Spices are a food additive that has been used in all types of cuisine for thousands of years. They were once a valuable resource intended for trade.
They are essential in every home because they enhance the taste, smell and color of dishes. With the right spices, you can add character to many dishes. Regardless of whether you are a culinary Master Chef or you are just trying your hand at cooking – it is worth using them and experimenting. We hope that after reading our article, you will have these spices in your kitchen!
Cardamom is one of the most valuable and expensive spices in the world. It has an intense, spicy taste with a pleasant citrus-ginger note. Its scent is intense and sharp, but at the same time warm and aromatic. Thanks to these fresh notes, it breaks the fatty taste of other products – cream, chocolate, nuts or rice with butter.
It combines perfectly and complements spices such as cinnamon, cloves and vanilla, and in oriental cuisine it is also found in combination with cumin and coriander. Like cumin, cardamom is also a component of garam masala and curry spice mixtures. Cardamom seeds can be used whole, crushed or powdered.
Cardamom – use
It is a great addition to tea, coffee, cakes, fruit salads, sweet desserts, sorbets and liqueurs and mulled wine. Thanks to its spicy note, it goes well with Christmas gingerbread and gives them a unique taste. Cardamom goes well with fruit – apples, pears, rhubarb or plums.
This spice also works well in savory dishes, so you can safely add it to fish and meat dishes, roasts, pates, goulash, curry or pilaf.
Coriander usually comes in two forms – dried seeds and fresh leaves. Both forms are popular all over the world, but today we will focus on the seeds. Coriander seeds are slightly spicy, warming, with a noticeable hint of citrus.
Coriander – uses
This spicy spice highlights the qualities of Greek, Mexican, Indian and oriental dishes. Thanks to its distinctive flavour, it is perfect for enriching marinades, stews, soups, sauces, meats and fish. However, you can add coriander not only to savory dishes, but also to diversify cakes, desserts and biscuits. Coriander seeds, in which you will find notes of orange, cinnamon and clove, are also used to alleviate the bitterness of mulled wine.
Whole coriander seeds can be toasted before use to enhance their flavour, and when finely ground, they are an ingredient in curry, garam masala and tandoori masala spice blends.
Cumin (Roman cumin) is an extremely aromatic, sweet and spicy spice, which is most often found in the form of whole dried seeds or ground powder (not to be confused with another spice – cumin). After roasting and crushing, cumin seeds give off a slightly nutty, lemony aroma.
The smell of cumin is associated with oriental, distant countries for a reason. It is mainly used in places where well-seasoned dishes are appreciated – in the Middle and Far East, in India, and in Mexican, Spanish and Portuguese cuisines.
Cumin – uses
Cumin goes well with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger or coriander, and is also a component of various spice mixtures – including curry and garam masala. In the recipes on our website, you will most often find it paired with coriander.
Cumin is mainly used in fish dishes, grilled dishes and stews, but it will also enhance the flavour of lamb, poultry and rice. This spice is also added to Middle Eastern dishes – hummus, falafel, bread and couscous.
Do you like Indian and oriental cuisine? Cardamom, coriander and cumin are spices that should be in your kitchen.
Smoked paprika is characterized by a very distinct and pleasant aroma of smoke and a sweet taste. This smoky aroma is the result of smoking paprika using oak wood.
This spice affects not only the taste and aroma of a given dish, but also its color – due to its intense color, it is often used as a colorant in mayonnaise or cream sauces.
Smoked paprika – use
It is perfect for boiled, stewed, baked and fried dishes. It works well as an addition to marinating meat and fish. It is irreplaceable in goulash, soups and thick sauces. You can also season seafood, casseroles, salads or grilled dishes with it. Its distinctive taste and smell will enrich any dish to which you add it.
Smoked paprika releases its flavor under the influence of heat, so remember to add it to dishes while they are still cooking.
Although the Middle East is famous for its various spice blends, none of them is shrouded in as much mystery as za’atar. Its recipe has been one of the best-kept secrets of many families for centuries, although the characteristic taste of za’atar has been known since antiquity.
The za’atar blend from Jasmeen contains thyme, ground sumac and roasted sesame seeds, which are the key to obtaining an extraordinary, slightly sour taste.
Za’atar – use
Thanks to its balanced composition, za’atar is ideal for meat and fish – for example as an addition to marinades. This blend changes and enriches the taste of many ingredients – you can add it to vegetables, hummus, labneh, bread or breakfast dishes.
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