Tamarind is a tart fruit used as a spice and souring agent. The fruit is shaped like a long bean, inside which is a sour pulp containing many seeds. The pulp…
Szechuan peppercorns are the dried husks that surround the seeds of the Chinese prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum simulans). Usually reddish brown, the fruits…
Horseradish is a long, rough, tapering root, not unlike a parsnip, with rings, and tiny roots sprouting from the main root. Horseradish is sold fresh, but…
Dill has a sweet and aromatic bouquet; the taste has a hint of caraway and is slightly, but by no means unpleasantly, bitter. Indian or Japanese dill is…
Garlic is indispensable in many cuisines. Before preparation, a whole clove has only a mild bouquet; it is only marginally stronger when sliced, but it has…
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is the only orchid that produces edible fruit, in the form of long thin pods. Native to Central America, vanilla has a long…
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizome (swollen underground root) that's brilliant golden orange inside with orange-tinged tan skin. In South Africa ground…
Aniseed (also anìs (stressed on the second syllable) and anise) has small sage green to yellow ochre crescent-shaped seeds similar to caraway in appearance…
Cayenne pepper is a finely ground powder prepared from the seeds and pods of various types of chilli. As most powders are blends, the names of the varieties used are…
The curry powder most familiar to Westerners is generally a mix of various spices. Curry powder may be most associated with Indian cuisine, but it also…
