Spices & Herbs

Ordering Information.

0090 AJWAIN SEED

Cultivated from India to Ethiopia, ajwain (also known as Bishop's weed) has a pungent taste with a thyme-like aroma. The Greeks and Romans called it 'ammi' or 'king's cumin'. It is widely used in Indian breads, snacks, and savoury dishes.

0100 ALKANET - root, cut pieces

A source of red food colouring, the medieval alternative to 'Red Dye #2'. Crush and boil it in white wine or water to extract the colour.

0105 ALLSPICE - whole

Another one with confusing names. It grows in Central America and the Caribbean. The Spanish explorers, who thought they had found Asia (remember "Indians"?), optimistically called this berry "pepper" ("pimienta" in Spanish), even though it didn't taste quite the same. This became "pimento" in England (not to be confused with the type of bell pepper which goes by this name in the U.S.). The English also call it "Jamaica pepper", from where it is grown. The name "allspice", used in North America, was given because it tastes like a mixture of pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The French, just to further confuse the issue, call it "quatre épices" for the same reason.

0108 ANGELICA SEED

In Iran the seeds (called 'golpar' in Persian) are powdered and sprinkled over cooked broad beans and other pulses to relieve flatulence (natural "Beano"?). In Europe angelica was thought a remedy against witchcraft, poison, and plague. The seeds are used to flavour some liquers, including Chartreuse.

0110 ANISE SEED

A licorice-tasting seed, a little stronger and less sweet than fennel. Often used in seed cakes, or candied for use as a garnish on sweet dishes.

0115 ANNATTO SEEDS

These seeds were widely used in tropical America in pre-Columbian times as food-colouring, fabric dye, and body paint for warriors. Also known as 'aciote', 'urucu', or 'roucon'. The brick-red seed coating gives golden to orange-red colours for food. The colour, got by macerating the seeds in in water and then straining, has long been used in butter and cheese.

0120 ASAFETIDA - powder

A very powerful spice, the gum resin of a Persian plant. Used in Roman cookery under the name 'Laser' and as a substitute for Cyrenaican 'Silphium'. In Indian cookery called 'Hing'. Recommended for fish dishes; use sparingly.

0130 BAY LEAF

Good for fragrance and flavour, this is one of the three herbs of the traditional 'bouquet garni' (the others are thyme and parsley).

0140 CALENDULA (POT MARIGOLD)

Petals of the old-world marigold (avoid confusion with the 'French' marigold, which is actually from Mexico) give colour and a piquant touch to cheeses, soups, and stews. Popular throughout medieval and renaissance Europe; in Holland, according to Gerard's Herbal, "no broths are well made without dried Marigolds."

0150 CARAWAY SEED

This sweet crescent-shaped seed is popular in northern and eastern Europe. It goes especially well in rye bread, cake, and cheese dishes.

0160 CARDAMOM, GREEN - whole pods

Otherwise 'Malabar' or 'Ceylon' cardamom. The tiny seeds store very well in their papery pods. To use, break the pods, extract the seeds, and pound. Spice packagers often grind the cardamom pod and all, diluting it.

0161 CARDAMOM, BLACK (BROWN) - whole pods

This less expensive alternative, known in medieval times as 'wild cardamoms' as opposed to 'cultivated cardamoms', is earthier and less sweet in flavour. It is much used in Indian cuisine.

0162 CARDAMOM, KORARIMA - whole seeds

This variety of cardamom grows only in Ethiopia. Its flavour bridges the gap between green cardamom and grains of paradise, being warmer than the first but not nearly so peppery as the last. During the Renaissance korarima was sold in Europe as 'Cardamomum majus' and in the Arab countries as 'hab-el-habashi', but as Ethiopia became cut off from the outside world during the seventeenth century the supply ended. Korarima is used in Ethiopia in all kinds of 'wots' (spicy stews), usually ground and mixed with other spices. It is also widely used to flavour coffee (and sometimes tea). Interestingly, korarima is native to exactly the same zones as coffee, so the customary Arab/Turkish coffee spiced with cardamom probably originally used korarima rather than Indian cardamom.

0165 CASSIA BUDS - whole

These dried unripe fruits of the cassia (cinnamon) tree look like cloves, but with thinner stalks. Their taste is sweet and similar to, but not the same as, cinnamon. They are often called for in medieval recipes, but this is little known because the people who translate and modernize the early cookbooks are academics rather than spicers. They tend to make guesses--so "flor de queynel" and "flour of canel" become cinnamon "flour" or "finest" cinnamon, instead of the cassia buds (cinnamon flowers) they should be. The giveaway is that often both cinnamon and cassia buds are called for in the same recipe.

0168 CELERY SEED

Gives a warm spicy celery flavour to sauces, soups, and tomato drinks (such as the "Bloody Mary"). It comes from the wild celery plant, more bitter than the garden vegetable, which was formerly known as "smallage". Another early English name was "march seed".

0170 CINNAMON (Cassia) - sticks, 6" length

A spice of high renown and respect. A medieval proverb asked rhetorically, "Why should a man who has cinnamon die?"

0172 CINNAMON (Ceylon) - sticks, 3" length

Ceylon cinnamon (often known as 'true' cinnamon) has a mellower, sweeter flavour than the cassia cinnamon usually sold as 'cinnamon' in North America.; it is lighter in colour, thinner and softer. You will want to eat it straight. It was first introduced to world trade late in the 13th century, and soon was considered the finest variety. About 1550 it was rated as being worth 40 times as much as the ordinary cinnamon of Malabar.

0180 CLOVES -whole

The flower-buds of a Moluccan tree, cloves have been valued in European cuisine since the time of Charlemagne. Try them for studding a pork roast or a pomander orange, as well as for the traditional spiced wine.

0185 COCHINEAL

This red colouring for food is the dried females of the cochineal insect, which are raised on the nopal cactus. Native to Mexico and Peru, the cactus and insect are now also raised in parts of the Old World, including the Canary Islands (from which we import our cochineal). A pound of cochineal is about 70,000 insects. Cochineal was imported to Europe starting about 1525, and by 1600 had largely supplanted the kermes insect (which is no longer available) as a colouring. A little goes a long way; see the Recipe for Using Cochineal to Colour Food..

0190 CORIANDER SEED

Strong sweet seeds with an aroma of lemon and caraway. Essential for Middle Eastern and Indian cookery.

0192 CORIANDER LEAF (CILANTRO)

Cilantro is an acquired taste. People either love it or hate the smell of it (the ancient Greeks named the herb after the bedbug -- 'koris' -- because of its smell). However, cooking abates the strong smell. Much called for in medieval Islamic dishes, and today essential in Indian chutneys and sauces.

0200 CUBEBS

Also known as 'tailed pepper', this Javanese relative of pepper tastes like a cross between allspice and peppercorns.

0210 CUMIN SEED

An important spice in Middle Eastern and Indian cookery. Try it with cabbage and other vegetable dishes.

0211 BLACK CUMIN

These seeds are darker, smaller, and have a sweeter smell than regular cumin. The taste is between cumin and caraway. Used largely in northern Indian and Moghul cooking, where it is known as 'kala jeera' (black cumin) or 'shahi jeera' (royal cumin).

0215 DILL SEED

Used since very early times throughout Europe, especially in Scandinavia and eastern Europe. The name comes from the Old Norse word dilla ("to lull") because it was believed to have a soothing effect. Dill water is given to babies for colic. In Elizabethan England dill was believed to protect against witchcraft.

0217 EPAZOTE

Epazote is an essential seasoning in many Mexican foods, being considered particularly compatible with bean dishes. It was in use long before Columbus made his voyage.

0220 FENNEL SEED

These seeds were a favourite tidbit to chew on during Lent and other fast-days, as one gets a mouthful of flavour without eating anything of substance. Try them for nibbling, as they also sweeten the breath.

0225 FENUGREEK

The name is from the Latin meaning "Greek hay", because it was a fodder plant. Strongly aromatic in flavour, fenugreek seeds are much used in curry powders and other spice mixes. In Egypt and Ethiopia it is used in bread. Fenugreek should be lightly dry-roasted before use to mellow the flavour.

0230 FISH SAUCE (Nuoc Mam)

A salty fermented fish sauce, this is common throughout southeast Asia under a variety of names. It is made in much the same fashion as the ancient Roman 'Liquamen' or 'Garum' sauces; this will serve admirably as a replacement for them. (Shipping weight 400 g.)

GALINGALE (or galangal or galanga). Two quite different roots were imported to medieval Europe under this name. Both are still used in Asian cookery. Galingale is a tough dried root; probably the easiest way to powder it is to grate it on a nutmeg grater or the small side of a box grater.

0240 GREATER OR JAVA GALINGALE

This was known in medieval times as 'light galangal'. Grown in southeast Asia, it is a mild spice whose flavour might be compared to a mixture of ginger and cardamom.

0241 LESSER GALINGALE

The medieval 'heavy galingale', native to southern China, it is of a much sharper flavour, more like a combination of ginger and pepper. It would seem to have been the preferred variety in medieval Europe, but is today less used than the Java variety.

0250 GINGER -root, dried pieces

The second most popular spice in the Middle Ages, at certain times ginger seemed almost to eclipse pepper. In 14th and 15th century French cookbooks ginger is called for several times as often as pepper. Grate the dried root with a fine grater or pound it in a mortar.

0260 GRAINS OF PARADISE - whole seeds

Very pungent seeds of a west African plant related to cardamom, these taste like a spicy pepper. Also known as 'malagueta pepper' or 'Guinea grains'. They were often included along with cloves and mace in spice mixes such as 'powdor fort'. Chaucer's amorous clerk Absolon chewed them along with licorice as a breath freshener.

0270 GUM ARABIC

The exuded gum of African acacia trees, this is a 'thickener' in pastry and confectionery ('gum drops', for example). In Morocco it is used to perfume drinking water. It is also used as an adhesive ingredient in such artists' materials as gilders' size and painters' colours.

0275 HALABY PEPPER - ground

Also known as "Aleppo" or "Near Eastern" pepper. Moderately hot red chilies are sun-dried, seeded, and crushed. It is said to have a "dense" flavour, and is the preferred capsicum for the authentic Mediterranean taste.

0280 HOREHOUND

Traditional remedy for sore throats and coughs. Steep to a thick infusion and mix with ordinary tea. Also used to flavour candy and (at one time) beer.

0290 HYSSOP

A herb flavoured like mint with a bite. Good with lamb or rabbit, as it cuts the greasy taste.

0300 JUNIPER BERRIES

Used in flavouring marinades, stuffings, and pickles (not to mention gin).

0305 LAUREL BERRIES

Also known as 'bay berries', these are the fruit of the tree which also gives the much better known bay leaf. They look like small smooth dark brown olives. he ancient Romans used them in meat dishes, especially pork, usually putting two or three berries in a recipe. For an ancient Roman recipe using laurel berries, click here.

0310 LONG PEPPER - whole

Closely related to black pepper, the 'corns' of this spice remain fused together and so the whole catkin is harvested and dried, unlike black pepper where the corns are threshed off their catkins. It is beautifully aromatic and is excellent in stews and fish dishes.

0320 LOVAGE ROOT

This may be powdered and used in place of the leaf of lovage, which was widely used in ancient Roman cookery. If, however, you can grow your own (rather large) plants, the fresh leaf is better.

0321 LOVAGE LEAF

With a flavour a cross between strong celery and parsley, lovage leaf was used extensively in Roman cookery. This dried leaf will work acceptably for those who can't pick it fresh from their own gardens.

0330 MACE - whole

Mace and nutmeg are products of the same Moluccan tree - nutmeg is the fruit's seed and mace an aril or skin covering it. Evidently these spices were not known to Europe before the 12th century, but later cooks found much use for them. Mace appeared in a wide range of medieval recipes, and in Elizabethan England was one of the commoner spices.

0335 MAHLAB - whole

Also "mahleb", "mahlep". Small tan kernels of a species of wild cherry, with an almondy and slightly bitter taste (but no prussic acid), used to flavour breads and pastries in Turkey and the Middle East. Try ½ to 1 tsp per cup of flour in your recipe. Keep whole and grind fresh as needed. See Recipe for Mediterranean Bread Seasoning.

0340 MASTIC GUM

The resin of the lentisk tree of the Greek islands. Powdered, it delicately flavours and perfumes Mediterranean puddings and sweet dishes; it is also used as a sort of chewing gum.

0350 MUSTARD SEED (YELLOW)

Mustard is the ubiquitous medieval condiment. Grind and mix your own fresh mustard with vinegar, wine, or water. Try vinegar and honey for a period taste.

0351 MUSTARD SEED (BLACK)

A must for mustard lovers! Black mustard is much more pungent than white (yellow) mustard. Until the 19th century it was more used than white mustard, but today it is grown only in peasant economies, as it does not lend itself to machine harvesting.

0357 MYRTLE LEAF

In ancient times the myrtle was a fertility symbol, and wreaths of the leaves were worn at various Greek festivals. The Romans used the leaves culinarily and to flavour wine. They are still used today as an alternative to bay leaves in marinades and stews, particularly in Sardinia.

0360 NIGELLA SEED

Strong, aromatic, triangular black seeds. Charlemagne listed it, under the name 'gitto' or 'gith', among the plants to be set out in each imperial city. It was called for in medieval Persian cookery under the name 'shuniz'. Also known as 'black cumin' or 'fennel flower'; in India as 'kalongi'.

0370 NUTMEG - whole

These odd 'wooden' seeds require the use of a nutmeg grater (which is available elsewhere in this catalogue), as the ground spice loses most of its essential oils within a few days - it has a very different taste fresh-grated. Grate some over puddings, vegetables, and fruit dishes. For a pleasant traditional boost, grate some over beer, as nutmeg has an affinity for ale.

0377 MEXICAN OREGANO

Known as 'té de pais' ('country tea') in Mexico. It is the commonly used 'oregano' in Mexico, and may be used in European recipes as well. It is described as having a "dusky lemon-and-camphor" flavour.

0380 PENNYROYAL

A strong-flavoured herb of the mint family, pennyroyal was widely used in ancient Roman cookery and was an ingredient in the medieval Persian 'murri' condiment.

0390 BLACK PEPPER - whole

The most indispensable of spices, pepper was so ubiquitous that spice merchants were commonly known as 'pepperers'. As a thing of value which was also in the whole corn nearly imperishable, pepper was sometimes even used as a form of money for payment of rents and customary dues.

0391 BLACK PEPPER ("TELLICHERRY") - whole

This superior grade from the west coast of India, named for the original port of shipment, is generally considered the finest black pepper because of its large size, dark reddish-brown colour, and excellent aroma.

0395 WHITE PEPPER - whole

This is the same berry as black pepper, but cured differently. The corns are soaked and rubbed to remove the dark outer hulls. Those hulls are the strongest-flavoured part of the berry, so white pepper is milder than black. It was less popular in the pungency-loving Middle Ages, but it was used, particularly in light-coloured dishes where the flecks of black pepper might be obtrusive.

0397 GREEN PEPPER - whole

These are simply the immature pepper berries, freeze-dried rather than sun-dried as black pepper is. Not as hot as black pepper, with a "fruity" taste, green pepper has recently become popular in fashionable cuisine. Either grind like ordinary pepper, or rehydrate by soaking in warm water.

0398 PINK PEPPER - whole

These are not actually a pepper at all, but the berry of an unrelated New World tree. Although they have an aromatic, slightly resinous taste, they are primarily used for their colour rather than their flavour. Use sparingly, as they may be harmful in very large quantity.

0400 ROSEMARY

"Rosemary is for remembrance": medieval doctors believed that it strengthened the memory. Excellent with lamb and other meats.

0410 RUE LEAF

Rue is a herb used extensively in ancient Roman cuisine, and one of the bitter herbs used at Jewish Passover. In small quantities it goes well in salads and egg dishes.

0411 RUE BERRIES

The five-lobed stalked fruits of the rue bush have a warm bitterish flavour similar to but not the same as rue leaf. They were used in ancient Roman cookery; Apicius calls for them particularly in fish dishes and sauces for fowl and venison. In more recent times, they appear to be used only in Ethiopian cuisine, ground rue berries being an important ingredient of the hot 'berbere' sauce. The Ethiopian name, 'tenadam', means 'health of Adam' referring to their medicinal uses.

0420 SAFFRON - Spanish, whole threads

The Prince of Spices! Expensive, indeed, but no wonder, when 80,000 crocus blossoms are needed to make a pound of saffron. Fortunately only a small amount is needed - a pinch of crumbled threads is enough to give the colour and delicate, bittersweet flavour to a dish. Steep the threads in a little boiling water, then add to the dish being cooked. Beware of cheap so-called 'Mexican saffron' - it is safflower, which is not a suitable substitute for true saffron.

0430 BLACK SALT - lumps

From India, this has a stronger flavour than ordinary salt. Black salt might be just the thing for the 'lower tables' at a feast, to show their reduced status by contrast with the pure white salt served in the Great Salt at the head table. Powder the lumps in your mortar.

0440 SAUNDERS (RED SANDALWOOD)

This powdered East Indian wood was used to give an orangish-red colour, especially to fruit dishes. "Color hem up with sandres", as the Forme of Cury says.

0450 SILVER LEAF

Garnish important dishes with these edible gossamer-thin sheets of silver. The medieval cook used them on subtleties and their most important made dishes; in India they are called 'vark' and are used on rice dishes and deserts. Don't handle the silver leaf directly, but lay it in place using the tissue sheet it comes folded in. Each leaf is approximately 10 cm by 14 cm. (Shipping weight 25 g.)

0460 SPEARMINT

Probably one of the oldest culinary herbs, this is the variety of mint needed for ancient and medieval dishes, and for mint tea. (Peppermint was not discovered until the 17th century.)

0462 SPIKENARD

This root (or more properly rhizome) has a heavy and peculiar odour, like a mixture of valerian and patchouli. The taste is bitter and aromatic. Used in India from early times in perfume and medicine, it was imported to the Greco-Roman world. It scented the precious ointment offered to Jesus. The Roman cookbook of Apicius calls for it in sauces for meat, seafood, and fowl. It is an ingredient in some medieval hypocras and clarry recipes. [n.b. -- do not confuse this with American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a totally different plant, which is what is usually offered as 'spikenard' in North America.]

0465 STAR ANISE - whole

Native to southern China and Vietnam, these eight-pointed pods have a sweet licorice-like flavour. Of ancient use in China, star anise is a key ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder. It was first brought to Europe in the 1580s and was used in fruit syrups and jams; for many years the main export from China was overland through Russia. Grind the whole pod--the seeds are less aromatic than the pod.

0470 SUGAR LOAF

Until this century, most sugar came in solid conical loaves, varying in weight from a few ounces up to twenty or more pounds. When sugar was needed, it was grated off the loaf. Now you too can have a sugar loaf for a 'whatzit' conversation piece in your kitchen. (Cone 15 cm high, 6½ cm diameter.)

0480 SUMAC BERRIES

The tart red powder of these berries is an essential 'souring agent' in Middle Eastern cookery, used in place of vinegar or lemon. Also makes a refreshing summer drink. (N.B. - this is not the same as the North American wild sumac, some varieties of which are poisonous.)

0490 SZECHUAN PEPPER

The 'red pepper' called for in old Chinese recipes is this spice, which is also known as 'wild pepper', 'fagara', or 'anise pepper'. The berries should be heated in a dry skillet to bring out the flavour, then ground. In the Orient, it is often mixed with salt for a table seasoning.

0495 ZEDOARY ROOT

First brought from the East in the 6th century, zedoary was considered a great antidote by the Arab physicians. It is used in cordials and liquers, and in the middle ages was often a culinary ingredient. It is perhaps most notable for being the spice whose name has the most variant spellings. It show up in forms from the original Arabic 'djedwar' through 'zedoar' to 'zeduale' to 'citoval' to 'setwall' to 'cetewale' to 'citouart' (I've counted over fifty forms). It's the likeliest candidate for that 'mystery spice' in the old recipe you are trying to decipher.

If you didn't find the spice you were looking for on this page, try our SPICEFINDER index of alternate names of spices.

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Author: David Dendy © 1997-2004
This page was last updated on 22/03/04.