There are so many spices out there. And with technology and the advancement in transportation and preservation of food goods, you can find foods and spices from anywhere in the world at your local grocery store. It’s wonderful! The world in food and spices down the street at your local grocery! I’ve chosen 12 common and not so common spices to expand on this year anyway. Salt and pepper are common staples to every culture’s cooking. But did you know that salt is addictive? Most of know about black pepper but there is also white pepper and pink pepper.
Ginger and garlic were staples that my mother always used in cooking. She used both the ground versions and the fresh versions. The latter were usually peeled, chopped and turned into a paste that was frozen and used whenever needed.
I hated yellow food growing up. Never understood why all the curries had a yellow tint to it. As I got older I learned that the yellow colouring came from the turmeric in the curries. Tumeric has so many health benefits and you can even find turmeric pills. Golden milk is a common turmeric powder drink that you can find in many health food stores now.
My mother used to make rice, in particular pilau. And one thing she would always have in there was saffron. It always seemed like a very special ingredient because it was this vibrant red colour and came in a small little box and used sparingly.
I love tea including chai. During covid I started making chai from scratch using whole spices like cinnamon sticks, star anise, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger and different black teas. I’ll include the recipe in a later post. Making chai from scratch gave me a chance to use and learn more about spices like star anise and nutmeg.
Cumin is another great spice. I still don’t know when exactly to use it but it has a great fragrance and distinctive flavour. Cardamom is another spice I didn’t know much about except that it comes in pods and biting into one of those pods is not tasty at all! However, ground cardamom used in defined recipes can be wonderful. In particular a Finish cardamom cookies recipe I found. And finally, cinnamon. It’s great in savory dishes, baked goods, has that great flavour and smells great! And on a cold night, hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, hits the spot! But did you know there is the every day cinnamon that we’re familiar with then there is “true” cinnamon? The latter is harder to find and much more expensive!
There are so many more spices out there, spice combination like Chinese 5 spice and garam masala that are common to certain ethnic cuisines. That is another year of spice posts! Until then, stay tuned for my 2023 spice calendar.
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