THE GOURMET GAMBIT

Hibiscus (from the Greek hibískos, meaning marshmallow) is a genus of annual or perennial flowering plants with several hundred species....

Savory (Satureia hortensis) is a genus of aromatic flowering plants of the Lamiaceae family, which can be found especially on the edges...

Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is a perennial species of the family Lamiaceae, cultivated as a condiment plant for its aromatic leaves...

This Persian spice blend has many layers of extraordinary aromas. The flavor is sweet, savory and tart Advieh (which comes from the Farsi...

Zaatar is one of the oldest known spice blends. Already in ancient Egypt, this mixture of spices was prepared on a basis of thyme,...

Five spice or Wuxiang powder (wǔxiāng fěn; literally means: "powder of five fragrances) is the philosophical approached to the balance of...

This spice blend is a unique blend in the world because some of the spices only grow in Ethiopia. The story (or the legend) wants it to...

The leaf of the true cinnamon tree, the Ceylon cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum Verum or Cinnamomum Zeylanicum), is much used in the Indian and...

It is the fruit of cinnamon (cinnamomum verum), the tree whose bark gives us the spice we all know: cinnamon from Ceylon. We do not just...

Aframomum corrorima is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. The spice, known as Ethiopian cardamom, false cardamom, or korarima...

It is a berry that grows on Ruta chalepensis (Chalep Rue), a tropical plant grown in Africa, specifically in Ethiopia.The common names...

Persian blue salt (one of the rarest and most precious of salts) is a salt fossil or gem, whose crystals were formed 100 million years...

A Caribbean Blend The coolies (immigrants from the East Indies to the West Indies) imported curry to the West Indies from 1862. The...

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an herbaceous plant of the family Fabaceae, section of protein crops. It is used mainly as a...

Common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, foeniculum officinale) is a variety of fennel, usually perennial, sometimes biennial, and grown for...

Three fastidious savory, sweet, and relatively mild chillies hold a place of particular prominence in Mexican cooking, they are used in...

Saffron is an agricultural product classified in the family of spices. It is obtained by the cultivation of Crocus sativus. (Iridaceae)...

This special berry (also called Batak berries) comes from the northern regions of Sumatra in Indonesia. Andaliman pepper is a fake...

Grains of Selim are the seeds of a shrubby tree (Xylopia aethiopica), found in Africa. This species is present in tropical Africa where...

Cubeb or tailed pepper (Piper cubeba) is a spice originating in Southeast Asia. It also bears the name of cubeche, embèbe, pepper tail,...