Combining Lots of Herbs and Spices in a Dish Part 2

~ The SPICES ~

Allspice - this spice is also known as pimiento and Jamaica pepper. Its name came from the combination of cinnamon, pepper, juniper, and clove in the flavor of this dried, unripe berry of a Caribbean evergreen tree. Sweet foods are perfectly more savoury when whole or ground berries of allspice are added. Whole allspice can also be applied when cooking stock or stew while ground allspice is best in mulled cider, fruit desserts, and pumpkin pies. Nutrients : calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, folate, dietary fiber, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C and E.

Anise - also known as Star anise and Chinese anise, this spice belongs to the parsley family and has a highly aromatic, sweet flavour that has same taste with licorice. Whole or ground anise are used in most Asian cuisines, soups, and in dessert recipes such as spice cakes, cookies, fruits etc... Nutrients include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc, vitamin A, B2, B3, B6, C, E, pantothenic acid, and dietary fiber.

Caraway - seeds of this spice are actually the dried fruits of the caraway plant. It reveals a sharp, slightly bitter, flavour with sweetish undertones on meat dishes, soups, salads, stews, sauerkraut and cakes. The flavour goes specially well with apples, pork, duck and goose. Its root can also be eaten as a vegetable, while its oil works nicely in flavouring meats. With key nutrients - calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, manganese, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C and E, folate and dietary fiber.

Cassia or Chinese cinnamon - refers to the aromatic bark of Cinnamomum cassia. This spice has a stronger and less delicate flavor than cinnamon. However, ground cassia bark is not easy to distinguish from cinnamon so cheap cassia is commonly substituted for the more expensive real cinnamon. The dried bark cassia can be used to impart flavour to dishes such as punches removing the stick before serving is advised.Ground cassia is best suited in combination with allspice, nutmeg, and cloves for spicing mincemeat, curries, pilaus, meat dishes, desserts and cakes. Key nutrients are calcium, manganese, iron, vitamin K, with a very good source of dietary fiber.

Cinnamon - this spice comes from the evergreen bush or tree of cinnamon which can reach heights of 9 meters or 30 feet but this tree is regularly pruned to maintain a shrub height that facilitated harvesting. The bark of the lower branches are peeled and dried under the sun and both the dried bark and ground cinnamon are used extensively as a spice. Cinnamon's flavour is better applied for sweet dishes, cakes and cookies than the cassia. Its oil is distilled from the shoots and the bark. To create a distinctive combination of subtle and pleasant flavours, Arab Cooks put stick cinnamon in curries and mutton stews. Nutrients include calcium, manganese, iron, vitamin K, and dietary fiber.

Cardamom - this spice has a grape-fruit like and floral flavour; a member of the ginger family. Scandinavian and Indian cuisines used cardamom extensively and often included in holiday breads, fruits, and sweet vegetables such as winter squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. It can also be used when making homemade curry powder. Nutrients - calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, and dietary fiber.

Pepper - this spice is very commonly and universally used and applied to virtually all dishes, depending on the taste preferences of the consumer. It comes from vines belonging to a different family compared to the red or capsicum peppers. Popular to cooks are the  black peppers which is the dried , unripe berry of a tropical perennial vine and it has a much stronger spiciness and odour than white peppers. White peppers on the other hand, is the seed of the pepper plant alone, with the darker coloured skin of the pepper fruit removed - reason why it has lesser aroma.  Both peppers may be bought as whole peppercorns, or cracked and coarsely ground. Nutrients include such as calcium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, K, and dietary fiber. Tip : Pepper loses flavour and aroma through evaporation, so it should be stored in an airtight container to help preserve its original spiciness longer.

Ginger - this spice is one of the best known of all spices and has been cultivated in almost all parts of the tropics. Fresh ginger has more delicate flavour compared to dried ginger which has a more spicy and intense flavouring. Gingers can be applied to beverages, biscuits, cakes, fish, sauces, and spice mixtures. It is popularly used in European and North American cooking for sweet recipes, but  in the Orient this is applied extensively for chutney, fish, meat, and pickles. Key nutrients : iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, manganese, vitamins B6, E and dietary fiber. Ginger roots are packed with vitamin C and traces of copper.

Saffron - this spice consists of dried stigmas gathered by hand from the flower of the saffron bulb. This low- growing  perennial plant is a native to Southwest Asia and was first cultivated in Greece. One pound of saffron requires about 225,000 stigmas that's why it is an expensive item in the market. This is used to impart flavour and a yellow colour specially to European dishes such as the well known Spanish chicken-rice dish "Arroz Con Pollo". Nutrients are iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins B6 and C.

Mustard - this spice is grown for its leaves which are used in salads and consumed as greens. A member of the cabbage family, mustard seeds when dried are odourless and flavourless. Whole mustard seeds are used as flavouring during pickling and added to have pungency to many foods, including pickles, meats, and salads. Powdered dry mustard produces a sharp, hot flavour when it is moistened. Make sure to use the resulting paste immediately. This is used for roast beef, mustard pickles, sauces, and gravies. Prepared mustard is a mixture of powdered mustard with salt, spices, and lemon juice, with wine or vinegar to preserve the mustard’s pungency. Mustard leaves are harvested while tender and eaten as greens. Mustard greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, B, and C, and powdered ones have calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, significant amounts of selenium, and dietary fiber.
Tip : When mustard seed is mixed with water, a chemical reaction produces an essential oil that accounts for the hot taste of mustard. This essential oil is easily destroyed during cooking, so it is best to add mustard at the last minute.

Nutmeg - is the seed of a yellow plum-like fruit from an evergreen tree. A membrane covering the kernel provides mace, a kind of spice. Ground nutmeg is highly preferred for sweet foods and goes very well with meat, spinach, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. It has significant manganese content, and dietary fiber but high in saturated fat.

Paprika - this spice comes from sweet red pepper. The pepper pods are dried and ground after removing the core and seeds to lessen the pungency. This has been extensively used in Spanish cooking and known to be Hungary's national spice. Hungarian goulash - a soup of meat, noodles and vegetables, is nothing without paprika. This used to add flavour to chicken, fish, meats, tomato catsup, and tomato juice. Packed with nutrients such as magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese, iron, potassium, 

vitamins  A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C and E.