This will be for the moment my last part about spices. Of course we can talk about hundreds more, but I picked my favorite dozen. On top of that we need to know about a few mixtures which I also like and use. Here too I could pick hundreds, but I will the post limit to my favorites.

From ras el hanout to herbes de provence, herb and spice mixes are essential to many cuisines around the world. Bringing these blends into your own kitchen can lend authenticity to international dishes and provide creative inspiration for your everyday cooking.

Above seen is a spice bazaar in Kyrgyzstan.

Spice Mixes From Around the World.

Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in many different recipes (or in one recipe that is used frequently), it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chilli powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt, and other seasoned salts are traditionally sold pre-made by grocers, and sometimes baking blends such as pumpkin pie spice are also available. These spice mixes are also easily made by ourselves for later use.

Masala is a term from the Indian subcontinent for a spice mix in certain proportions. A masala can be either a combination of dried (and usually dry-roasted) spices, or a paste (such as vindaloo masala) made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients – often garlic, ginger, onions, chilli paste and tomato. Masalas are used extensively in Indian cuisine to add spice and flavour, most familiarly in chicken tikka masala and chicken curry.  The most well known spice mixtures are:

From the famous souks of Morocco to highlands of Ethiopia, North Africa encompasses a range of flavors. Use these spices and herbs to bring a taste of Africa to your kitchen, in Moroccan tagines, Ethiopian wats, and anything in between. Thanks to it’s location along the trade routes between the Middle East and Western Europe, North African cuisine has access to a wide variety of spices.

Africa.

Berbere – A heady combination of spicy, bitter, and sweet spices used in Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Dukkah – An Egyptian mix of toasted nuts and seeds like hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander, and cumin.
Harissa – Made from smoked red peppers and widely featured in Tunisian and other North African cuisines.
Ras el Hanout – A varying blend of spices used in North African cooking, especially Moroccan.

That spark on the taste buds with every bite of grilled fish and chicken satay, coconut curries and laksas, tropical salads and stir-fried greens, beef noodle soup and beef rendang, crispy and fresh spring rolls, fried rice and fried prawns?  That spark which spread the popularity of Thai and Vietnamese food around the world, and is now doing the same for the cuisines of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and the other countries of Southeast Asia?

Asia.

Chinese Five Spice – A little of this pungent mix goes a long way, giving dishes a balanced hit of sweet, savory, bitter, and sour.
Gomasio – A Japanese condiment of toasted sesame seeds ground up with coarse salt. Especially delicious over rice.
Togarashi – A Japanese condiment made from seven spices including chile pepper, citrus peel, sesame seeds, and seaweed.

The foods of Europe, especially Eastern Europe, tend to be heavy, hearty comfort foods suitable for feeding a hard-working people through long cold winters. Herbs like dill and marjoram add tang, while warming flavors like mace, coriander and juniper go well with roasted meats and root vegetables. Along with plenty of fresh garlic, use these Eastern European spices to make the dishes a grandmother from the Old Country would be proud of.

Europe.

Fines Herbes – A French blend of four fresh or dry herbs, such as chervil, chives, tarragon, and parlsey.
Herbes de Provence – A seasoning blend featuring many of the herbs that grow most abundantly in southern France.
Khmeli Suneli – A Georgian mix of warm, nutty, grassy, and bitter spices like fenugreek, coriander, savory, and black peppercorns.
Quatre Epices – Meaning “four spices,” this French blend typically includes ground black and/or white pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.

If you ask a tourist to describe Indian food, the word that comes up most often is – ‘Hot’! And there a quite a few tourists who would shed tears (not of joy, though!) after tasting the Indian cuisine. They find it too spicy (or did you say ‘hot?). Almost all Indian food is spicy but not all are ‘hot’ because spicy and ‘hot’ are not synonyms! There are delectable Indian dishes that bring out the best of the taste and health benefits of aromatic spices.An estimated 40% of Indians are vegetarian, due to cultural and economic reasons. So, every state in India has its own vegetarian specialty dishes depending on local produce and other prevalent traditions.

Indian Subcontinent.

Chaat Masala – A tangy masala, or spice mix, made with amchoor (dried mango); often sprinkled on snacks and street foods.
Curry Powder – An Indian-inspired British invention, this typically includes turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and red pepper.
Garam Masala – Garam means warm, or hot, and the mix usually contains warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
Panch Phoron – A Bengali five-spice blend of whole fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard, and fennel seeds.

Covering a region that includes South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, Latin America is expansive and diverse, but one thing is for certain — its food is robust, flavorful and always inventive. This richness is no surprise considering Latin cuisine pulls from a colorful cultural history, from the Mayans and Aztecs to European colonizers to modern global transplants. Recipes and techniques vary from region to region, but there are popular dishes on almost every Latin American dinner table — tamales, arroz con pollo, plantanos and salsas.

Latin America and the Caribbean.

Adobo – An all-purpose seasoning that contains garlic, oregano, pepper, and other spices; used in Mexican and other Latin American cuisines.
Chili Powder – A blend of the spices most commonly found in Latin American cooking, such as ancho chile, paprika, cumin, and Mexican oregano.
Jerk Spice – A spicy Jamaican mixture including red and black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and thyme.

Middle Eastern cooking traditionally uses a vast array of spices, from staples like cumin, coriander, turmeric and mint to exotic blends like Ras el Hanout and Za’atar. Arab spice traders once controlled nearly all movement of spices between Asia (including the famous Spice Islands), India, Africa, and Europe, so almost every spice in existence has found a place in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Middle East

Advieh – A Persian mix of dried rose petals and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, cumin; often used in rice and stews.
Baharat – An all-purpose seasoning in Middle Eastern cuisine, typically including black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves.
Za’atar – A fragrant and tangy blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. Check out our tour of a Lebanese za’atar farm.

         The typical North American Dry Rub with hundreds of individual created mixtures. Just to fulfill the American BBQ dream. These mixtures are a Billion Dollar industry.

North America

Dry Rub – From Kansas City, this sweet and smoky barbecue rub includes brown sugar, paprika, and other spices.
Pickling Spice – Lends complex flavor to preserved fruits and vegetables; generally contains bay leaves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns.
Poultry Spice – An aromatic, woodsy combination of sage, thyme, and other herbs and spices.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – Made with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Not just for pumpkin pie!

                                This is Australia „per se“, Whole lobster in Lemon Myrtle and Mountain Pepper sauce. Few plants of Australia have ever gained economical importance, macadamia nuts being the chief example. There are, however, plenty of aromatic plants, some of which might gain some importance in the cuisines to come.

Australia

Lemon Myrtle
Tasmanian Mountain Pepper
Bush Tomato
Kangaroo Apple,   and more.

Those 2 spices and 2 herbs are currently hardly known (less used) outside Australia, but in our global world, these things may change quickly. Note that in Australia, there are more indigenous flavourings that can be considered spices: The dried tiny berries of bush tomato (Solanum centrale, Solanaceae) have a complex taste not altogether dissimilar to Italian sun-dried tomatoes, although less fruity and more spicy.

Not to forget my favorite mixture since we lived in Panama and Uruguay.

Mole is in Cetral america, especially Mexico not to be missed, Thats why I took it here as a special information. Who ever tried real Mole will never forget it, its sooo delicious.  Up here the modern version, turkey on a bed of greens.

Latin American Mole.

Two states in Mexico claim to be the origin of mole: Puebla and Oaxaca. The best-known moles are native to these two states, but other regions in Mexico also make various types of mole sauces.

Moles come in various flavors and ingredients, with chili peppers as the common factor. However, the classic mole version is the variety called mole poblano, which is a dark red or brown sauce served over meat. The dish has become a culinary symbol of Mexico’s mestizaje, or mixed indigenous and European heritage, both for the types of ingredients it contains and because of the legends surrounding its origin.

The old convents kitchen in Sata Clara, Pueblo, Mexico. Today a museum about Mole.

A common legend of its creation takes place at the Convent of Santa Clara in Puebla early in the colonial period. Upon hearing that the archbishop was going to visit, the convent nuns panicked because they were poor and had almost nothing to prepare. The nuns prayed and brought together the little bits of what they did have, including chili peppers, spices, day-old bread, nuts, and a little chocolate. They killed an old turkey, cooked it and put the sauce on top; the archbishop loved it. When one of the nuns was asked the name of the dish, she replied, „I made a mole.“ Mole was the ancient word for mix; now this word mostly refers to the dish, and is rarely used to signify other kinds of mixes in Spanish.

Mole – The famous mole sauces of central Mexico are delightfully complex, some involving upwards of thirty ingredients and cooked for days on end.  I’ve spotted you the first 14 ingredients, the rest is up to you!

Guajillo, Ancho, White Sesame, Cocoa Powder (better is real dark chocolate), Brown Sugar, Smoked Paprika, Cinnamon, Garlic, Onion, Oregano, Allspice, Anise, Cumin, and Cloves.
Add salt and sugar to turn Mole into a rub for pork or chicken, or add it to chili con carne for a deep, rich, chocolatey taste.

A Mexican feast, dark Mole over Turkey. How enjoyable.

This time we are in part 3, to full fill the „Heavenly Dozen“, of my little lexicon of unusual spices. If you had already use of part 1 and 2 you’ll find more great information here. How do you like this peace of „spice art“ above ?

The Galangal root, the seeds and the paste made out of the roots.

Galangal.
G: Galgant; Fr: grand galanga; Sp: galanga; It: galanga.

For a long time the Western world got hold of such wonderful things as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric, all of which have distinct tastes and offer great health benefits. From them, we’ve made teas, coffees, curries, candies and countless other treats. But, in all this time, has something just felt like it was missing?

Hard to find – fresh ingredients like Galangal or Turmeric. Notice the storing in paper and baskets !

It was Galangal, have you heard of it? A member of the elite group of rhizomes (root-like underground stems) that include ginger and turmeric, it looks like just another unattractive lump of dusty brown knobs, but in actuality, like old brothers and sisters, Galangal has its own personality.

                    The dried  or fresh (vacuum sealed) Galangal roots we could buy in our Asian shop in Panama City.

Galangal is a tropical plant by nature and comes originally from the Far East and the South Pacific, enjoying the warm weather and earthier vibe.  First I had contact with it was, on my many trips to Australia, in Thailand.

  Galangal plants we bought in Australia from a fruit tree nursery. We bought 3 for about A$ 9,75 each and they were growing like hell.

As a spice, Galangal is noted for earthy tones, with a bit more peppery spike than ginger and undergarments of suggestive citrus. At its most masculine, it has been called “woodsy” and “piney”. Its claim to quiet fame has been a key role in some well-known curry pastes.

Specialty in a Thai restaurant in South Perth, Australia.  Roasted Red Duck Curry with Galangal – to die for !

Like other popular roots and rhizomes of the East, such as ginger and turmeric, Galangal is full of beneficial health properties.  Historically, it was used as an aphrodisiac because it naturally has a pheromonal fragrance that was once included in perfumes and snuffs. Here are some of the health benefits, if you like to need more information, use the internet.

                                                           Many people already know about and use Galangal remidies for health benefits.

12 Amazing Health Benefits Of Galangal.

1. Reduces The Risk Of Cancer
2. Good For The Digestive System
3. Useful Against Arthritis
4. Helps Boost Immunity
5. Good For The Respiratory System
6. Good For The Oral Cavity
7. Improves Circulation
8. Good For The Hair
9. Good For The Skin
10. Helps Treat Burns
11. Good For Pregnant Women
12. Antifungal Agents

Almost everyone knows meantime that have a big favor for Thai food, followed several times Thai cooking schools in Thailand and love to post Thai recipes. Here is one of my favorite Thai salads with Galangal. If you are interested in this recipe, just call in. Overall, you can use Galangal anywhere you’d use ginger or turmeric (for the most part).

Tahina.
G: Tahin; Fr: tahina; Sp: tahina; It: tahina.

Tahina is an integral part of the eastern Mediterranean cuisine and is mainly used for hummus, but can also be enjoyed as a tasty dip or turned into a salad dressing.
Made of roasted sesame, the paste is rich in essential nutrients and vitamins and refines every meal.

Organic Tahina is already at home in Western Europe. In Germany the, so named, Ammersee Tahina (above pic left) is one of the best available. Made from 100% Bio-Sesame, a 420 gram jar available for about euro8,90.  Here in Uruguay I can buy Prince Tahini (above pic right) from Galilee, Israel. A 300 gram jar for about 240,–peso (c. US$ 7,–), the quality is very good.

Once homemade – and never again you will buy finished hummus, see above. Because the recipe with pureed chickpeas, lemon and garlic is very simple. The only thing you really need is a fabulous Tahina, the cream of roasted sesame seeds. We use the Tahini as a quick dip sauce as we are to lazy to make one. Raw veggies in Tahini = GREAT STUFF !

Ottolenghi books. Read Jerusalem = Fantastic ! Yotam Ottolenghi is also called the „Spice-whisperer“.

In Ottolenghi it also belongs in the base 10 of the most important spice ingredients. The London star chef has created a green Tahina sauce with parsley that goes very well with all kinds of vegetables. The sesame paste is also welcome to beetroot and tomatoes.

Allspice.
G: Piment; Fr: toute-épice, piment de la Jamaique; Sp: pimiento; It: pimento.

Allspice, also known as pimenta, Jamaica pepper, Turkish yenibahar, or newspice, is native to the West Indies and the Caribbean. In fact, due to its finicky nature, it’s one of the few spices that are still exclusively grown in its native region, like Guatemala.

  Allspice made from scratch by yourself, just try an equal amount of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.

The name Allspice refers to its compound aroma that seems like it’s a mixture of mace, clove, cardamom, and cinnamon. The Allspice berries are actually plucked when green and are cured in the blazing tropical sun on large concrete slabs until they turn black and their shells become fragrant with oil.

Allspice has a place in preserved goods and plays an important role in spice blends and rubs like jerk seasoning and garam masala. Also is made a delicious bitter-liqueur out of Allspice. Click on pics above to size up. In addition, it plays a central role in many North American pastries such as gingerbread cookies and pumpkin pie.

           Allspice products are found all over the world, whole berry’s or ground.

Whole Allspice berries can be ground up and toasted for a fresher, more intense Allspice flavor than pre-ground Allspice. Whole berries are also essential for proper pickling. I a cool and dry place it has a shelf time of at least 2 years.

Tamarind.
G: Tamarinde; Fr: tamarin; Sp: tamarindo; It: tamarindo.

The health benefits of tamarind have been well-studied, and they include its ability to reduce inflammation throughout the body, improve vision, boost respiratory health, heal skin conditions, and improve the digestive system. It may also help lower cholesterol to improve cardiovascular health, treat piles, and protect against parasites and worms.

                Tamarind tree with its beans. And Mexican Tamarind candy’s. Click on pics.

A member of the Fabaceae family, the scientific name for the tamarind is Tamarindus indica. The tamarind tree is native to tropical regions of Africa, specifically Sudan. However, its farming has spread to almost all tropical areas of the world due to its unique flavor and nutritional value.

                                We always had our Tamarind in Australia from Thailand or from Fiji as a paste.

The name Tamarind means „date of India“ and is a well fitting description of the spice.
It is grown throughout India today. It has been cultivated for thousands of years, likely made its way to Asia about 5,000 years ago. It wasn’t until about 500 years ago that it made its way to the Americas by Spanish explorers. South America and Mexico are now the largest consumers and producers of this fruit in the world.

Chicken wings spiced with Tamarind. One of our great party hits.

Tamarind is a delicious sweet and sour fruit that has a wide variety of uses, both for medicinal and culinary purposes. It is a medium-sized bushy tree with evergreen leaves and a fruit that develops in pods. Its pods are characterized by long, brown shells. Inside the pods is sticky, fleshy, and juicy pulp, which is the tamarind fruit. This is where nutrition and taste reside! As it has both a sweet and sour taste, people either tend to immediately like it or have a natural disposition against it.

Authentic  Thai cooking, pot of Prawns in a hot chilli Tamarind sauce. To die for.

There are many different ways to consume this nutritious fruit.

It can be consumed raw.
It can be added to desserts once it is fully ripe.
It can be dried and ground into a spice.
It is often used in jams and sauces.
It can be dried and processed into candies.
It is a typical ingredient in soups and dishes throughout Asia and South America.

When you buy Tamarind as a block break up the block and soak in warm water for about 15 minutes. Break down the pulp further with your hands and soak for a further 5 minutes, then hit that mix with a potato masher. Work it over until you have a thick pasty consistency (see above). Pass the mix through a fine sieve (I often leave it in a coarse state, but solids out) and discard the solids. This sounds like a bit of work but don’t be a pussy!

Thai crispy snapper with Tamarind sauce. From the BBQ or deep fried in olive oil.

Trust me, once you have made your own, that stuff you have bought from the super market in a jar will never be the same again. Use Tamarind and water 1:1. I had mostly 500gram blocks and used 250gram with 250ml of water. The other half we keep it in the fridge for many many more month.

Tips.

     Store most of your spices dry and dark in a well closed container. I have purchased time ago some special „aroma containers“ with a double lid (inner- and outer lid), they are fantastic. The medium size is about 90mm high and 60 mm in diameter, just good for about 100 gram of paprika. Bought in Germany, a set of 4 is about 8,50 euro’s.

That’s it already folks. 12 of my favorite spices. One more part is coming up with spice mixtures like Masala or Curry.    Stay tuned and enjoy !

Here we go – with part 2 of our little spice lexicon. Above you see a wonderful selection of spices. I can’t tell who’s origin this picture will be, but I like it, so I used it, sorry whoever.

Tellicherry Pepper.
G: Tellicherry Pfeffer; Fr: poivre Tellicherry; Sp: pimienta negra, blanco, verde; It: pepe negro, bianco, verde.

This noble rarity, picked in the Indian province Thalassery by hand, is the first choice for the ambitious hobby cook worldwide. Nutty, warm and intense in taste, it turns every meal into an experience and makes you a respected chef! This pepper all-rounder is especially popular with barbecue fans, but also harmonizes with vegetarians.

  Pepper tree in Thalassery, India.

Gourmets agree: Tellicherry is one of the finest and most valuable peppers.
Black pepper is made from the unripe green fruits. However Tellicherry pepper is first harvested just before the berries start to ripen and turn red. That’s why the peppercorns are much larger. The aroma is warmer and more intense, the sharpness more concise.

Information about the different types of pepper:

Green (unripe) harvested pepper gives the classic black pepper.
Ripe pepper (green to red discoloring) is the basis for the Tellicherry pepper specialty.
Ripe red pepper fruits produces the white pepper (fruit peel is removed).

Tellicherry pepper is similar to black pepper, but tastes much more intense, nuttier, warmer and more noble. This is due to the later harvest, which is why the pepper berries are also significantly larger than normal peppercorns. This quality feature of Tellicherry pepper is called in the jargon TGSEB – Tellicherry Garbled Special Extra Bold – it stands for particularly careful hand-selection of the thickest and most beautiful pepper berries after drying.

  Asian spiced pepper-rub pork chop.

To taste the flavor of this unique pepper with its distinctive note, simply try the following: „Cut chicken breast into longer strips, wash and place in flour. This protects the meat from drying out during roasting. Now the stripes fold like a business letter, so twice. Put some fresh sage leaves and cracked Tellicherry pepper into the resulting „bags“. Fix the folded form of the meat with a toothpick and fry the meat in a pan. The elegant combination of sage and Tellicherry pepper gives the juicy flesh a unique touch. An ideal dish for a warm summer evening on the balcony or terrace with Mediterranean antipasti and wine!

  Tellicherry chicken pepper-pot, yummy oh yummy !

Tellicherry pepper should be stored cool, dry and dark.  If you want to put the Tellicherry pepper in a mill, please remember that the Tellicherry pepper berries are bigger than normal black peppercorns. Some mills can therefore grind the pepper badly. This is where mortars and pestles help.

Black Garlic.
G: Schwarzer Knoblauch; Fr: ail noir; Sp: ajo negro; It: aglio nero.

My latest achievement in my hobby-gourmet-kitchen is  A Black Wonder !
Eating garlic without getting bad breath? It works – you just have to change to the dark side. The black garlic is a very special tuber.

Black garlic was brought from Japan many years ago and sparked a boom in European professional kitchens. In the Spanish kitchen is only a little without it. In gourmet restaurants chef’s serve it in cauliflower foam or  with Bacalau. In the bakery around the corner you get it in the bread, in the confectionery in the chocolate and in the pharmacy, three tubers for just under ten euros.

The garlic bulbs should be kept in a a warm place (about 70 C or 140 F) for the time shown above.

Old garlic gains sweetness and fermented, black-stained garlic tastes like what one calls Umami for several years, the fifth taste. Delicately tart with notes of plums, figs, caramel, roasted vanilla, molasses and also a little white garlic – perfect for many marinades and sauces, for crabs like duck.

         Black and white garlic is described as yin and yang, as complementary opposite tastes. Black garlic is mostly bought in little jars as a paste. Whole bulbs are much rarer to find.

Black garlic has long been known in China and Korea. Meanwhile its produced in Spain for the whole of Europe. The Spanish purple variety is said to taste, smoked, even better as the Chinese. Las Pedroneras in the west of Valencia and Andalusia in the south are the best known growing areas for both varieties.

  The Spanish purple garlic from Las Pedroneras. Click on pictures to supersize.

None of the garlic farmers reveals his recipe. But probably not much is. The fresh garlic harvested in July will get salt or rain water, maybe a bit Soy sauce or a piece of watermelon and possibly some spices on one. Put the tin in the oven and ferment at about sixty degrees for two to five months. Ha ha, your electricity bill will be immense, all other costs remain very manageable.

  Little tourist gift box of Spanish blck garlic.

The texture ranges from mushy to rubbery, the latter tastes best. The typical spicy garlic taste is lost during fermentation. You can eat as much as you like – no bad breath.

  Wonderful rack of lamb cooked in black garlic.

Black Wonder is healthy too. He acts against cold and as an antidepressant, he relieved
wound healing and digestion, heals hemorrhoids and arthritis. There is also black garlic
a true protein bomb. A black toe has about as much energy as a tuber.
Traditional, non-fermented garlic. Everything according to Universidad de Castilla La Mancha. The chemistry institute also noted that all the positive properties of garlic, after
actually multiply smoking, still exist.

    Delicious pasta dish with black garlic.

Now also exported to the wide world. Chinese and Japanese buy their black Garlic long ago in Spain. In Uruguay is black garlic, like many other things, totally unknown. Here you have meat or pizza and a handful of dry oregano dust sprinkled over it, that’s the Uruguayan way of spicing. Lots of really good dishes here, but most of them are totally tasteless.

Saffron.
G: Safran; Fr: safran; Sp: azafrán; It: zafferano.

Saffron is known for thousands of years. Saffron is used in verity of Persian, Spanish, Italian and seafood dishes. It is growing mainly in Khorasan Iran , Aragon Spain, Greece some in India and Turkey.

    Saffron harvest in Kaschmir, India.

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the „saffron crocus“. The vivid crimson stigmata and styles, called threads, are collected and dried to be used mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food. Saffron has long been the world’s most costly spice by weight.

       Health benefits of Saffron, click on pic for an easier read!  Saffron sold by small jars.

100% Pure Saffron Premium Quality is all hand picked directly from saffron natural land.  About 225,000 saffron flowers make 1 pound superior saffron. Saffron is simply the king of spices and known as red gold. Saffron must be harvested only by hand on daily base for about a month before sun light and heat burns the Saffron Stigma.

         Who  doesn’t know about Saffron rice, here on pic with spiced chicken. Or what would be a nice Paella without Saffron spiced rice ? And right what we all love, Saffron-Yellow-Cake.

Saffron threads should be always have the shape of a trumpet and that is to know if it is a fake or real saffron. You should use saffron sparingly because otherwise it can easily taste like medicines. Saffron has a characteristic, persistent warm aroma. Because of the delicate aroma and the bright color, saffron is valued in the international cuisine. One should store saffron in a paper bag and then in a container protected from air and light.

Sumac.
G: Sumach; Fr: sumac; Sp: zumaque; It: sommacco.

As far back as the old Romans, Sumac served as an acidity addition, like lemon or wine vinegar in our region. But beware of false Sumac, which is poisoned and can cause heavy skin rashes. Just buy original packed from specialized dealers.

         The wonderful and decorative Sumac trees we had in Australia produced a lot of berry’s, but I didn’t know that time what to do with it.

The fruits (drupes) of Rhus coriaria are ground into a reddish-purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a tart, lemony taste to salads or meat. In Arab cuisine, it is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and tashi, and is added to salads in the Levant, as well as being one of the main ingredients in Palestine’s national dish, musakhan.

Delicious Sumac spiced chicken with coriander flowers on cous cous. A delight, believe me.

In Afghan, Armenian, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian, Mizrahi, and Pakistani cuisines, sumac is added to rice or kebab. In Azerbaijani, Central Asian, Jordanian and Turkish cuisines, it is added to salads, kebab and lahmajoun. Rhus coriaria is used in the spice mixture za’atar.

  Many spice specialized shops sell ground Sumac.

In North America, the smooth sumac (rhus glabra) and the staghorn sumac (rhus typhina) are sometimes used to make a beverage termed „sumac-ade“, „Indian lemonade“, or „rhus juice“. I can’t recommend to use that stuff – my health is worth much more.

Tips.

     Store most of your spices dry and dark in a well closed container. I have purchased time ago some special „aroma containers“ with a double lid (inner- and outer lid), they are fantastic. The medium size is about 90mm high and 60 mm in diameter, just good for about 100 gram of paprika. Bought in Germany, a set of 4 is about 8,50 euro’s.

I really hope that you enjoy these spice-tips again and try them by yourself. Many many recipes are found throughout the internet websites. I don’t have to repeat them here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.     Stay tuned to part 3 of this series.

During the last few years I posted a lot of recipes and some articles about herbs and spices. Whatever we do, we all need some spices to cook and refining our dishes. Always I wanted to go deeper into herbs and spice use, but we have hundreds of them and it is hard to decide where to begin. Also, many people asked what and how I use spices.

My good friend Mathis has helped out with the idea to write about the common ones, the ones we all use. I thought that will be boring, because most of you know what and how to use it. Then the idea was born to take out of the hundred’s of spices my favorite „Dirty Dozen“ – no – I like to call it my „Heavenly Dozen“. These are spices which I really like to use often, but they are widely unknown and therefore by many people unused.

My little spice collection during a shelf cleaning.

As I have myself over a hundred herbs and spices for cooking in the shelves it wasn’t easy at all. Especially we all know meantime about coriander, star anise, bay leaf, nutmeg, salt and pepper, ginger, chilli and many more. Plus all the spice mixtures, such as curry’s , masalas’s, sambal’s, harissa and more. The following is my unsorted dozen. You will find first the English name and then the one in German, French, Spanish and Italian.

Turmeric.
G: Kurkuma; Fr: curcuma; Sp: cúrcuma; It: curcuma.

On a journey through southern China Marco Polo got to know Turmeric. He wrote: „There is a vegetable that has all the qualities of genuine saffron, the fragrance and the color, and yet it is not saffron.“
Turmeric is highly revered by Hindus and associated with fertility.

                      Turmeric plants, in flower and the harvested roots.

It tastes good and looks good. With turmeric you can turn food yellow. This is practical with a noodle casserole. Here you can shine with a few simple steps. Boil the noodles until firm and add a teaspoon of Turmeric powder to the boiling water. Then prepare the pasta casserole as normal. It tastes great with Gouda, paprika’s  and broccoli.

Using Turmeric in the kitchen is a bit like using ginger. The roots have to be peeled and using fresh roots is always better then dried powder. Turmeric has a lot of benefits, like health, color, taste, way of use, and the flower looks beautiful too. A real allrounder.

When cooking with Turmeric, watch your clothes a bit. Turmeric colors very well ! Turmeric powder must be kept protected from light. Otherwise, the light will decompose the spice and luminosity of the powder.

Only in recent years have scientists discovered the amazing powers of turmeric. The properties of the spice are good for our health and make for an ideal start to the day – and that’s for the whole body.

There are 8 reasons for this:

1. Turmeric combats inflammation – and almost as effective as some medications.
2. It protects your brain. In one experiment, turmeric prevented the deposition of certain protein complexes in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s.
3. Only one gram of turmeric is enough to optimize working memory for six hours. This discovery has been made by scientists at Monash University in Australia.
4. The spice could prevent cancer. Laboratory tests have shown that turmeric has anti-cancer properties.

Turmeric creamy chicken rice. Everyone loves this recipe !!!

5. Turmeric has been shown to improve digestion. The spice relieves, for example, flatulence and fullness.
6. Its ingredients support the liver and stimulate it, among other things, to release more bile acids. They bind to dietary fats and make the fat digestible. The turmeric relieves bloating and fullness .
7. Turmeric protects your heart. A study by the University of Tsukuba in Japan suggests that Turmeric is just as effective for our vascular health as one hour of exercise. The natural dyes in Turmeric are antioxidants that protect the cells.

                                       
It is so delicious, Turmeric spiced chicken skewers, also going well with my Thai Satay Sauce.  And daily a glass of warm milk (I like it with coconut milk,  Anna with soy milk) with half a teaspoon of Turmeric.

8. Turmeric may also help in the treatment of depression in the future. This suggests a study from India in 2013. If you want to benefit from the spice’s healthy effects, just add some turmeric to a cup of warm water or milk. Stir well and drink immediately!

Specialized Paprika vendor at a Budapest market.

Paprika.
G: Paprika; Fr: piment doux, paprika; Sp: pimentón; It: paprika.

Paprika originates from Central America, where it grows in the wild in Central Mexico, and has for centuries been cultivated by the peoples of Mexico. The peppers were later introduced to the Old World, when Paprika was brought to Spain in the 16th century.

The plant used to make the Hungarian version of the spice was grown in 1569 by the Turks at Buda (now part of Budapest). Central European paprika was hot until the 1920s, when a Szeged breeder found a plant that produced sweet fruit, which he grafted onto other plants. Paprika can range from mild to hot – the flavor also varies from country to country, but almost all plants grown produce the sweet variety.

British English more commonly Paprika is a ground spice made from dried red fruits of the larger and sweeter varieties of the plant Capsicum Annuum, called bell pepper or sweet pepper. The most common variety used for making Paprika is tomato pepper, sometimes with the addition of more pungent varieties, called chili peppers, and cayenne pepper. In many languages, but not English, the word Paprika also refers to the plant and the fruit from which the spice is made. As usual, the English and specially the Americans are able to confuse everything and everyone !!

         Try this once and you will never forget it. Left – Paprika spiced sweet potato chips with Aioli and right – Paprika spiced almonds fresh out of the oven. Yummy !!

I personally like very much the Niora Paprika from Murcia, Spain, where it is harvested by hand in the autumn and dried in the sun. The small, round pods get their typical, dark red color and are then ground to 1-2 mm large flakes.

Rare dark violet Niora Paprika fruit from Spain.

The result is a mild pepper, without any pungency, with a pleasant earthy-fruity aroma. Sadly I can’t get in Uruguay this or other flaked Paprika. Have a good look at my posts about chilli con carne and about Goulash.

                      My favorite. Spicy smoked Paprika from Spain. And right, the Niora Paprika flaked. A delight in paella’s.

Niora Paprika is ideal for the production of mild salsas, bean and pea stews, Mediterranean vegetables, goulash, salad marinades, minced meat, cheese, potato, pasta and rice dishes and of course also for chili con carne. It can also be used as a finishing on the table or – for its deep red color – for decorative purposes.
Best store these aromatic paprika flakes and powder cool, dry and dark. See section Tips !

Cinnamon.
G: Zimt; Fr: cannelle; Sp: canela; It: cannella.

The trade in Cinnamon was first documented in the 13th century by the Arabic writer Kazwini. Countless merchants made their profit with it. the Dutch East Indian Company first brought the Ceylon Cinnamon to Europe.

Milled in rice pudding you will love it!  And your children especially. Normally I would not take Cinnamon into my specialties, but here is one important reason to do so.

Ceylon Cinnamon is the answer ! It is also called „Real Cinnamon“ and comes from the Ceylon Cinnamon tree, which are only native to Sri Lanka. The quality of Ceylon Cinnamon depends on the color and fineness of the bars.

           Harvesting Cinnamon from a tree in Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

In contrast to the more intense (and slightly cheaper) Cassia Cinnamon, which contains a lot of coumarin (its moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys) and comes mainly from southern China and Indonesia,  in unhealthy quantities. Its found in the so-called Ceylon Cinnamon only comparatively small quantity. If you use Cinnamon daily in your cereal, I would recommend using Ceylon Cinnamon for this. If you bake cookies at Christmas, that’s what Cassia Cinnamon – with its intense Cinnamon flavor – does.

         In a Ceylon Cinnamon stick can be seen in cross section several rolled Cinnamon layers, similar to a cigar. In contrast to the Ceylon Cinnamon, in the cross-section of a Cassia Cinnamon stick, only a single rolled and thick layer of Cinnamon is seen.

In the ground state, however, the two varieties – logically way – are not distinguishable.

The high quality Ceylon Cinnamon is fine and mild in aroma and smell. Cassia Cinnamon, on the other hand, is much more intense. Therefore, the latter is often used in the bakery industry. Sadly, Ceylon Cinnamon is hard to get and in Uruguay I have never seen it.

  Giant German Cinnamon Roll, Deutsche Riesen-Zimt-Schnecke, a feast for young and old. Click on pics to supersize !

Interestingly, Ceylon Cinnamon, which we tend to use for desserts, is also popular in oriental and common Asian cuisine to refine salty foods such as pork, beef curries or lamb. In the US or Europe, however, you will find it only in sweets and pastries.

Chocolate ice cream with Cinnamon cream also tastes charming: Beat 200 g of cream with a teaspoon of sugar and the marrow of a vanilla pod. Then arrange the chocolate ice cream and the cream on a plate and dust the cream and the rim with Ceylon Cinnamon. It looks and tastes professional and exquisite. You will love it.

Cumin on offer at a spice market in Biratnagar, Nepal.

Cumin.
G: Kreuzkümmel; Fr: cumin; Sp: comino; It: cumino.

Cumin (botanic: cuminum cyminum) has a long and fascinating history. It has been known for over 5000 years, similar to the normal Cumin (named caraway, botanic: carum carvi). It was even found in the pyramids. At first he had a bad reputation and was cursed, he symbolized greed and bashfulness.
From around the Middle Ages his reputation changed and now he was considered a symbol of faithfulness.

The strong aromatic and crunchy Cumin seed is especially popular in those country cuisines with very spicy foods, such as in India, North Africa, the Middle East and Mexico.

     Left: White cumin seeds. Right: Black cumin seeds.  Right: The black seeds are known as the base of the „Oil of the Ancients“.

It belongs to almost all Indian curry mixtures and garam masala.
You give it to soups, lamb dishes and meat dishes like chilli con carne, either in whole seeds or in finely ground powder. We like the seeds also baked into our bread.

  A typical Nepalese dish is Sekuwa, lamb skewer marinated with Nepali-Cumin spiced and char-grilled to perfection. Served with Nepali potato cake, tahini sauces, rice puffs and salad, as well as a bowl of Chana Chat Pad, a chick pea salad. Fantastic meal at the Himalaya restaurant.

I remember, in Germany in the early nineties, there was suddenly a big wave through the TV, especially chef Alfred Biolek. He hardly had a show in which he did not advertise „his new spice“, grounded Kreuzkümmel (Cumin).

  This how you buy Cumin, here from a Netherlands supermarket, on the left white Cumin seeds and right white ground Cumin.

Cumin also has a comprehensive reputation in remedies and animal medicine as well as a base for perfume. If you roast the seed before grinding you will earn a more mild and nutty taste. The black seeds have a sweeter aroma and taste then the white ones. Just try it.

Tips.

     Store most of your spices dry and dark in a well closed container. I have purchased time ago some special „aroma containers“ with a double lid (inner- and outer lid), they are fantastic. The medium size is about 90mm high and 60 mm in diameter, just good for about 100 gram of paprika. Bought in Germany, a set of 4 is about 8,50 euro’s.

I really hope that you enjoy the spice-tips and try by yourself. Many many recipes are found throughout the internet websites. I don’t have to repeat them here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.     Stay tuned to part 2 of this series.