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.

PartSeed Bark Root Flower Fruit Chilli Leaf Resin Bulb Stigma Blend Paste Seasoning

MealBreakfast Lunch Dinner Supper Snacks and tea time Drinks Desserts and sweets Street food Pickles and preserves Feasts and banquets

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 5 moreCinnamon The dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, prized for its sweet warmth and essential oil.Bark · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreNutmeg The dried seed of a tropical evergreen tree, prized for its warm, pungent flavor.Seed · Warm and sweet-spiced · 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

🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreBenzoin resin A sweet balsamic tree resin used in incense, perfumes, and traditional medicine.Resin · Sweet and mellow

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 3 moreCeylon cinnamon The inner bark of a Sri Lankan evergreen, prized for its delicate, sweet spice.Bark · Sweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced

🇮🇳 IndiaKewraकेवड़ा A fragrant essential oil distilled from the male flowers of the screwpine plant.Resin · Sweet and mellow · Floral and perfumed

🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreVanilla The cured fruit of a climbing orchid, the world's primary source of vanilla flavouringSweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced

🇲🇽 Mexico and 4 moreVanilla The cured seed pods of a climbing orchid, the world's second-most expensive spice by weight.Fruit · Sweet and mellow · Floral and perfumed

🇹🇷 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

🇯🇲 Jamaica and 2 moreAllspice The dried green berry of a tropical tree, named for its blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes.Fruit · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreMixed spice A British blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice for sweet bakingBlend · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇺🇸 United StatesPumpkin pie spice A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves used in American autumn baking.Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreCinnamon sugar A simple blend of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar used to sweeten and spice desserts.Sweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced 🇹🇳 TunisiaQâlat daqqaقلات دقة A Tunisian blend of five warm spices used to season meats and vegetablesWarm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreAnise The sweet, licorice-flavored seed of an annual herb from the Mediterranean basin.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Anise and liquorice

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreChinese cassia The thick-barked spice tree of southern China, yielding a bold and sweet bark used in cooking and medicine.Bark · Sweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreLesser galangal高良薑 An aromatic Asian rhizome with orange flesh and a sweet, gentle spiceRoot · Sweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 morePandan The fragrant leaf of a sterile screwpine, used to scent rice and desserts across Asia.Leaf · Sweet and mellow · Floral and perfumed

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChar magazचार मगज A blend of four melon seeds used to thicken and enrich dishes in South AsiaSweet and mellow · Earthy and deep

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau and 5 moreCalabash nutmeg The dried seed of a West African tree, used as a local substitute for nutmeg.Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreChenpi陳皮 Sun-dried mandarin orange peel aged for use in Chinese cooking and medicineFruit · Sweet and mellow · Sharp and pungent

🇸🇻 El Salvador and 1 moreBalsam of Peru A dark, sweet resin from a Central American tree, used for flavoring and fragrance.Resin · Sweet and mellow

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Chinese cassia: Itineranttrader, Public domain, source
Allspice: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
Mahleb: Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database, Public domain, source
Pandan: Zuhairali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mixed spice: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chenpi: Dboxes, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pumpkin pie spice: Stephen Witherden, CC BY 2.0, source
Benzoin resin: Wibowo Djatmiko ( Wie146 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Char magaz: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Wattleseed: division, CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, source
Ceylon cinnamon: NickCT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kewra: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Vanilla: Everglades National Park, Public domain, source
Vanilla: Malcolm Manners, CC BY 2.0, source
Cinnamon sugar: Ed! ( Photography Gallery ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nutmeg: Herusutimbul, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Balsam of Peru: Maša Sinreih in Valentina Vivod, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Calabash nutmeg: Samuel Curtis and William Jackson Hooker, Public domain, source
Anise: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cinnamon: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0, source