15 Exotic Spices And How To Use Them
While its flavor is similar to thyme or oregano, it is much more aggressive and has a smoky, spicy, bitter aftertaste, so it is rarely consumed raw. It often gets added in small quantities to curries, red lentil dhal, and chana masala. It also appears in Indian bread, from naan to roti to parathas .
It is integral to pakoras, samosas, chutneys, and sauces of all kinds, and it makes a great addition to breading for meat or vegetables. When fried in butter or ghee, a technique known as tarka, it gets used as a garnish on numerous dishes. We recommend adding it to your chicken noodle soup recipe, split pea soup, or minestrone for a complex flavor and a warm, soothing heat.
The health benefits of green cardamom are well documented on Healthline . They are a natural diuretic and have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. They also aid digestion, blood sugar regulation, and pulmonary functioning and can deter the onset of halitosis. And the Vikings and Europeans have long used it for its supposed aphrodisiac qualities, which may partly explain its popularity in Scandinavia.
Saffron
No discussion about exotic spices would be complete without including the most exotic — saffron. Saffron is the stigma of the crocus sativus flower and is the most expensive spice in the world. One pound of this spice can set you back anywhere from $500 to $5,000, depending upon the source and quality. Its cost is the by-product of how it is harvested, by hand, making it intensively laborious to obtain. Current archaeological and genetic research has revealed that saffron was most likely first cultivated in Greece around 1700 B.C. It then spread throughout the Middle East and Asia, with Iran being the largest producer worldwide. Saffron is known for its myriad purported health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressive, anti-carcinogenic, and aphrodisiac properties, according to Healthline. From a culinary perspective, however, it is be
Sumac
Sumac is a spice most commonly associated with Middle Eastern dishes, including Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. This spice comes from a shrub in a family of plants native to subtropical and temperate climates. While over 200 species exist, rhus coriaria, or Syrian sumac, is the most often used for cooking. The shrub has bright red cones of tiny fruits that get ground into a pulp and sun-dried. Beware not to conflate this spice with its cousin, poison sumac, which has white fruit and can yield allergies like poison ivy or oak. Sumac has been used globally for medicinal purposes, from regulating blood sugar to promoting heart health to easing muscle cramps, via Healthline. While it has a spectacular color in dishes, its biggest culinary superpower is its floral citrus aroma and complex taste, which is simultaneously lemony, acidic, metallic, and tart with just
Za'atar
Among the more popular spice blends utilized across the Middle East is Za'atar. Za'atar is typically a blend of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. It has enjoyed a long history as a source of healing thanks to its purported medicinal properties, documented as far back as the 12th century. The sumac in this blend may have anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral, and cancer-fighting elements, via Medical Daily. Herbs like thyme and oregano have compounds that may have antiseptic and antimicrobial qualities. And still, other studies have indicated that this combination may benefit memory and brain health. Health benefits aside, the flavor is what matters for food enthusiasts. It frequently appears sprinkled atop bread, dips, meats, over vegetables, and as an ingredient in salad dressings. It is also commonly combined with labneh, a Lebanese yogurt chee
Fenugreek
Fenugreek, or trigonella foenum-graecum, is a legume indigenous to the Middle East. It's featured in culinary traditions across North Africa, the Mediterranean, and India. While the leaves of the plant can get used, the plant more often gets sought out for its somewhat square-shaped amber seeds. When toasted and ground, the flavor of these seeds is slightly bitter with a sweet burnt-sugar undertone. It is a popular spice in many countries due to its medicinal properties. Perhaps its most well-documented property is as an aid in stimulating lactation in new mothers, according to Healthline. From a culinary perspective, this is a spice that is particularly popular in India, where it is frequently the star of dishes like Aloo Methi, a potato curry, Methi Dal, a pigeon pea stew, and Methi Paneer, a spinach and paneer stew. It also appears in the Ethiopian Berbere spice
Ras el Hanout
When it comes to spice blends, curry often comes to mind, but for those in the know, the Moroccan spice blend of ras el hanout is just as malleable in the kitchen, and often, its flavor is just slightly more nuanced and delicate. The term translates to head of the shop, referring to the notion that the recipe typically features the best spices a spice shop has. While every home has its distinct variation incorporating upwards of 35 or more ingredients in a blend, there are some consistent flavors in most versions we have sampled. At their core is a panoply of sweet and savory spices juxtaposing one another to give ras el hanout its chameleon-like capacity to use in numerous dishes. In Morocco, you can frequently find this spice blend used in couscous, tagines, meatballs, kebabs, and in cooked salad dishes. There is a saying that a bag of ras el hanout is always
Chinese 5 Spice
Chinese 5-spice is a blend of spices often seen in the canon of Chinese cuisine but can be found throughout Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand. The most commonly featured spices in Chinese 5-spice are cloves, star anise, Szechuan peppercorn, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. This blend is known as wu xiang fen in Mandarin and ngh heung fan in Cantonese. The number five represents the taste buds – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. The number five is also meaningful in Chinese medicine, with this combination of spices considered ideal for maintaining optimal health. Because of its complexity and balance of flavors, this spice is ideal in sweet and savory dishes. It often features in stews, meats, casseroles, and as part of soy-based stocks or stir-fries. However, we love it as a stellar substitute for apple or pumpkin pie spice. We often use it in baked goods
Amchur
Am is Hindi for mango, and chur is the word for crushing into a powder. Amchur is a mango powder originating in Northern India thousands of years ago. It is a common ingredient added to vegetarian dishes but also gets featured in stews, chutneys, rice dishes, soups, seafood, and meat because of its distinctive tart flavor. It often replaces lemon, lime juice, and tamarind in recipes where acidity without moisture is required. And because it has a slight sweetness, it can get added to smoothies, puddings, and other desserts. Amchur is made by harvesting unripened mangoes, peeling them, slicing the meat into strips, sun-drying them, and grinding this dehydrated mango into a powder. According to ayurvedic medicine, amchur has long been known for its health benefits. It is often used for digestion, can help prevent age-related macular degeneration, aids in detoxifying the
Dukkah
Dukkah, dukkha, or duqqa is a part spice blend and part condiment hailing from Egypt. It is typically a combination of sesame seeds, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and hazelnuts that get forged together into a paste or crumble. Its name comes from the Arabic word to pound, which signals its ancient origins, where it got assembled using a mortar and pestle. Variations are as diverse as are households, with many permutations including different herbs and spices, some adding garlic or chickpeas, occasionally incorporating fresh herbs, and often substituting other nuts for the hazelnuts. Dukkah was historically consumed as a means of rounding out the diets of ancient Egyptians with a reliable source of protein, fat, and calories. Because of its distinct combination of spices, seeds, and nuts, it is a rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and
Galangal
Everyday Better To Do Everything You Love/Getty Images Galangal root is a rhizome that is a cousin of ginger and turmeric. Native to Southern Asia, this spice is popular across Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, China, and India. While many plants are members of this family, the most often utilized for culinary and traditional medicinal purposes is lesser galangal or alpinia officinarum, according to Healthline. Along with ginger and turmeric, it is a central element in ayurvedic and ancient Chinese medicine and purportedly is rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and cancer-fighting properties. Unlike ginger and turmeric, it often gets utilized to boost male fertility. When it comes to cooking, galangal gets used fresh or as a dried spice. Although ginger, turmeric, and galangal look alike, their taste is distinct. Galangal tends to be
Li Hing
Facebook Li Hing Mui is sweet and salty sour plums that originated in China and were brought to Hawaii in the 1800s by Chinese sugar plantation workers, where it has become a local obsession. Translated, Li Hing Mui means traveling plum in Cantonese. In Hawaii, it travels from island to island. The original Li Hing Mui are the dried plums, which come in packets. You can chew on these dried snacks and then discard the seeds. They get produced by pickling the dehydrated plums with licorice, salt, red food coloring, and either aspartame or sugar. Li Hing refers to the powder obtained from grinding just the seed of the Li Hing Mui fruit. This spice is everywhere in Hawaii. We first sampled it sprinkled on fresh pineapple and were instantly sold. You will also find it in shaved ice, gummy bears, popcorn, cocktails, Malasadas, and added to lemonade. We have incorporated it into a panoply of di
Turmeric
Turmeric, or curcuma longa, is a rhizome in the same family as galangal and ginger root. It originated as part of the Vedic culture of India approximately 4,000 years ago, where it got used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Its active ingredient, curcumin, has become somewhat of a fad of late thanks to its many health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Research has also shown its positive impact on heart health, cancer prevention, and mitigating the onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to Healthline. From a culinary perspective, it has long featured prominently in the cuisines of cultures across the globe, from the Caribbean to North Africa to the Middle East and beyond. It is the central ingredient for many spice blends, including curry recipes, ras el hanout, and some chili powders. Aside
Mace
Mace, or myristica fragrans, is a spice that, alongside nutmeg, comes from an evergreen tree indigenous to the island of Banda, the largest island of the Molucca spice island chain of Indonesia. Its use for culinary and medicinal purposes dates back to the first century, although thanks to globalization, it is now a spice featured in cultures across the globe. Mace and nutmeg are symbiotic in that nutmeg is the seed of the fruit of this tree, and mace is the aril or sheath-like covering on the exterior. This spice can be found in small sheets called blades, or ground, although the blades will last longer than the ground spice, which has a short shelf-life. Mace has long been used medicinally for soothing pain from arthritis, addressing dental problems, increasing blood flow, combatting stress, aiding digestion, and preventing cold and flu symptoms, according
Nigella seeds
Nigella, kalonji seeds, or nigella sativa, are indigenous to Southwestern Asia and have featured heavily in the cuisines of India, the Middle East, and North Africa for centuries. These teardrop-shaped black seeds have also been utilized for medicinal purposes, as is evidenced by their appearance in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. It is known to have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and cancer-fighting properties via Healthline. It is sometimes known as black cumin, primarily because its flavor has hints of cumin, oregano, and onion, with an earthy, slightly bitter aftertaste. They are savory alternatives to sesame seeds in many dishes. While they often get used as a crunchy garnish atop bread, hummus, and salads, they are exceedingly versatile. They only require a bit of toasting before use to draw out their natural oils and nutty aroma.
Ajwain
Ajwain or carom seeds, or trachyspermum ammi, are a seed-like fruit related to cumin, dill, fennel, coriander, parsley, celery, and parsnips. While this fruit likely originated in modern-day Iran, it exists across North Africa, the Middle East, and India. In India, this spice features integrally in the culinary and medicinal heritage of ayurvedic and siddha traditions. According to WebMD, it is commonly used to aid digestion and has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. While its flavor is similar to thyme or oregano, it is much more aggressive and has a smoky, spicy, bitter aftertaste, so it is rarely consumed raw. It often gets added in small quantities to curries, red lentil dhal, and chana masala. It also appears in Indian bread, from naan to roti to parathas. It is integral to pakoras, samosas, chutneys, and sauces of all kinds, and it ma
Green Cardamom
The third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla, is green cardamom, or elettaria cardamomum, a plant in the same family as ginger that originated in the Cardamom Hills of Southeast India. The queen of spices has featured prominently in the culinary traditions of India, the Middle East, and North Africa for over 4,000 years, although it now gets used across the globe. This spice is typically sold in its green seed pod, although sometimes the decorticated black seed is sold separately or ground. The health benefits of green cardamom are well documented on Healthline. They are a natural diuretic and have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. They also aid digestion, blood sugar regulation, and pulmonary functioning and can deter the onset of halitosis. And the Vikings and Europeans have long used it for its supposed aphrodisiac qua
