Not to be confused with gorgeous plating techniques that many top chef would be able to do with their eyes closed, the word garnish is of French origin and simply means to adorn or furnish. Originally, a garnish like parsley was placed on a plate as a breath freshener or digestive aid. Today, a garnish is the finishing touch to an already tasty or delicious meal. Our appetites are heavily dependant on what we see on our plate. People tend to eat with their eyes, so garnishes often ‘set’ the dish with a beautiful look and feel. Although taste is still king in the culinary world and garnishes should never interfere or overpower a dish, presentation certainly does count! And if you’re not a chef yourself but you are keen to show off to friends and family, this blog is just for you. If you’re interested in learning more about the Culinary Art world, we have a cooking and baking school in Johannesburg you would definitely enjoy.

So, what are the garnishing rules?

Often food can be pale and dull, especially meat (like chicken or fish) so garnishes need to cover a few elements (or at least 1 or 2 of these 4 elements)

• Consider first the impact you want to make.Thinking about what you can do and how to do it is the most important factor and virtually anything edible can be a garnish.
• Consider the way it has an effect.Food is very sense orientated so your garnish would add:

Visual impact (be it shape, colour, visual texture such as shiny or dull or even size). Garnishes should have VISUAL appeal – Colour adds instant appeal on a dull plate, so add a vegetable garnish or herb to create colour contrasts on the plate. Think of your dish as a blank canvas – throw some colour on it and brighten it up.

• TEXTURE can come in all shapes and sizes. Crispy croutons in a soup adds texture to a smooth soup. The most important factor with texture is that it contrasts the dish in terms of how it feels on the tongue.

• Consider how the garnish will be eaten.The aim of the game is to get the garnish to both improve the meal, but also be part of the meal. FLAVOUR – Garnishes should be edible. The last thing you want to do to your beautiful salad is to add pretty but non-edible flowers. It may look attractive but your guest may well become ill if they eat them. Garnishes also need to make sense on the tongue, so flavour is key to harmonizing the tastes on the plate. Consider the flavour. If it doesn’t taste good with the meal, there is little point to it. If it adds to, or compliments the flavours then you are going well, but incompatible flavours (such as fried crispy garlic on a dessert) or inedible garnishes could destroy a perfectly cooked meal.

• SHAPE also adds a different dimension. It gives levels and or layers to your food. Think of tomatoes shaped into roses, or long shredded couchettes deep fried and placed on top of a meat dish…you can go high or wide with your ideas.
• Know for example that lemon goes really well with fish. But adding a lemon wedge to a beef bourguignon is not going to do you any favours. Finally, make sure that garnishes are easy to eat. Rather than have an awkward moment when no one knows how it should be eaten, make sure the garnish is easy to eat and digest.

Examples of easy garnishes: 

• Diced and finely chopped tomatoes sprinkled around the edge of the plate (or even chopped fresh herbs would be equally pretty) are a great idea from a cost and visually appealing perspective. Make sure though that the herbs are not too overpowering, and don’t use limp herbs!
• Lemon wedges are so easy to prepare. Take it a step further and wrap the lemon wedge in a little netting with some ribbon. That way when the lemon is squeezed, the juice comes out but the pips are left behind.
• Carrots sliced with a peeler into long strips can be left in freezing cold water for an hour or two to curl beautifully. Toss them around the plate before serving.
• Fanning fruits out like strawberries or avocados can add a little beauty to any dish.
• Crispy croutons are great for soups, or one larger cheesy crouton also works well. Alternatively drizzle some olive oil or cream into soups in a pretty shape. Shredded cooked crispy bacon bits are also fun to sprinkle over salads.
• Think of cocktails that you drink for more inspiration. There’s always a little umbrella and some sort of fruit hanging off the side of a cocktail and it looks pretty. It’s easy to achieve the same with food. The same principles apply…colour, texture and flavour. See where we’re going with this?

Here are some really cool food garnish ideas from our Culinary Arts students, so go wild and embrace your creative food genius.

If you have any hints, tips or ideas you would like to share on garnishes, please do so in the comments section below.

 (Sources: www.wikihow.com,  images; s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com, cdn.wonderfuldiy.com, za.pinterest.com, s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com, https://www.facebook.com)