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

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreFennel The anise-scented seeds and crisp bulb of a Mediterranean perennial herbSeed · Anise and liquorice · Sweet and mellow

🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreTarragon A slender perennial herb with anise-scented leaves, prized in French and Middle Eastern cooking.Leaf · Anise and liquorice · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇳 IndiaChammanthi podi A dry coconut and spice condiment from Kerala that preserves fresh chutney for months.Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep

🇲🇽 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

🇪🇸 SpainChoricero pepperspimiento choricero A dried red pepper from Spain used to make rich stews and sauces.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Smoky

🇲🇽 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

🇯🇵 JapanGariガリ Thinly sliced young ginger pickled in sweet vinegar, served with sushi.Sweet and mellow · Sour and tart 🇯🇴 Jordan and 5 moreBaharatبهارات A versatile Middle Eastern spice blend used to season meats and soups.Warm and sweet-spiced · Sharp and pungent 🇮🇷 IranAdviehادویه A fragrant blend of spices used to season rice and stews in Iranian cooking.Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇳 IndiaAmchoorआमचूर A sour powder made from dried unripe green mangoes, used to add tang to Indian dishes.Seed · Sour and tart · Citrus and bright

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreFresno chile A medium-sized Capsicum annuum cultivar with a conical shape and bright red skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreKorean mint배초향 An anise-scented Asian mint leaf used in Korean stews and herbal traditionsLeaf · Anise and liquorice · Herbal and green

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGarlic chives韭菜 A flat-leaved Allium with a garlic scent, used across Asia as a herb and vegetable.Leaf · Sweet and mellow

🇬🇼 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

🇮🇳 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

🇮🇹 ItalyCommon thyme A woody Mediterranean herb with small grey-green leaves and a sharp, spicy-sweet flavour.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Sweet and mellow

🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreSaigon cinnamonquế Trà My, quế Thanh, quế Quỳ, quế Trà Bồng A potent bark from central Vietnam with a complex aroma and high coumarin content.Bark · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sharp and pungent

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBig Jim pepper A large, mild New Mexico chile cultivar developed in the United States for green roasting.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery 🇨🇳 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

🇸🇷 SurinameMadame Jeanette A fruity, very hot chili cultivar from Suriname with a reddish-yellow skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreCapsicum annuum A flowering plant producing berries of many colors and heat levels, from sweet bell peppers to fiery chilies.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇵🇪 Peru and 5 moreCapsicum baccatumají A domesticated Andean chili with fruit that hangs down, known for its bright orange skin and warm heat.Hot and fiery · Citrus and bright

🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreFriggitello A mild sweet Italian chilli often pickled, known for its complex flavour and slight heat.Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇯🇲 JamaicaPimiento A sweet, heart-shaped red chili pepper used for stuffing olives and making cheese spreads.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDatil pepper A very hot, sweet-sour cultivar of Capsicum chinense grown mainly in FloridaChilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇲🇽 MexicoGuajillo chilichile guajillo A dried Mexican pepper with a sweet, fruity flavor and mild heat.Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇮🇳 IndiaByadagi chilliಬ್ಯಾಡಗಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ A deep red, mild cultivar from Karnataka prized for its colour and oleoresin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇬🇭 Ghana and 5 morePrekeseprɛkɛsɛ The scented pod of a West African tree, used to perfume soups.Fruit · Sweet and mellow

Photo credits on this page

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

Prekese: NMNH, CC0, source
Gari: DoWhile, Public domain, source
Big Jim pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fennel: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, source
Madame Jeanette: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
Bishop's crown: Retama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
Chammanthi podi: Ranjithsiji, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Annatto: Porto Neto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Choricero peppers: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saigon cinnamon: Sykes, Bill, CC BY 4.0, source
Pimiento: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Amchoor: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Datil pepper: Paullassiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Guajillo chili: Badagnani, CC BY 3.0, source
Byadagi chilli: Msclrfl22, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fresno chile: Nadiatalent, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Korean mint: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Garlic chives: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Calabash nutmeg: Samuel Curtis and William Jackson Hooker, Public domain, source
Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Paprika: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Common thyme: Isidre blanc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tarragon: KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0, source