Ajowan

Similar to caraway and cumin seeds in appearance with a thyme like flavour. Often called lovage seeds.

Allspice

Not to be confused with mixed spice, this is the dried berry of an evergreen of the myrtle family. It was called Allspice because the flavour is like a combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Also known as 'Jamaica Pepper' as this is where it is grown. Can be bought whole or ready ground. Allspice is excellent in pickles and marinades. Used also for Christmas cakes, puddings and in potpourri (a mixture of flower petals, leaves and spices). Can be used as a substitute for mixed spice.

Asafoetida

The plant is a member of the carrot flavour and native to the north India, Afghanistan, Iran area. It is the resin that exudes from the stem and root, that is used. It is very strong smelling that is often referred to as a stink. This harshness disappears when cooked.

It has an onion/garlic style flavour, that is often added to dishes because of its antidote property for flatulence. Normally sold as a bright yellow powder.

Anise

Is a familiar flavour to most; from aniseed ball sweets/candy. There are two types of anise; real anise and star anise, which is star-shaped seed of a tree of the magnolia family with a more subtle flavour. Used to flavour cakes, biscuits, vegetables and drinks.

Caraway

Used extensively in eastern Europe cuisines. Caraway seeds make delicious addition to breads, boiled cabbage, cream cheese and to fondues. Always added to Hungarian goulash and dumplings for beef stews. They are also used to make 'Kummel liqueur'.

Cardamom

Is usually sold in the pod and is probably the second most expensive spice in the world, because the pods have to be hand picked as soon as green. The pods are sometimes used whole in dishes of lentils and other pulses, but much greater effect is gained if the black seeds are extracted and pounded with other spices to flavour eastern meat and chicken dishes. Cardamom seeds are an important ingredient of ‘curry powders’ and Indian cuisine in general, including desserts such as ice cream. Available as green, white and black pods; green cardamom are by far the most versatile, followed by white (green that have been bleached) followed by the harsh flavour of the black. Which ever pod is called for in a recipe, then that type must be used, DO NOT attempt to use black if the recipe states green etc.

It has a pungent bouquet, with a slight lemon flavour, with distinct elements of camphor and eucalyptus.

Arabs use it to flavour their coffee, the seeds makes a great breath freshener when chewed.

Cayenne

Reddish brown in colour, it can only be bought ground and it is best to buy a small amount at a time as it quickly loses flavour. A pinch of it adds piquancy to cheese sauces, egg dishes, shellfish and to Indian dishes. It is similar and interchangeable for to chilli powder, but milder in flavour.

Celery seeds

Relative of the vegetable celery. A few celery seeds added to beef stews or the dumplings to go with it give excellent flavour.

Chillies

Sold whole or ground, fresh or dried. Their pungency can be reduced by removing the seeds and the placenta inside. Essential ingredient of Chilli Con Carne and other Mexican dishes.

For my chilli page with a full listing of chillies; the different types, thier heat rating, etc <click here>

Cinnamon

This is the bark of small branches of the cinnamon shrub. The inner pulp and the outer layer of the bark are removed and the remaining pieces dried. Available ground or as cinnnamon sticks/quills. Native to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), true cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, dates back in Chinese writings to 2800 B.C. Its botanical name derives from the Hebraic and Arabic term amomon, meaning fragrant spice plant. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their embalming process. From their word for cannon, Italians called it canella, meaning "little tube," which aptly describes cinnamon sticks.

In the first century A.D., Pliny the Elder wrote of 350 grams of cinnamon as being equal in value to over five kilograms of silver, about fifteen times the value of silver per weight. Medieval physicians used cinnamon in medicines to treat coughing, hoarseness and sore throats. As a sign of remorse, Roman Emperor Nero ordered a year's supply of cinnamon be burnt after he murdered his wife. The spice was also valued for its preservative qualities for meat due to the phenols which inhibit the bacteria responsible for spoilage, plus the aroma masked the stench of aged meats.

In the 17th century, the Dutch seized the world's largest cinnamon supplier, the island of Sri Lanka from the Portuguese, demanding outrageous quotas from the poor labouring Chalia caste. When the Dutch learned of a source of cinnamon along the coast of India, they bribed and threatened the local king to destroy it all, thus preserving their monopoly on the prized spice. In 1795, England seized Ceylon from the French, who had acquired it from their victory over Holland during the Revolutionary Wars. (In the Victorian language of flowers, cinnamon means "my fortune is yours.") But, by 1833, the downfall of the cinnamon monopoly had begun when other countries found it could be easily grown in such areas as Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Mauritius, Réunion and Guyana. It is now also grown in South America, the West Indies, and other tropical climates.

Lore
The origin of cinnamon was a highly-guarded secret of the Arabs, who first brought cinnamon to the West. They concocted a number of magical myths to hide the location of the crops and enhance the mystique of this spice fit for a king. Herodotus III wrote of the large Phoenix bird gathering the priceless spice sticks. Gatherers would lure the bird with heavy pieces of meat which the bird would laboriously haul to their nest. As legend would have it, the weight of the meat would cause the nest to fall, allowing the valuable sticks to be harvested.

Cinnamon or Cassia? Many brands of commercially ground cinnamon is actually cassia or a combination of cinnamon and cassia, permitted with no restriction by most countries, including the United States. Native to Burma, cassia is Cinnamomum aromaticum or Cinnamomum cassia, a member of the same family as true cinnamon; but it has a stronger (yet harsher) flavour thus requiring less in volume in recipes. Cassia is usually a better choice for savoury dishes, rather than sweets. Dried cassia buds resembling cloves are used in the East for pickles, curries, candies and spicy meat dishes. Tiny yellow cassia flowers have a mild cinnamon flavour and are sold preserved in a sweetened brine and used to perfume sweets, fruits, teas and wines. Cassia leaves can also be used as a flavouring in the same manner as bay leaves.

Usage, Selection and Storage Cinnamon is well-known as a prime ingredient in many sweets and baked dishes, but it is also an interesting addition to marinades, beverages, dressings, meats, poultry and fish. In Mexico, cinnamon is added as a flavouring to chocolate. Most exclusive liqueurs contain cinnamon, as do various bitters. Cinnamon oil is pressed from cinnamon and cassia waste-products (usually the outer bark) for use in cosmetics and drugs.

True cinnamon quills or sticks will be curled in a telescopic form, while cassia quills curl inward from both sides, like a scroll. Ground cinnamon is more difficult to distinguish from ground cassia. True cinnamon is tan in colour with a warm, sweet flavour, whereas ground cassia is a reddish brown, usually coarser in texture, with a more bitter, stronger flavour and a more aromatic bouquet. Small pieces of the quills are known as quillings. Cassia comes in peeled and un-peeled quills, as well as ground.

Store powder or quills (sticks) in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It is best to buy small quantities of ground cinnamon as it quickly becomes stale, losing flavour and aroma. Grind your own from cinnamon quills using a spice or coffee grinder for best flavour or use whole cinnamon quills.

Cloves

The un-opened flower-buds of a tree which grown in Zanzibar, Penang and Madagascar. The buds are picked when green and dried in the sun, when they turn to a rich brown colour. Used for flavouring stocks, sauces, puddings, Christmas cake, bread sauce.

The studded onion (oignon pique or cloute) used in classical cuisine to add flavour to the likes of Bechemal sauce is an onion with a bay leaf inserted and studded with cloves.