SPICEography 
Along with adding flavor to food, salt is essential for human life. Foods that would have bitter and muddy flavors without salt become rich and flavorful when it is added. Sea salt and table salt are two common forms of salt that will be familiar to most experienced cooks. How …
Cocoa powder is the preferred ingredient for giving chocolate desserts their flavor and color. It is what is used in most chocolate cake recipes as well as in recipes for brownies, chocolate pudding, and homemade chocolate ice cream. If you find that you are out of cocoa powder and don’t …
Lemongrass is an herb from Southeast Asia that grows in tropical climates. As the name indicates, it has a strong lemony flavor that is often used to complement Thai and Vietnamese dishes, but the flavor is versatile enough to work in European dishes as well. While citrus fruits can be …
Madras curry powder is not actually Indian in the sense that Indians did not come up with it. It’s a British blend of Indian spices meant to appeal to British taste buds. It is notable for the fact that it touched off Britain’s love affair with Indian flavors, which continues …
Curry paste and curry powder each have the word curry in their name, so it is easy to understand how someone might get them mixed up. In addition, both are associated with Southeast Asian cuisine and have flavor profiles that may seem exotic to western taste buds. So, how similar …
The Indian black salt that is also known as kala namak is unique among salts for its flavor combined with its striking appearance. If you need to make chaat masala or other Indian dishes that call for it, it will be crucial for an authentic flavor. Similarly, it is a …
If you want to add the orange flavor to a dish, the traditional way to do it is with orange peel or orange zest. Orange peel includes the zest, but the zest does not include the peel. Which should you choose? Let’s compare orange peel vs. orange zest so that …
Mediterranean spices and herbs are a big part of the region’s food culture, which is known for producing some of the world’s most flavorful dishes. Most classic Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes are known for the flavor profiles that their seasonings bring. Many of those ingredients are native while others …