- Daniel Gilbert.
There's a reason people were willing to risk traveling thousands of miles by boat for spices. They may be commonplace now, but spices such as nutmeg, turmeric, and peppercorn were hot commodities during the Spice Trade era. Without spices, food just doesn't taste the same.
Here are some spices I now use regularly. Ironically, I didn't know they even existed before I learned how to cook. The spices shown are what I call my "Indian spices." They are especially worthwhile to have on hand because these spices work great with food storage items such as dried chickpeas, lentils, yellow split peas, and dried green peas, etc. I also love that they are inexpensive to buy. Spices also keep for a long time. (Most people recommend about a year.)
If you consider for a second, the different cuisines around the world, America is the only culture that is so wealthy it can create a cuisine around meat. If you look at other cultures you have had to struggle for food, they often base their cuisine on beans, lentils, potatoes, rice, squash and corn. When it comes to food storage, we have a lot to learn from other countries. One of the main reasons lentils and other simple foods taste so great is because of the distinct spices that are used. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Ground up, it is used in lots of ethnic cooking. To me, it has a mild lemony smell. I use it frequently in soups, stews, curries, and bean dishes. Coriander was also listed as the world's most popular herb in a cross-cultural study.
2. Turmeric is related to the ginger family and is often used to give Indian food its yellow color. Turmeric is also a super-spice, because it is high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. I use it mostly in curries, but some people do use it to naturally die clothing. Be careful, it stains!
3. Cumin, is most often pronounced as "coo-men" by chefs. According to a lengthy survey, cumin the most popular spice in the world. Cumin is a ground seed, from a flowering plant related to the parsley family. I use Cumin in so many different dishes, including bean and curry dishes.
4. Curry powder is a mixture of spices, usually turmeric, ginger and coriander, and is used in many curry dishes. I thought I hated curry for years because I was buying horrible curry powder. It was gritty, salty and flavorless. Do yourself a huge favor and buy curry powder in the bulk spice section of the grocery/health store. Some families have secret curry powder combination recipes that they pass down for generations, but for convenience I just buy mine from the store.
5. Brown mustard seed is usually what Sunday school teachers use for "faith is like a mustard seed" object lessons. Brown mustard seeds are exactly what they say they are - brown seeds from the mustard plant. I use it a lot in African and Indian dishes, but also some German recipes call for brown mustard seeds as well.
6. Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that tastes wonderful in lentil curries. Garam masala often has a "spicy cinnamon scent" when you smell it because of the added cloves and peppercorns. Some people make their own spice mix, but I have found a good seller that I always buy my garam masala from.
These spices not only take my cooking to the next level, but they are some of my staples. Spices can be expensive, but I bought mine in small quantities for less than a few dollars. Don't buy spices in plastic packaged bottles, because they are usually overpriced and not as fresh. I don't personally buy large containers of spices from Costco (even though they are cheap,)because they are usually too large and don't keep as fresh -but, to each their own.
If you have an ethnic food store nearby, that is also usually a good place to buy these spices. If not, the nearest health food store should carry them. Also checking the Hispanic section of the grocery store often offers good spices.
Challenge: This food storage challenge is to take an inventory of your spices.
If you are adventurous, try buying some of these spices. They really do make simple ingredients taste better!
Need a recipe? Try this one. Cost: $2-5 Level of difficulty: 1
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