What better scent is there than clove-studded oranges during the holidays? Cloves have been a highly-sought-after spice in Europe ever since the 1400s. Native to Indonesia, the Dutch had a monopoly on supplying cloves to their European neighbors until France managed to smuggle out some trees and cultivate the spice in Mauritius in the late [...]
The “real” cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. Cinnamomum zeylanicum is much milder than Cinnamomum cassia, the hotter variety to which we are accustomed. Both, however, are the bark of an evergreen tree. The distinction is of legal importance in England and Australia, however–there, it is illegal to pass off cassia as being cinnamon. The [...]
Chili powder is actually a mix of several different herbs and spices–most commonly, it is cumin, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and chile pepper. It may also contain coriander, cloves, and/or turmeric. Chili powder is an indispensable ingredient in American Southwestern cooking, Mexican cuisine, and many Spanish dishes. The type of chile used in chile powder [...]
Bay leaves come from bay trees, which in Latin is a Laurus. In Roman times, a wreath or crown made from bay leaves was a sign of honor for its bearer. (Think of the phrase “to rest on one’s laurels.”) Kings, priests, prophets, poets, and the victors of both scholarly and athletic contests wore laurels [...]
Ah, one of the world’s most celebrated herbs! The French call it herbe royale, it’s considered sacred in India (and is often planted around temples and shrines), and it’s a sign of love in Italy. There are more than fifty species of basil; their various iterations are ubiquitous in cuisines ranging from Thailand to the [...]
Also known as Jamaican pepper, allspice is the dried berry of the pimenta dioica plant. It tastes like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and juniper–hence, its name “allspice.” Mayans used allspice to embalm their dead, Aztecs used it as an ingredient in their hot chocolate, and today most Americans use it in sweet baked [...]
Herbs and spices have been used for millenia for culinary, medical, cosmetic, and religious purposes. Spices have been actively traded on an international level ever since 2,000 B.C.E., when Arab traders brought back pepper, cloves, nutmegs, and other delicacies from the famed Spice Islands (the Molucca islands off the coast of Indonesia). In the 1400s, [...]
