If you’re into cooking (and you should because it’s fun!), you probably know the world of spices is incredibly vast. There are literally dozens of unique spices, each ready to boost your food with layers of flavors and aromas.
Adding spices to your cooking can be a bit intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. Spices are your friends, and when used right, they take a good dish and turn it into a great one.
At Chodyè Kreyòl, the best pastries in New Jersey, we support everything related to learning about cooking, so here is all you need to know about cooking with spices. How to enhance flavor with spices and how to use the most important spices on the planet. If you’re ready, let’s get started!
What are Spices, Anyway?
Spices can be anything. Some are fruits, like black pepper and cayenne pepper. Some are barks, like cinnamon. Some are seeds, like fennel or mustard, and others are flowers, like cloves. A few spices are roots, like ginger and turmeric, and others are leaves, although we often call these herbs rather than spices.
Some spices are used for their aromatics, while others are prized for the flavors they add to food. Other spices are used for their color, and a few of them are used for their health benefits. Spices can do it all!
Here Are the Most Common Spices to Enhance Your Food.
Allspice
If you like the aromas of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, you’ll love allspice, also called Jamaican pepper. Allspice is a dried berry, and it’s widely used in Caribbean cuisines. The spice adds a warm aroma and an exotic feel to stews and all kinds of dishes, including the famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
You can use allspice in sweet treats as well, and it’s this versatility that makes allspice a well-rounded, highly prized ingredient in many cuisines.
Cardamom
Cardamom in Native to India and Indonesia, but it has conquered the world for its uniquely sweet taste. You’ll probably recognize it in dishes like curries or basmati rice, but actually, the spice is used widely. Scandinavian countries use it to flavor bread, and Middle Eastern countries add cardamom to their coffee!
Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices on the planet, only surpassed by saffron and vanilla. Interestingly, the largest producer for the spice is Guatemala, a small country with a Caribbean spirit.
Cayenne Pepper
The cayenne pepper is a hot chili pepper, grounded into an intensely colored red powder, and it’s obviously used to add some color and heat to food.
The red spice can be present in hot sauces, but it’s also used as an ingredient. Deviled eggs and omelets can benefit from a little cayenne pepper, and so do seafood dishes, stews, and casseroles.
The secret behind the spiciness in hot peppers is a compound called capsaicin, and it’s the same element used in pepper spray! Use cayenne with caution, or you’re in for a heated surprise.
Cinnamon
The heart-warming cinnamon is the inner bark of a tree, and we’re sure you’re quite acquainted with it — it’s reminiscent of the holiday season and many sweet baking treats.
Actually, the spice is quite versatile too, and it has made its way to savory dishes as well. Cinnamon is part of the famous Chinese Five-Spice, it’s the heart of the pumpkin spice blend, and is an essential ingredient in the Indian garam masala.
Ensure you get the authentic stuff because another bark called cassia, AKA fake cinnamon, is far more common than the real deal.
Coriander
Coriander seeds are quite impressive. The whole plant is edible, and the leaves are sometimes called cilantro. The seeds, though, are a true spice with earthy, citrusy, piney, and peppery flavors.
Coriander seeds flavor wheat beers and Indian curries, sausages, and pickles. There are more uses for coriander seeds than you can imagine. If you have never used the spice, start with just a pinch and go from there, coriander seeds can be overpowering, so you need to master it with practice.
Cloves
Cloves are dried flowers, but these are some very aromatic flowers indeed! The earthy, pungent, and sweet aromas in cloves make the spice instantly recognizable.
Mexican cuisine, but also curries and a wide variety of baking treats, make the most out of cloves, and a little goes a long way. The nail-shaped spice is so potent, you need only to add a few of them to flavor a whole stew.
Ginger
Ginger is a rhizome or a root which makes it rare in the realm of spices. When used fresh, ginger can liven stir-fries and lots of savory dishes, but it’s mostly used as a spice for sweet food when dried. Close your eyes and picture a gingerbread cookie; if you’ve tried them before, we know you have ginger’s warm aroma in mind.
Ginger ale and ginger beer are also examples close to our hearts, but you’d be surprised to see how versatile ginger really is.
Turmeric
Last but not least, we’d like to introduce you to turmeric. This is a root, too, and it’s easy to recognize for its bright orange color. Turmeric gives color to yellow curries, and it adds an earthy, pleasantly bitter, and peppery taste to food.
From satay meat skewers to a fancy mac & cheese, using turmeric is not hard at all, and it’s well worth it. Turmeric is one of the healthiest spices on earth for its anti-inflammatory properties, and many people use it as a health supplement.
What are your Favorite Spices?
When it comes to spices, we all have our favorites, and that’s a good thing! The spices we use are our special touch, our signature — our very own cooking style.
At Chodyè Kreyòl, we specialize in delicate pastries with all the flavors of the Caribbean, and all our sweet and savory patties and nicely seasoned with spices. You’ll have to try each of our specialties to see what we mean.
If you’re around New Jersey, order your patties and enjoy our seasoning. And don’t forget to make spices part of your life, spice things up a little!