# Base Ingredients — Aromatics

> Brad's reference for aromatic base ingredients across world cuisines — French mirepoix, Italian soffritto, German Suppengrün (soup greens), Cajun holy trinity, Thai curry paste, and more.

### French (Classical)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Mirepoix – onions, carrots, celery sweated in butter
- **Typical Ratio:** 2:1:1 onion:carrot:celery
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Mirepoix gives sweet aromatic foundation; bay leaf adds subtle herbal fragrance in slow cooking

### Italian (Regional)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Soffritto – finely diced onion, carrot, celery sautéed in olive oil/butter (+ garlic, wine/tomato)
- **Typical Ratio:** 2:1:1 onion:carrot:celery
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Soffritto builds rich sauce base; bay leaf adds earthy aroma in legume/meat dishes

### Spanish (Peninsular)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Sofrito – garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes in olive oil
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈2:1 onion:pepper; garlic variable
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Sofrito backbone of stews/paella; bay leaf adds subtle bitter-herb aroma

### Portuguese
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Refogado – onions, garlic fried in oil (+ tomato, paprika)
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈2:1 onion:garlic; tomato optional
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Refogado savory base; bay leaf infuses woody fragrance

### Cajun/Creole (Louisiana)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Holy Trinity – onion, celery, green bell pepper (+ garlic/scallion)
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1:1 onion:celery:bell pepper
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Holy Trinity defines dishes like gumbo; bay leaf adds herbal depth

### Germanic (Central European)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Suppengrün – carrot, leek, celery root; parsley et al.
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1:1 carrot:leek:celery root
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Suppengrün for stocks; bay leaf lends earthy aroma

### Eastern European
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Onion, carrot, celery/parsley root sauté
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1 onion:carrot; celery root optional
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Base sweetens soups; bay leaf gives penetrating herbal note

### Greek
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Onion & garlic base (plus celery/carrots in soups)
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1 onion:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Base provides savor; bay leaf gives warm fragrance

### North Indian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Onion, ginger, garlic browned in ghee; tomatoes/yogurt added
- **Typical Ratio:** 3:1 onion:tomato; equal ginger:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Bhuna base caramelized; tej patta adds cinnamon‑clove aroma

### South Indian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Thalippu/Tadka – tempered spices with onions/garlic
- **Typical Ratio:** n/a (tempering amounts small)
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Tempering flavors oil; curry leaves give citrusy nutty aroma

### Thai
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Curry paste – garlic, shallots, chilies, lemongrass, galangal
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈3:2 shallot:garlic; chilies to taste
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Paste builds bold flavor; lime leaves add bright citrus aroma

### Indonesian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Bumbu – ground shallots, garlic, chilies, spices sautéed
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈4:2 shallot:garlic; chilies variable
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Bumbu core of curries; daun salam imparts bittersweet fragrance

### Chinese
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Ginger, garlic, scallions (trinity) sautéed
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1:1 ginger:garlic:scallion
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Trinity flavors stir-fries; bay leaf enriches braises

### Japanese (Yoshoku)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Sautéed onions (+ garlic/ginger, carrot, celery) in oil/butter
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1 onion:carrot; potatoes similar
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Onion base sweetens stews; bay leaf rounds curry flavor

### Mexican (Oaxacan)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Sautéed onion, garlic, dried chilies/tomato; toasted and blended
- **Typical Ratio:** n/a (chilies to taste)
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Base deepens moles/beans; avocado leaf adds anise-like aroma

### Caribbean
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Green seasoning paste; sautéed onions, peppers, garlic
- **Typical Ratio:** n/a (green seasoning varies)
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Seasoning flavors dishes; bay leaf gives spicy-sweet aroma

### Ethiopian/Eritrean
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Long-cooked red onions, garlic, ginger in spiced butter
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈5:1 onion:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Onion base thickens wats; koseret provides minty-sage note

### Puerto Rican
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Sofrito / Recaíto – culantro, cilantro, ajíes dulces, bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano
- **Typical Ratio:** 3:2:1 onion:pepper:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Sofrito sautéed first; bay leaf perfumes rice, beans, and stews with herbal notes

### Filipino
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Guisá / Ginisa – onion, garlic, often tomatoes
- **Typical Ratio:** 2:1:1 tomato:onion:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Ginisa base starts stews; bay leaf flavors dishes like adobo, mechado

### Cuban
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Sofrito – onion, green pepper, garlic, often tomato
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1 onion:pepper; generous garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Sofrito base for beans and stews; bay leaf used in moros y cristianos

### Haitian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Epis – scallion, onion, garlic, chiles, herbs
- **Typical Ratio:** 1:1 bell pepper:onion; herbs vary
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Epis used as marinade or base; bay leaves pounded in or added to stews

### Jamaican
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Wet jerk paste – scallion, onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, Scotch bonnet, allspice
- **Typical Ratio:** n/a (jerk proportions vary)
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Jerk paste may include bay/pimento leaves; leaves sometimes used in smoking

### Brazilian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Refogado / tempero base – onion, garlic, sometimes tomato, bell pepper
- **Typical Ratio:** 2:1 onion:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Refogado starts dishes; bay leaf in feijoada and bean stews

### Nigerian (West African)
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Pepper–tomato–onion purée fried in oil
- **Typical Ratio:** 3:2:1 tomato:pepper:onion
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Base used in jollof/stews; bay leaf adds background herbal note

### Moroccan
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Chermoula/Tagine base – onions, garlic, ginger, spices
- **Typical Ratio:** ≈4:1 onion:garlic
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Base for braises and tagines; bay adds depth to spice-onion mix

### Hawaiian
- **Aromatic Base Ingredients:** Local stews: sautéed onion & garlic; traditional imu cooking uses no sauté but wraps food in ti & banana leaves
- **Typical Ratio:** n/a
- **Culinary Role of Base & Leaf:** Onion–garlic base flavors plate‑lunch style stews, bay leaf borrowed from U.S. cooking; ti leaves impart grassy aroma and seal in moisture during imu roasting

## Details

- **Category:** Cooking
- **Tags:** cooking, aromatics, mirepoix, soffritto, suppengrün, holy-trinity, curry-paste, bumbu, sofrito

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