturally.

How to use it? Add a few drops of orange essential oil to lettuce, cucumber and peanuts salad. Try it on a flambéed rum banana or avocado and boiled shrimps. There are a thousand recipes to flavour with some drops of orange essential oil.

Oregano essential oil

Tasteful dishes and overall well-being are just some of the benefits of the oregano. Much appreciated by its aroma and flavour, oregano is used in countless Mediterranean dishes. Oregano is a cultural example due to its contribution to strengthening the defences, excellent natural antioxidant, insect repellent, and fungicide properties.

How to use it? As you might know, oregano is the king of pasta and pizzas. Try a few drops of oregano essential oil in your sauces, marinades and chilly sauces. Turn the tomatoes in the oven, steamed potatoes or roasted chicken into a delicious recipe. Add some drops to the breaded chicken fillets, noodles with fish, tuna with onions or turkey and cheese salad.

Other food graded essential oils suitable to combine with hot drinks or dishes are the clove, fennel, lemon, mandarin or basil. Amuse yourself discovering new recipes with these aromas and flavours. You can enrich your dishes in a very simple way and with all the benefits of plants, flowers, and fruits.

Face winter in the most creative way and enjoy the food grade essential oils in your daily cooking.