Thursday, September 19, 2013

Authentic Spices

Spices give cuisines from other countries a unique and familiar taste.


A wide array of authentic spices exist with the sole purpose of creating mouthwatering dishes from all over the world. From authentic Indian and Mexican spices to authentic Italian and Chinese spices, there is a whole world of spices out there just waiting to be discovered.


Indian Spices








Spices are one of the most important cooking ingredients of Indian cuisine. Usually, Indian cooks use a lot more spices and flavorings than Western cooks. Indian food contains a rich blend of exotic spices and herbs used for seasoning poultry, vegetables, meat, grains and fish. Among the authentic Indian spices are basil, ajwain, asafetida, cardamom, chilies, cayenne, fennel seed and turmeric powder, to name a few. These spices are used in Indian dishes like chilies, Indian sauces, curry powder and pastes and rice.


Mexican Spices


Authentic Mexican cuisine is known for its exceptional spicing, intense flavors and colorful presentation. In Mexico, authentic spices include chopped onion, chili mix, crushed red pepper, dried chives, granulated garlic powder and ground comino, among others. These spices are used in traditional Mexican dishes such as pinto beans, taco filling, Spanish rice, Mexican style sausage, tamales and Mexican style steak.


Italian Spices


Italian foods traditionally have a lot of seasoning and some of the authentic Italian spices include oregano, thyme, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, saffron, parsley, sage, rosemary, myrtle and juniper. Sage is used in liver and veal dishes; crushed coriander seeds are used in lamb and pork; saffron is used in risotto and in fish soups and stews; and nutmeg is used in both sweet and savory dishes containing spinach or cheese.


Chinese Spices


Authentic Chinese spices include cardamom, coriander, five spice powder, garlic and ginger, star anise, Chinese hot mustard and Sichuan peppercorns. The Chinese use these spices in sauces, soups, bean curd, beef or mutton rolls, stuffed lotus roots, egg rolls, fried rice and other traditional Chinese dishes.


African Spices


The African kitchen usually features a large swig black pot filled with vegetables, meat and spices cooking over a fire. African cuisine is unique and offers spices like spicy odeiga marinade, potent peanut cooking sauce, balangwu suya marinade, njangsa, bush groundnut, wede, bush onion, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, curry powder, black peppercorns, Melegueta pepper, garlic, pilau mix, and bush black pepper. These spices are used to make traditional African dishes like yams, okra, black-eyed peas, corn, cassava, ground nuts, sweet potatoes, chicken, pork, beef, cabbage and fish.

Tags: spices include, spices used, These spices used, authentic Indian, authentic Italian