star anise
Star anise is essential to Chinese cuisine and indispensable to five-spice powder. In South India, it may be added to a biryani and used in versions of garam masala. Vietnames...
sesame seeds
Sesame is used in everything from sweets such as Indian til laddoos and Middle Eastern halva to savoury dips and dressings such as tahini and hummus. The Japanese sprinkle gom...
fennel seeds
Fennel enhances both sweet and savoury foods with its mild aniseed character. The spice is most notable as a flavouring for Italian salami, and for its use in masala blends th...
saffron
Warm, musky, with the distinctive aroma of cut hay and a slightly metallic tang, saffron’s flavour comes in part from compounds unique among the spices. With correct han...
poppy seeds
Poppy seeds lend themselves to a variety of dishes, from pickles and kormas to cakes, bagels, and buns. The blue-grey seeds are used in central and eastern European and Middle...
nutmeg
Nutmeg’s deep, sweet, woody flavour works in both sweet and savoury dishes. Somewhat penetrating and astringent with tannins, it can easily overpower a dish, but blends ...
nigella seeds
Nigella is a punchy spice that releases a mild heat on the tongue and has a slightly bitter, herby, charred onion-like flavour. It is widely used in Indian cooking and its pre...
mustard seeds yellow
White mustard seeds have a mild taste and are used in pickling and to make American yellow mustard. Brown mustard seeds are much hotter, often featuring in Indian cuisine. Bla...
mustard seeds black
The mustard seeds used in Indian cooking are tiny and black or dark brown in color. The seeds have a faint spicy smell much like curry leaves. They taste just like mustard in ...
mace
Mace will substitute for nutmeg in most sweet dishes, but it is mostly used to flavour savoury sauces, meat, pickles, and chutneys. Use whole blades to infuse pale creams and ...
fenugreek seeds
Fenugreek seeds have a sweet, strong taste, with hints of caramel, maple syrup, burnt sugar, and coffee. While its musty aroma is not to everyone’s liking, the spice pro...
coriander seeds
Coriander is a versatile spice with a bittersweet taste reminiscent of dried orange peel. While it can be used on its own, the spice is more frequently partnered with earthy c...
cloves
Clove’s powerful flavour is usually tamed by blending it with other similarly warming spices to soften its dominance. Antiseptic properties make it a common spice for pi...
cinnamon
Cinnamon does not in itself taste sweet, but rather it enhances the perception of sweetness in other ingredients. This makes it perfect for sweet bakes and desserts, and for d...
chia seeds
They can be eaten raw, soaked in juice, added to porridge, pudding, smoothies or added to baked goods. You can also sprinkle them on top of cereal, yogurt, vegetables or rice ...
carom seeds
The flavour of ajwain has been described as a mixture of anise, oregano, and black pepper. Its bitterness can be reduced by toasting or frying it. Ajwain is highly aromatic an...
cardamom
This highly aromatic spice is sweet, somewhat minty, and penetrating, making it suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes, and more versatile than black cardamom, which lacks...
black pepper
Black pepper produces a pungent heat that is neither flavour nor fragrance,but a pain-like sensation very similar to chilli heat. The spice also has a woody aroma with floral,...
bay leaf
Added at the beginning of cooking, fresh or dried bay leaves yield their fragrant, warm flavours gradually. Traditionally, bay is an indispensable part of a bouquet garni...
asafoetida
When asafoetida is heated in fat, it develops a similar flavour to fried onions and garlic. Because traces of the same sulphurous flavour compounds (sulphides) are found in me...
dry fenugreek leaves
Fenugreek seeds have a sweet, strong taste, with hints of caramel, maple syrup, burnt sugar, and coffee. While its musty aroma is not to everyone’s liking, the spice pro...
cumin
Cumin is an essential component of Indian, North African, Levantine, and Mexican cuisine. Used alone or in combination with other spices, it imbues a diverse range of savoury ...
celery seeds
Celery seeds are more intensely flavoured than the stalks and leaves, with a warm, concentrated, earthy taste, lingering bitterness, and hints of grassiness, but without the f...
black cardamom
Black cardamom is best suited to slow-cooked, savoury dishes. It is typically used in the braised meat dishes of Sichuan cuisine, in pho and other Vietnamese broths and soups,...
white pepper
White pepper contains a chemical called piperine. This chemical seems to have many effects in the body. It seems to reduce pain, improve breathing, and reduce inflammation. Pi...
cubeb
Because of its aromatic qualities, cubeb goes well with meat, cheese and vegetable dishes. It may be substituted for pepper in spice mixtures flavouring sausages, gingerbreads...
panch phoron
Panch Phoron (also called panch phoran or paanch phoron) literally means “five spices.” It is a spice blend commonly used in Eastern India and Banglade...
caraway seeds
Caraway has a complex, warming taste, and its flavour can be found in many central European dishes. It is a key component of the Algerian and Tunisian blend tabil, and may be ...
dried red chilli
Chillies appear in countless cuisines around the world, and are used as much for their flavour as for their heat, particularly in Mexican cooking. Some powders are actually sp...
charmagaz
Char-magaz literally means 'Four Brain', indicating a mixture of four seeds that are good for the brain. In this version of the charmagaz, Cucumber seeds, muskmelon se...
sesame seeds black
Sesame is used in everything from sweets such as Indian til laddoos and Middle Eastern halva to savoury dips and dressings such as tahini and hummus. The Japanese sprinkle gom...