Saute a little onion, a little garlic, some slivers of bell pepper and a bit of tomato. To hear it from cooking shows, this is the most amazing flavoring agent on the planet, elevating Central American, Puerto RIcan, and Spanish cooking to heretofore unimagined heights. Seems like a Big Nothing to me, a few common ingredients found in any number of dishes. WHAT is the big deal??
That’s not soffritto. Soffritto is the Italian version of the French Mirepoix (onion, carrots, celery, sautéed in fat) and is the base for many sauces, soups and other dishes. Italians don’t use much garlic in their cooking — that’s an Italian-American thing — and it certainly isn’t part of their flavor base called Soffritto. Soffrito — one “t” — is a Spanish flavor base: onion, garlic and tomato.
Most of the world’s cuisine‘s start with a simple and balanced base of vegetables sometimes with herbs or spices. In the Western world, typically among garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns. In the Asian regions you tend to find scallions, garlic, ginger, and spices.
So, no, I don’t think any are “overrated.” They underly most cuisines.
en.wikipedia.org
