Seasonings – Page 6 – SPICEography

Garlic Salt: Adding Two Loved Flavors At Once

Garlic salt consists of garlic powder and salt. It may also contain an anti-caking agent like calcium stearate. In most cases, commercial garlic powders are made by chopping cloves of garlic and pulverizing the pieces. Those pieces are then dehydrated. They may then be subjected to further chopping and mincing …

Celery Salt: A Versatile Blend Of Two Ancient Spices

Celery salt is made from ground celery seed or the seeds of lovage, which is a relative of celery. The seeds are combined with salt. The salt may be regular table salt or sea salt. Humans have been using celery for most of history. The plant is mentioned in Homer’s …

Shichimi Togarashi: The Japanese Equivalent Of Salt And Pepper

Shichimi togarashi is also marketed as Japanese seven-spice powder, which may give westerners the impression that this spice mix bears some similarity to Chinese five-spice powder. However, the two spice blends are very different. Shichimi togarashi is the product of a company called Yagenbori Shichimi Togarashi that has been in …

Berbere Seasoning: Ethiopian Heat

While historians do not know much about Ethiopian cuisine prior to the 13th century, it is believed that berbere seasoning came about around 5 BC. Berbere is the Ethiopian word for “pepper.” Its arrival was at a point in Ethiopia’s history when Ethiopians ruled the Red Sea Route to the …

Pickling Spice: The Spice Blend For Brined Foods

Historians believe that the English word “pickle” comes from the Dutch word “pekel” or the German word “pokel,” both of which refer to the brining aspect of pickling. Humans have been pickling foods for much longer than any of those words have been in use. In fact, some of the …

Ras el Hanout: The King Of Spice Blends

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that can contain as few as 10 ingredients and as many as 80. The ingredients can range from rose petals to Spanish fly. The name comes from an Arabic term that denotes the best spices that a spice merchant has in stock. …

Za’atar Seasoning Blend: The Flavor Of The Middle East

Za’atar is a truly ancient spice blend with roots that stretch back to Biblical times. The name is also used in reference to the herb thyme. There is evidence of its use in ancient Egypt and it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder.

Maimonides was a 12th-century Jewish philosopher, later described the mixture of herbs and spices. Maimonides considered za’atar brain food.

Its use as a staple of Arab cuisine would continue through medical times to the present. It also plays an important role in Palestinian households. Za’atar would eventually gain a starring role in Israeli cuisine, which it continues to hold.

Old Bay Seasoning: Not Just For Chesapeake Blue Crabs

Old Bay is arguably the best-known spice blend in America. It is beloved all over the country and has become a staple of many spice cabinets since it arrived on the scene in 1940. It was then that a German Jewish immigrant and former spice merchant named Gustav Brunn came …