SPICEography 
Origin of annatto seeds The name used for annatto in Latin America is achiote; its seeds have been widely used throughout Central and Latin America since the time of the Aztecs and Mayans. It gets its Latin name (bixa orellana) from Francisco de Orellano, the 16th-century discoverer of the Amazon. …
Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used mustard to flavor meat and fish. They would mix crushed mustard grains in with their food to enhance its flavor. The early Romans also used mustard pastes that were similar to the prepared mustards that we use today. These pastes consisted of ground …
Pumpkin pie spice is a seasonal mix of spices that tends to show up in recipes and on menus around fall. In fact, it is intended to evoke the taste of fall. Pumpkin pie spice started with the pumpkin and the early European immigrants in America. The pumpkin was a …
As you might expect, ancho powder is made from ground ancho chilies. The grinding of dried peppers to make powder is a practice that dates all the way back to the Aztecs, who cultivated poblano peppers used to make ancho chilies. The peppers were dried to preserve them and were …
Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet since 7500 BC with Christopher Columbus being the first European to encounter them. He was also the first to call them “peppers” because their taste was reminiscent of black pepper. Because of Columbus, South American chili peppers would spread around …
Chives are in the onion family and have been used in Europe and Asia for millennia. Historians disagree about the region of origin. Chives may have come from Siberia, Greece or China. The herb was not actively cultivated in Europe until the middle ages. In medieval Europe, it was used …
Star anise is a spice that comes from an evergreen tree native to southwest China. The Chinese have used it for thousands of years as both a culinary spice and a medicine. Its pods are shapely with eight arms, and this was believed to signify “good luck.” The spice was …
Fenugreek is among the oldest known medicinal plants. Fenugreek seeds were found in Iraq that date back to 4,000 BC. Archaeologists have also found fenugreek seeds in Tutankhamen’s tomb. The ancient Egyptians ate it as a vegetable and the seeds were among the spices that they used for embalming. Ancient …