Sarsaparilla (Smilax regelii and other closely related species of Smilax)
is a plant that comes in vine and in the case of Aralia nudicaulis L., bush variants that bears
roots with many useful properties. The vine has a long prickly stem and shiny leaves, and numerous reddish-brown roots up to 3 meters long.
Several species of Smilax are used in agriculture, but the Jamaican S. regelii
(syn. S. officinalis) is the species preferred for commercial use. Sarsaparilla is also grown in Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. It is also grown in parts of South India, known in Telugu as Sugandhi-pala, in Kannada as sogade beru and
in Tamil as Nannaari. The primary uses of sarsaparilla include the
flavoring of beverages, and homeopathic medicine.
Before processing, the roots are bitter, sticky, and have a strong odor. They are dried and boiled in order to produce the extract. In beverages, oil of
wintergreen or other flavors may be added in order to mask the natural bitterness of the root. Root beer made from sarsaparilla roots is generally more "birchy" than the
extract used in the more popular, commercial brands.
A carbonated sarsaparilla beverage produced by several different companies in Australasia
is called Sars. A sarsaparilla-flavored drink in the South East Asia is named Sarsi, but it is not commercially
linked to the Australasian Sars.
Sarsaparilla in carbonated beverage form is available in the United Kingdom, produced for over 115 years by Fitzpatrick's Herbal Health, Britain's "Last Original Temperance Bar", noted for being the oldest known
producer of the Sarsaparilla drink.[1]
In the United States, Target Stores has released a naturally and artificially flavored Sarsaparilla soda under the Archer
Farms label.
Sasparilla vs Sarsaparilla
Although the terms "sasparilla" and "sarsaparilla" are often used interchangeably, of the two terms sarsaparilla is the
correct one to use as the other is a misspelling.
See also
References
- ^ Welcome to Fitzpatricks. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.
|
Herbs and spices |
| Herbs |
Angelica •
Basil • Basil,
holy • Basil, Thai • Bay leaf • Boldo •
Borage • Cannabis • Chervil • Chives • Coriander leaf (cilantro) • Curry
leaf • Dill • Epazote • Eryngium foetidum (long coriander) • Hoja santa • Houttuynia cordata (giấp cá) • Hyssop • Lavender • Lemon balm
• Lemon grass • Lemon verbena • Limnophila aromatica (rice paddy herb) •
Lovage • Marjoram • Mint • Mitsuba • Oregano •
Parsley • Perilla
(shiso) • Rosemary • Rue •
Sage • Savory • Sorrel • Stevia • Tarragon •
Thyme • Vietnamese
coriander (rau răm) • Woodruff |
| Spices |
African pepper • Ajwain (bishop's weed) • Aleppo pepper • Allspice • Amchur (mango powder) •
Anise • Aromatic
ginger • Asafoetida • Camphor • Caraway • Cardamom • Cardamom, black
• Cassia • Cayenne pepper • Celery seed
• Chili • Cinnamon • Clove • Coriander seed •
Cubeb • Cumin • Cumin, black • Dill seed • Fennel •
Fenugreek • Fingerroot (krachai) • Galangal, greater • Galangal,
lesser • Garlic • Ginger • Grains of Paradise • Horseradish • Juniper berry
• Liquorice • Mace • Mahlab • Malabathrum (tejpat)
• Mustard, black • Mustard, brown • Mustard, white • Nasturtium • Nigella
(kalonji) • Nutmeg • Paprika •
Pepper, black • Pepper, green • Pepper, long • Pepper, pink, Brazilian • Pepper, pink, Peruvian • Pepper,
white • Pomegranate seed (anardana)
• Poppy seed • Saffron • Sarsaparilla • Sassafras • Sesame • Sichuan pepper (huājiāo, sansho) • Star anise • Sumac •
Tasmanian pepper • Tamarind • Turmeric • Wasabi •
Zedoary |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
