Sweet and mellow
Vanilla, liquorice, paprika and fennel: soft, round and gentle.
Sweet spices carry a natural sweetness and are used in desserts and drinks. Vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, liquorice and fennel seed are among them.
What makes them sweet
Vanilla owes its character to vanillin, cinnamon to cinnamaldehyde, and anise and fennel to anethole. These compounds smell sweet, and the brain reads sweetness from the smell, so a vanilla scent can make a dish taste sweeter without more sugar.
How cooks use them
They flavour custards, ice creams, biscuits, milk puddings, sweet rice and drinks. In South Asia, cardamom perfumes kheer and tea, in the Middle East rose water and mastic flavour sweets, and in the Americas vanilla and cinnamon appear in chocolate and cakes.
Pairings
Sweet spices also work in savoury food, such as cinnamon in a meat stew or fennel in sausages. They pair well with citrus, nuts and dairy.
Sweet and mellow on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreFennel
The anise-scented seeds and crisp bulb of a Mediterranean perennial herbSeed · Anise and liquorice · Sweet and mellow
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreNutmeg
The dried seed of a tropical tree, prized for its warm, pungent spice.Seed · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreAnnatto
The orange-red pigment from achiote seeds used as a natural food coloring and mild spice.Seed · Earthy and deep · Sweet and mellow
🇦🇺 AustraliaWattleseed
The edible seed of Australian Acacia trees, traditionally ground into flour by Aboriginal Australians.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Earthy and deep
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 morePaprika
A red powder made from dried Capsicum annuum peppers, used to colour and flavour dishes across Europe and the Middle EasSeed · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreMahleb
A ground cherry seed used to sweeten Middle Eastern baked goods with an almond-cherry note.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Bitter
🇮🇳 IndiaAmchoorआमचूर
A sour powder made from dried unripe green mangoes, used to add tang to Indian dishes.Seed · Sour and tart · Citrus and bright
🇪🇸 SpainPaprika Tap de CortíPimentón de Mallorca
A sweet, sun-dried ground pepper from the Balearic Islands, prized for its deep red colour and antioxidant properties.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Earthy and deep
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreAnise
The sweet, licorice-flavored seed of an annual herb from the Mediterranean basin.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Anise and liquorice
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFenugreekحلبة (hilba)
The cuboid seed of an annual legume, prized for its bitter warmth and maple aroma.Seed · Bitter · Warm and sweet-spiced
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Nutmeg: Herusutimbul, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mahleb: Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database, Public domain, source
- Fennel: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, source
- Wattleseed: division, CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, source
- Annatto: Porto Neto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Paprika Tap de Cortí: Berin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Amchoor: Miansari66, Public domain, source
- Anise: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paprika: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source