Holy trinity (cuisine)

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The holy trinity of cuisine refer to a trio of ingredients key to a particular cuisine, although it is also used as a generic representation of the cornerstone ingredients of a particular national cuisine. Because these three ingredients are so common in the recipes of some cuisines, they are almost indivisible and often end up being treated as a single ingredient, and provide the distinctive flavoring of specific cuisines. Holy trinities can be essentially flavour bases that are often arrived at by sautéing a combination of any three aromatic vegetables, condiments, seasonings, herbs or spices. Cooking these few base ingredients in butter or oil releases their flavour, which is, in turn, infused into a mixture when other ingredients are added. This technique is most typically used when creating sauces, soups, stews and stir-fries.

The name is an allusion to the Holy Trinity of the Christian faith, and its use originated from the Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana in the Southern United States, where chopped celery, bell peppers, and onions is commonly accepted as the staple base for much of Cajun and Creole cooking.

Common trinities in other cuisines are:

the Indian "wet" trinity of garlic, ginger and onion
the Chinese trinity of scallions, ginger and garlic^[1]
- the regional cuisine of Sichuan has its own distinctive trinity of green garlic, ginger and chili peppers
the Greek trinity of lemon juice, olive oil and oregano^[2]
the Thai trinity of galangal, kaffir lime and lemon grass
the definitive trinity of French cuisine is widely accepted as a Mirepoix of celery, onion and carrot
- a flavour base trinity of butter, cream and eggs is typically found in classical French haute cuisine.
- a bouquet garni is at its core a combination of parsley, thyme and bay leaves tied together as a flavour base for liquid dishes.
the Korean trinity of garlic, ginseng and kimchi^[3]
the Lebanese trinity of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil
the Italian trinity of tomato, garlic and basil.
- another trinity in Italian cooking is a soffritto of carrot, onion and celery, essentially similar to the French mirepoix.
the Spanish trinity of bread, olive oil and wine.^[4]
- the sofrito of garlic, onion and tomato cooked in olive oil and widely used as a base for many Spanish recipes is also considered a staple trinity.
the Mexican trinity of corn, beans and chilies.^[5] Three types of dried chilies - ancho, pasilla, and guajillo - are frequently combined to flavour dishes and are also referred as a "Holy Trinity". ^[6]