What makes something taste Italian or Cajun or Moroccan? Here’s a quick guide to understanding flavor profiles and how ingredients work together to define various cuisines.
What is a flavor profile, anyway? At its most basic, a flavor profile is made up of ingredients that help define the common flavors found within a specific cuisine.
What ingredients come to mind when you think of Italian food? Given a few minutes to think about it, you’ll likely respond with the following: basil, tomatoes, garlic, olives, pine nuts, fennel, parsley, balsamic vinegar, white beans and mozzarella. All are part of the flavor profile of Italian cuisine. It’s that simple.
Why it’s important to understand flavor profiles
Once you get the gist of flavor profiles and command a few basic cooking techniques, you’re on your way to being able to cook without a recipe. Let’s say you have a simple fillet of fish and a cup of rice. Cloak the fish in sesame seeds and pan-fry it, then serve with rice, soy sauce and seaweed flakes. You’re hitting Japanese notes.
Take that same piece of fish or chicken, coat it with blackening spices and pan-fry it quickly. Serve with a wedge of lemon and rice, and you’re in Cajun country. That same fish seasoned with tandoori spice and served with rice and a piece of naan bread? You’ve wandered into Indian cuisine. That’s the basic essence of using flavor profiles.
Use this same thinking when it comes to crafting vinaigrette, seasoning chicken, or even making a soup or stew such as gumbo.
The list below is hardly exhaustive; the world has some 200 countries, each with its own cuisine and many with regional variations. Basque cuisine is vastly different from the classic dishes from Provence, but they’re both French, for instance. So consider this a shorthand reference to a few culinary stereotypes just to get you started. Don’t overdo it. Try incorporating two to four ingredients to tilt a flavor profile in that general direction. Want a printable version of this cheat sheet to flavor profiles? Download it here.
Cajun/Creole
dark roux, Blackening spice, onions, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, parsley, cayenne, Cajun spice blends, blackening seasonings, lemon, scallions, andouille sausage, crab, shrimp
Caribbean
allspice, scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, rum, jerk seasoning, corn, plantains, mace, pineapple, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, saffron, vanilla, coconut, citrus
Chinese
soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, hoisin sauce, five-spice blend, fish sauce, rice vinegar, red bean paste, pork, straw mushrooms, tea, pickled vegetables
French
butter, shallots, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, tarragon, herbs de Provence, Fine herbs, bay leaves, chives, chervil, capers, red and white wine, truffle, soft cheeses, Dijon mustard, mushrooms, cream
Korean
kimchi, sesame oil, gochujang, kochukaru, eggs, kochujang, bonito flakes, tofu, bulgogi spice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, seaweed, rice wine, noodles, dried anchovies
Indian
tandoori spices, garam masala, curry, yogurt, coconut milk, basmati rice, tamarind, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cilantro, fennel, garlic, saffron, fenugreek, dried chilies
Italian
garlic, onions, celery, basil, pesto, Italian herb blend, prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, pine nuts, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, olive oil, oregano, lemon, fennel, flat-leaf parsley, red pepper flakes, rosemary, white beans, balsamic vinegar
Japanese
miso, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, sake, soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, seaweed (including kombu, Nori and wakame), Mirin (sweet sake), teriyaki sauce, bonito flakes, dashi, pickled vegetables, tofu
Greek/Mediterranean
oregano, lemon, olives, tuna, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, olive oil, lamb, garlic, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onions, fish, shellfish (other countries along the Mediterranean have similar flavor profiles)
Mexican/Tex-Mex
cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, green peppers, oregano, lime, garlic, onions, celery, cilantro, tomatoes, scallions, black beans, fajita spices, Cheddar cheese, avocado
Middle Eastern/West Asian or Levantine
dates, honey, sesame seeds, mint, prunes, sumac, turmeric, cinnamon, olives, Baharat spice, parsley, pine nuts, pomegranates, pistachios, yogurt (note: this includes Arab, Iraqi, Iranian, Israeli, Lebanese and Turkish cuisine which for geographical and historical reasons, share similar ingredients and flavor profiles)
North African/Moroccan
mint, lemon, harissa, ras-al-hanout, saffron, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, honey, olives, almonds, dates, raisins, chickpeas, eggplant, green bell peppers, carrots, lentils, onion, ground ginger, paprika, cumin, cayenne, figs
South Asian
ginger, garlic, scallions, lemongrass, cilantro, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, coconut milk, sesame oil, lime, oyster sauce, galangal, hot chili peppers, vinegar
Spanish
olive oil, saffron, paprika, chorizo, ham, sherry vinegar, garlic, olives, anchovies, peppers, olives, tomatoes, Manchego cheese, piquillo peppers, eggs, almonds, tuna
West African
okra, peanuts, yams, hot peppers, tomatoes, onions, rice, cassava, plantains, black-eye peas, palm nut oil, ginger, millet, coriander, thyme
Central/South Asian
ginger, garlic, scallions, shallots, lemongrass, Thai basil, cilantro, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, coconut milk, sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice or sweet wine vinegar, cilantro, lime, oyster sauce, galangal, hot chili peppers
Note: This study on flavor profiles tarted as an except from my book, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School with permission from Viking/Penguin Random House. It has been expanded and updated here online. Photo of spice map by Africa Studio. This page contains affiliate links.
Lena Nozizwe says
What about the rest of Africa, please. Good food comes from there too.
katflinn says
Yes, a great point! I am a huge fan of Ethiopian food after visiting there years ago. I will add some spices from West Africa. If you’ve got any suggestions, let me know!
Lena Nozizwe says
Sounds good!
Chester says
Hey there! This post was great. Reading through
this post reminds me of my previous room mate who went to culinary school. He always
kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him.
Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
WorldsoldestFreshman says
Just a slight suggestion: the Mexican flavor profile is based on the white cheeses like Monterrey Jack and queso fresco which tend to taste a little less acidic than cheddar and can be somewhat saltier. It also has less of the “cheddar” flavor which can be jarring in the context of Mexican foods.
katflinn says
Thanks for the suggestion, I will make a note of that.
temple says
Cheddar is Tex-Mex, not Mexican.
katflinn says
Great point!
Mario M says
Great posts. Loved it.
katflinn says
Thanks! This is the most popular page on the site at the moment!
McKenzie Warren says
THAAANK YOOOOU.
katflinn says
Sure!
Sherry Day says
Would love to see some Cuban recipes, I miss their cuisine after moving from Florida.
katflinn says
I love Cuban food. Will add!
Saneike says
Hello ,,,,Beautiful cheat sheet ….BUT! Habaneros are not ours…I. From The Caribbean (🇯🇲)sorry…we use scotch bonnett pepper…that’s our thing scotch bonnett has a distinct flavor and we love it is very spicy…habaneros and scotch bonnett look similiar but they are not the same…we Caribbeans living overseas often scoff at habaneros because we think the heat is weak…thank u for a beautiful blog🙏🏾
Kathleen Flinn says
Great point! Scotch bonnets are frequently sold as habaneros in the U.S. but I will make sure to edit this to make the point.
The Sabor Co. says
Great post. Ended up here looking for tasting notes for various spices.
You have summed up each cuisine well. Do you have a post on tasting notes as well?
Kathleen Flinn says
I don’t have them for herbs and spices, but I do have a piece on doing comparative tastings of everyday items.
https://kathleenflinn.com/how-to-do-a-comparative-tasting-and-why-you-should/
RM says
The download link for the flavor profiles PDF is requiring a microsoft login. Also, is the PDF as up to date as the blog post?
Kathleen Flinn says
Yes, the PDF should be pretty close. The most up-to-date is the ebook, which you can get automatically by signing up for the newsletter, or I can mail you if you drop me an email. I’ve put the doc into a Google drive, and this should give you another option to upload it from here.
Dani says
Cumin is not common in mexican food.
Kathleen Flinn says
Hi Dani, I agree that cumin is much more commonly used in TexMex than in Mexican cuisine, but I added it here as it’s it does crop up in some Mexican dishes, and in some versions of chorizo (although it’s admittedly much common in Spanish-style chorizo than Mexican-style chorizo). Mexico is such a large country with such diverse, regional specialties, it’s hard to generalize.