The reddish brown seeds of a perennial herb in the ginger family, melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta) may be what “pre-adapted” Africans to their predilection for tiny, fiery chiles. The crunchy texture of the...
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Spice Boxes
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 If a single wonderfully scented flower can reveal more about the history of the spice trade than any other blossom, it is the Damascus rose (Rosa x damascenea), with its sweetly persistent fragrance and flavor. This... |
 The dry, unopened floral bud of Eugenia caryophyllus looks like a reddish brown wooden nail, and so, as early as the Roman Empire, it was given the Latin name clove, or “nail.” Its pungent but sweet flavor has been... |
 The raw or toasted seeds of Sesamum indicum offer a pleasantly sharp, somewhat nutty flavor that favors their use as both a spice and a cooking oil. In fact, the seeds are 60 percent oil by weight, and the sesame... |
 The primary product of the spiny, arid-adapted caper bush (Capparis spinosa var. spinosa) is an unopened flower bud, and a somewhat sharp, astringent, palate-punishing one at that. To rid the buds of their bitterness... |
 Considerable confusion has surrounded discussions of the scientific identities and the cultural origins of various “cinnamons” found in the historical records of the spice trade. However, Cinnamomum cassia (formerly... |
 It may seem odd that the most expensive spice in the world comes from the tiny sexual parts of a small, lilac-colored flower with grass-like leaves, one that offers a rather acrid, bitter, haylike aroma and a golden... |
 After saffron and vanilla, cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is the most expensive spice in the world. The essential oils terpinene, cineol, and limonene make it intensely aromatic. The twenty-five jet black seeds in... |
