Guide to Spices

Welcome to the Celtnet Guide to Spices

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Guide to Spices

The Importance of Spices

Though it may be hard to credit it today, for at lest three thousand years (and probably much longer) spices have been the driving force behind much of the world's economy (if you don't beleive me, read my article on the spice trade. For much of this time spices were actually much more expensive than gold or silver and salaries could be paid in pepper. By the fifteenth century the effective embargo on the spice trade to Europe imposed by the Ottoman Empire directly cause the European 'Age of Exploration' leading to the discover of the Americas and also led to the later 'Age of Expansion'. Thus were it not for the spice trade world history would be much different from what it is today.

What is a Spice?

Before it's possible to begin a history of the spice trade we need to define what precisely is meant by a spice. In terms of a moderrn definition, a spice obtained from the dried fruiting body of a plant. Thus it can be the whole fruit (as in cubeb pepper or allspice berries or cumin) or it is the kernel or seed of the fruit (as in nutmeg and fenugreek seeds or nigella seeds). In contrast, herbs are the vegetative parts of a plant (the stems and leaves) and include lemongrass (stems), thyme (leaves), oregano (leaves). One exception to this rule is the Methi curry leaves (which are the dried leaves of fenugreek) which is generally considered as a spice.

In addition the roots and bark of plants in their dried form are also considered as spices. Thus turmeric and wasabi are sipces (both derived from roots), as is cinnamon (a bark). This book concentrates on spices (with the exception of kaffir lime leaves). It's companion volume (currently being written) will deal with herbs.

In ancient times a spice seems to have been defined mare as anything that bore a strong aroma. Thus herbs, spices and incense could all come under the label 'spice'. Perhaps the most important aspect of an ancient 'spice' was that it should not be perishable and could be tarnsproted for many months with little loss of pungency. Indeed, it is the concept of 'pungency' and 'hotness' that define the sought-after characteristics of all the classic spices. However, many hot and pungent spices also have a bitter aftertaste — a characteristic which is not in the least desirable. This is why black pepper is the spice par excellence in that it is both pungent and has considerable heat to it but there is no trace of bitterness. Chillies, the other classic spice have considerable heat but no real spice-like pungency; though this can be an advantage in that they add heat to a dish without overly affecting the dish's inherent flavour.

Many other spices in the list given here (apart from the sweet spices used in desserts) represent the quest for food flavourings that are posessed of both pungency and heat. The reason why many of the spices listed are either not widely used outside their native realms or have declined in use is that they are also bitter (such as Sénégal Pepper and Zedoary root).

Using this Guide

To use this guide simply click on the first letter of the spice that you're looking for (above or below). This will take you to a table of all the herbs that begin with that letter where you can chose the herb you want. There are over 50 herbs in his guide so far, including common and rare herbs and herbs used in cuisines from around the world, and you can search by common name and scientific name.

You can also use the search box below to find the spice of your choice. You can use the common name or the scientific name or any text you choose:

all wordsany wordexact match

Just so you know what to expect, each time you refresh this page you will get a random spice displayed below. This is exactly the same kind of information as displayed on the main spice pages, which you can navigate through using the links above and below:

Sassafras

Sassafras, Sassafras albidum or Sassafras tzumu are two species of deciduous trees belonging to the Lauraceae (laurel) family. The trees are native to North America and eastern Asia and grow from 15–35m tall with a trunk that ranges from 70 to 150 cm in diameter. Sassafras is distinguished by having three distinct leaf types bourne on the same branch: unlobed oval, bilobed and trilobed (as most of the leavs in the image are). Young leaves produce a scent very similar to lemons when crushed. The young leaves are also mucilaginous in nature and for this reason are used to thicken sauces and soups.

The dried and powdered leaves of sassafras is known as filé powder which can either be green (from the green leaves) or black (when made from the red autumnal foliage of Sassafras). It is a key ingredient in Cajun, Creole and other Louisiana-based cuisines. An example being filé gumbo. Filé powder is also a critical ingredient in authentic Cajun blackening sauces. Though generally sold as a spice (indeed, it is often said that Sassafras is the only spice originating from North America) — and this is the reason for inclusion here — filé powder should probably more accurately be labelled as a herb as it derives from the leaves (a herbacious part) of the Sassafras tree.

Recipes Utilizing Sassafras

Chinese Barbecue Sauce
Cajun Blackening Spices
Filé Gumbo

If you enjoyed this Spice Guide secton of the sebsite then you will be interested in my eBook on Cooking with Spices and Spice Recipes. This eBook is sold on behalf of my One Million People Campaign to help Liberian children forced to flee their homelands due to civil war gain an education. So, not only are you supporting a worthy cause but you're also gaining an invaluable cookery resource for yourself.

Below you will find links to other pages dealing with the various Spices described on this site

The Spice Trade
List of Spices 'A'
List of Spices 'B'
List of Spices 'C'
List of Spices 'D'
List of Spices 'E'
List of Spices 'F'
List of Spices 'G'
List of Spices 'H'
List of Spices 'I'
List of Spices 'J'
List of Spices 'K'
List of Spices 'L'
List of Spices 'M'
List of Spices 'N'
List of Spices 'O'
List of Spices 'P'
List of Spices 'Q'
List of Spices 'R'
List of Spices 'S'
List of Spices 'T'
List of Spices 'U'
List of Spices 'V'
List of Spices 'W'
List of Spices 'X'
List of Spices 'Y'
List of Spices 'Z'

The Guide to Spices and their Uses PDF file — It takes time and money to keep The Celtnet Recipe Site on the world wide web. You can help via the PayPal donation system:

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If you're looking for a particular recipe, or a recipe using a particular ingredient or set of ingredients, why not try my recipe search facility. You can even use a combination of period and ingredient such as 'Elizabethan Lamb' or 'medieval eggs'.