- Star Anise
- Powerful and liquorice-like, star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. Chinese stocks and soups very often contain the spice, as do many… more
- Posted 21-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Sesame Seeds
- Used in cooking for their rich nutty flavour, black sesame seeds are especially common in far Eastern cuisine. Here, meat or fish is rolled in the sesame… more
- Posted 21-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Saffron
- Saffron, the worlds most expensive spice, is the stigma plucked from the purple-flowered crocus. Each has only three stigmas, and a five acre plot yields between… more
- Posted 21-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Poppy Seed
- Used predominantly in European cooking, blue poppy is slightly nutty and sweet, with a almond-like flavour. Sprinkled over or incorporated into breads… more
- Posted 21-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Pepper
- The most sought after and heavily traded spice in history, pepper lives up to its expectations by transforming blandness into bite in almost every imaginable dish… more
- Posted 21-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Nigella Seeds
- Nigella (Nigella sativa) has small, matte black, hard, sharp-cornered seeds with an oregano-like scent; they’re used for their hauntingly aromatic, acrid, smoky flavour… more
- Posted 20-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Paprika
- Paprika, the name for a wide range of aromatic powdered red peppers from various strains of Capsicum annuum, ranges in flavour from sweet to hot, depending… more
- Posted 20-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Nutmeg and Mace
- Nutmeg is the large, light grayish brown, speckled, wood-hard kernel that grows inside the apricot-like fruit of a tropical tree. Surrounding nutmeg in the fruit… more
- Posted 19-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Mustard
- There are three main types of mustard, all in the Brassica (cabbage) family and all with small, rounded seeds. Relatively mild though still pungent, white mustard… more
- Posted 14-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Kaffir lime leaves are the highly perfumed leaves of a Southeast Asian citrus fruit that’s not actually a true lime. The glossy, dark green kaffir lime leaves… more
- Posted 13-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Fenugreek
- Fenugreek has small, roughly angular, brownish yellow seeds. The seeds have a bitter yet pleasing flavour and potent aroma, similar to lovage, that is characteristic… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Fennel Seeds
- Fennel has tiny, light green, curved fruits (commonly called seeds) with a sweetly refreshing liquorice-anise flavour. Fennel seed is used for meats and poultry… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Cumin
- Cumin has small, curved, khaki-coloured fruits (commonly called seeds) with a warm, earthy, lingering aroma and pleasingly bitter, pungent flavour. Cumin is highly… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Cloves
- Clove is a dried, unopened flower bud that resembles a small, dark, reddish brown, round-headed nail—the source of its name in many languages. Cloves are a legendary and… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Cinnamon and Cassia
- Cinnamon is the sweetly scented inner bark of the cinnamon tree, which is related to the bay laurel. Cassia, or Chinese cinnamon, is similar in flavour to true cinnamon… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Asafetida
- Asafetida is an essential ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. Asafetida is the strong-smelling, even stinking, dried brownish resin extracted from the root… more
- Posted 12-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Coriander
- Fresh tender bunches of dhania (cilantro) are very different in taste from coriander seeds. Both are reminiscent of citrus, but the pungent green herb is light… more
- Posted 11-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Celery Seeds
- Celery seeds are light brown to khaki in colour with a penetrating, haylike aroma reminiscent, not surprisingly, of freshly cut celery stalks and with a strong… more
- Posted 9-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Cardamom
- Green cardamom is a seed generally sold enclosed in its fibrous lantern-shaped pod. The outer pods of green cardamom may be light green or white, depending on whether… more
- Posted 8-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Caraway
- Caraway has tiny, crescent-shaped fruits (commonly called seeds); their colour is warm brown with pale yellow edges. Caraway seeds have a warm, earthy, robust flavour… more
- Posted 8-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Annatto
- The dark red seeds of the annatto tree, a tropical evergreen, are used mainly for the deep reddish orange colour they impart. Annatto, native to Latin America, is now… more
- Posted 7-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Anardana
- Anardana is the dried seeds of varieties of pomegranate too sour to eat as fresh fruit; they have a tangy, fruity flavour. The wild pomegranate called daru, which grows… more
- Posted 7-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Amchur
- Amchur, a pale gray to light yellow powder made from dried unripe mangos, is used as a spice in northern India for its subtle, tart, and slightly resinous flavour… more
- Posted 7-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Ajwain
- Ajwain is a popular spice in India, where both fruits and leaves of this pungent plant in the parsley family are used. The small, hard, oval, pale brown fruits… more
- Posted 7-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
- Ginger
- Ginger, a subtropical plant, is grown for its spicy, aromatic, gnarled, and bumpy root (rhizome or underground stem), which is used as a seasoning in foods… more
- Posted 5-Apr-2011 in Spices and Herbs
