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An A to Z of Spices |
INGREDIENTS |
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George Burnett Sole Proprietor "The Spice Guys" |
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Dry-frying whole spices before grinding mellows the flavour and will add that special touch to your cooking. Spices can be dry-fried individually or in mixtures. |
To dry-fry spices, heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add spices and stir constantly until they are evenly browned. Be careful not to let the spices burn. Remove the spices from the pan and allow cool before grinding. | ||
| 1 |
ALLSPICE: |
2 | ANISE: |
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The seeds of Allspice are slightly larger than peppercorns and dark brown in colour. Allspice is a delicately spicy mingling of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, with cloves predominating. Allspice berries are the fruit of a tall, aromatic evergreen of the myrtle and clove family, which can grow to over 12m/36ft. Picked when green and unripe, the berries are dried in the sun to a rich, deep brown colour. |
Commonly called aniseed, the small, oval grey-green ribbed seeds of anise have a warm, sweet, pungent flavour and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. The aromatic anise annual grows about 60 cm/2 ft high and, like parsley, is similar to other small members of the same plant family. Anise will grow well in a good summer in light, dry loamy soil in a sunny position. Sow the seeds in mid-spring. The plants produce small white flowers and fern-like leaves. |
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| 3 | CARAWAY: | 4 | CARDAMOM: |
| A handsome biennial to 60 cm/2 ft high with finely cut leaves and clusters of white flowers which produce aromatic seeds with a characteristic flavour. Sow seeds in spring or autumn. Needs a sunny well-drained position protected from wind. Young leaves are used as a garnish for cooked vegetables. These seeds are used in cabbage, potato and parsnip dishes, and also in some cakes, biscuits and apple pie. Leaves and softer stems can be eaten in salads or cooked with other vegetables. | The cardamom bush is a herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family and grows nearly 3 m/9 ft high. Cardamom will only grow in a hot climate. It produces slightly pungent, highly aromatic pods holding seeds which are sweet with a camphor-like flavour. | ||
| 5 | CASSIA: | 6 | CAYENNE: |
| The bark, unripe seeds and the dried leaves of this plant are all used in cooking. Cassia is regarded as a less expensive substitute for cinnamon and can be used in the same way, although the bark is not as strong as that of cinnamon. The seeds, also known as Chinese cassia buds, are used in drinks and confectionery and are often added to potpourris. | Cayenne pepper, paprika and Tabasco sauce are all made from varieties of capsicum pepper. Cayenne is derived from a hot, red variety of capsicum pepper called "bird chilli". Although cayenne is not as hot as some chilli powders it is very pungent and should be used sparingly. Store in an airtight contained in small quantities and in a cool, dark place. | ||
| 7 | CHILLI POWDER: | 8 | CINNAMON: |
| Made from dried red chillies, this red powder varies in hotness and flavour, from mild to hot. | Cinnamon is the bark of a tree which belongs to the laurel family. The cinnamon tree is a tall, thick evergreen tree which prefers tropical climates. The bark is the most important part of the tree - when ground it provides a sweet spice highly valued for both culinary and medicinal usage. The leaves are pointed, smooth and tough and the small creamy-white flowers are followed by dark blue berries. The dried bark is sold in small quills (sticks), usually 7.5-15 cm/3-6 in long, or as a powder. | ||
| 9 | CLOVES: | 10 | CORIANDER: |
| The clove tree is an evergreen which grows abundantly near tropical sea shores. Cloves are the highly aromatic flavour buds of this tree or shrub which is native to the Moluccas or Spice Islands. Nowadays, cloves are mostly grown in Zanzibar and Madagascar. | Coriander is a member of the same plant family as parsley. The plant gives off a strong odour which is replaced by a sweet orangey aroma when the seeds are dried. The round, light brown seeds are milder than many other spices and can be used in large quantities. The taste is fresh with a hint of bitterness and can be improved by gently roasting before grinding. | ||
| 11 | CUMIN: | 12 | FENUGREEK: |
| Like coriander and caraway, cumin seed comes from the same plant family as parsley. Cumin is a small and delicate annual which usually grows to 30 cm/1 ft in height. Native to the Middle East, cumin now grows in most hot climates. The small, dark brown, elongated seeds have a rich sweet aroma; their flavour is similarly pungent and should be used sparingly. Cumin seed is often confused with fennel or anise (both sometimes called ''sweet cumin'). | The fenugreek plant which grows to 30-60 cm/1-2 ft, is a member of the bean and pea family. Its flowers and pods resemble those of pea. Each long, narrow pod contains ten to twenty, small, hard yellow-brown seeds. The seeds have a slightly bitter sweet taste and should be used in moderation. Only when roasted do the seeds give off their pungent aroma. Whole or ground fenugreek is most often used in Indian curries. | ||
| 13 | GINGER: | 14 | MACE: |
| Ginger is an important spice in both the East and West. Like other tropical plants of the same family, such as turmeric, it is the knobbly root of the ginger plant which is used as a spice. Dried ginger root can be bruised and ground to a powder (its fibres removed) and used as ground ginger, or bruised and infused in the cooking liquid of savoury dishes. | Mace and nutmeg are parts of the fruit of a tropical evergreen tree. Mace blades come from the outer casing of the nutmeg and are bright red when harvested, drying to a deep orange. The flavour of mace is similar to nutmeg. | ||
| 15 | NUTMEG: | 16 | PAPRIKA: |
| The small, oval shiny nut, about 4 cm/1½ in long, is dried in its seed coat which is then removed. Nutmeg is slightly milder than mace but has a more nutty flavour - warm and sweetish with a light bitter undertone. Nutmegs can be brought whole or ready-ground. It is best to buy them whole and store in an airtight container. Finely grate as needed. | Like cayenne pepper, paprika is a finely ground powder made from the fruit of several different chilli plants. The ripe flesh is used for mild, sweet paprika, the seeds are included for more pungent versions. Mild paprika has a light, sweet smell and almost no pungency; the strongest paprika is similar to cayenne pepper. | ||
| 17 | PEPPER: | 18 | POPPY SEEDS: |
| Pepper comes from the tropical trailing vine of the Piperaceae family. The vine grows to heights of 3.5 m/11½ ft and bear long strings of 20-30 small berries which ripen from green to reddish-yellow. Black pepper berries are picked when green and dried whole; for white pepper they are allowed to ripen and turn red and the skin is removed before drying. Green peppercorns are picked when still green and then are usually pickled. | Poppy seeds. sometimes called maw seeds, come from the opium poppy. The plant is related to both the common field poppy and garden varieties. It grows to anything from 30 cm to 1.2 m/1 to 4 ft and bears white pink or lilac flowers and erect oval seed pods. The tiny hard seeds are mild and sweetish and acquire a bitter-sweet nutty flavour when cooked. | ||
| 19 | SAFFRON: | 20 | SESAME SEEDS: |
| Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It is the dried stigmas of the flowers of the saffron crocus. The flowers are extracted from the freshly harvested flowers and dried to become irregular, orange-red threads about 4 cm/1½ in long. It takes about 50,000 stigmas to make up 100g/3½ oz of saffron. Saffron imparts a distinctive aroma, bitter honey-like taste and a strong yellow colour to food. It's better to buy the threads and store in an airtight container in a dark place. Ground saffron can vary enormously in quality. | Sesame is a tropical annual with a pungent smell. The plant grows to anything between 60 and 80 cm/2 and 2½ ft. The seed pods contain a large number of small, flat oval seeds in a variety of colours. They may be red, light brown or black and have a rich nutty flavour. Dry roast before use or fry lightly until they just colour and give off a roasted aroma. | ||
| 21 | STAR ANISE: | 22 | TURMERIC: |
| Star anise is the star-shaped fruit of an oriental evergreen of the magnolia family which can reach a height of 7 m/21 ft. When dried it is a brown colour and the flavour is one of pungent aniseed. Whole stars store well in an airtight container and are preferable to the powdered form. | Turmeric is a typical member of the ginger family and, like ginger, it is the knobbly roots or rhizomes which form the cooking spice. The tropical turmeric has spiky yellow flowers and long, shiny pointed leaves, and can grow to a height of 1 m/3 ft. Turmeric has a strong woody aroma and distinctive, pungent flavour. Because of this it should not be used as a cheap substitute to saffron. | ||
| 23 | VANILLA: |
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| The dark brown pod of vanilla comes from a type of orchid native to South America. It was discovered by the Spaniards in Mexico. When first picked, the pod is a yellow green and it is only after curing and drying that it becomes the dark brown we associate with vanilla. Essentially a flavouring used in sweet dishes such as ice cream, custards and rice, it is also popular as a flavouring for wine cups, hot chocolate and coffee drinks. The vanilla pod can be used several times and if kept in a jar of sugar will flavour it to make vanilla sugar. |
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Chillies |
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The bushy chilli shrub prefers tropical or subtropical climates and grows to between 30 cm and 1.8 m/1 and 6 ft high, depending on the variety. As a general rule, the smaller, narrower and darker the chilli, the greater the pungency. Unripe fresh chillies are usually less pungent than ripe fresh ones, and these in turn are milder than dried chillies. |
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Mustard |
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| Mustard is internationally famous as a condiment and flavouring. The whole seeds are the basis for prepared mustards, and the pungent oil extracted from the seeds themselves are also popularly used as culinary spices. There are three main varieties of mustard: black, brown and white. The three plants are similar in appearance and grow to about 1 m/3 ft. All bear tiny, spherical, hard seeds. Brown mustard seeds are most commonly used as an Indian cooking spice. | ||||||||||||||||
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