People all over the world have used herbs and spices for centuries for various reasons, but the popular being to add taste to their food and healing aspect of the spices. They change the taste of the food that they are incorporated in. That is why people who are accustomed to using them cannot take food that is without their preferred spices. Across the world, we have different food spices that are used by various people. In this section, we will cover the most popular herbs and spices used around the world to flavor food recipes.
List of popular herbs and spices used around the world
Turmeric
This is a product of dried and ground fleshy root that is popular among many people’s recipes. This spice has a unique flavor and is one of the most used spices in the world. It is utilized to accent and brighten curries, pickles, rice pilafs, corn dishes and much more.
Aniseed
This spice gives foods a discrete aroma of licorice and is regularly utilized to make anisette, liqueurs ouzo, and pernod. It also used in cakes, cookies and fruit salads. In India, this spice is popularly used in braised dishes and pilafs.
Basil
Basil is one of the most popular herbs used in the world. Its sweet-and-spicy flavor, when dried, blends well with many dishes. Fresh basil has a particular affinity with pasta sauces and tomato salads.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is derived from the dried inner bark of cassia tree. It is one of the most used food spices in the world. It has a sweet and aromatic taste making it a useful component of curry and many baked goods, cakes, custards, fruit pies, cookies, and puddings.
Cloves
Just like cinnamon, cloves are a pleasant and sweet spices that have a strong flavor and sharp aroma. They can be used in stewed fruits. Ground cloves are also used in combination with cinnamon in fruit pies, baked goods, and sweet potato, squash and pumpkin recipes. Cloves can also be utilized to enhance the flavors of bananas and apples in desserts and occasionally in chutneys and curries.
Herbs and spice using tips
If you are buying herbs and spices by weight, don’t buy too much because most spices don’t maintain their flavor for long. Keep the dried herbs and spices in your kitchen away from heat and moisture. And when using dried herbs and spices to your recipe, make sure that you do it early in the cooking process so that they can change and develop a flavor. When adding fresh herbs do it towards the middle or end of the cooking process to retain their flavor.