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

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreTrinidad Moruga Scorpion A superhot Capsicum chinense cultivar from Trinidad known for its intense, lingering heat and sweet fruit notes.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreLemongrasssereh; tanglad; takhrai; sera A tropical grass with citrus-scented stalks used in Asian soups and herbal teasLeaf · Citrus and bright · 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

🇸🇩 Sudan and 5 moreTamarind The sweet and sour pulp of a tropical tree pod used in sauces and drinks.Fruit · Sweet and mellow · Sour and tart

🇨🇳 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

🇮🇳 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

🇲🇽 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 🇵🇪 PeruAjí amarillo A golden-orange Peruvian chili with fruity notes and moderate heatChilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇪🇸 SpainPiquillo pepperpimientos del piquillo A sweet, mild red chili cultivar from Northern Spain, prized for its thick flesh and gentle heat.Chilli · 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

🇺🇸 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

🇮🇹 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

🇻🇳 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

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

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

🇭🇺 HungaryCherry peppercseresznyepaprika A small Capsicum annuum cultivar from Hungary, used for paprika and preserves.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇩 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

🇨🇳 China and 3 moreStar anise八角 (bājiǎo) The reddish-brown star-shaped fruit of a Chinese evergreen tree, used for its licorice-like flavor.Fruit · Sweet and mellow · Anise and liquorice

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreChimayó pepper A prized New Mexico chile cultivar known for its sweet, smoky flavor and twisted dried pods.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Smoky

🇪🇸 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 🇻🇳 VietnamHúng lìu A Vietnamese spice blend of cinnamon, star anise, and clove for roasted meatsWarm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreLong pepperpippali The dried fruit spike of a climbing vine, once the world's most prized spice.Fruit · Hot and fiery · 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

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

🇬🇷 GreeceFlorina pepperπιπεριά Φλωρίνης A sweet, horn-shaped red pepper from northern Greece with Protected Designation of Origin status.Fruit · Sweet and mellow

🇺🇸 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

🇬🇼 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

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreClove The dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.Flower · Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced

🇪🇬 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

🇯🇲 Jamaica and 4 moreCanella The aromatic inner bark of a Caribbean tree, often called white cinnamon.Bark · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sharp and pungent

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

🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreMountain pepper The dried berry of an Australian shrub, used as a peppery condiment and wasabi substitute.Fruit · Hot and fiery · 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
Clove: Bayu Nugroho, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tamarind: B.navez, CC BY 2.5, source
Pandan: Zuhairali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cherry pepper: James Lee, CC BY 2.0, source
Mountain pepper: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, source
Saigon cinnamon: Sykes, Bill, CC BY 4.0, source
Canella: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Char magaz: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
Capsicum baccatum: Retama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Piquillo pepper: sindändùne -, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Big Jim pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
Madame Jeanette: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Common thyme: Isidre blanc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Star anise: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chimayó pepper: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chenpi: Dboxes, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Paprika Tap de Cortí: Berin, CC BY 3.0, source
Long pepper: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Balsam of Peru: Maša Sinreih in Valentina Vivod, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pimiento: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Florina pepper: https://www.aglaiakremezi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Peppers-pan-S, CC0, source
Datil pepper: Paullassiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Guajillo chili: Badagnani, CC BY 3.0, source
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: Hankwang, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lemongrass: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
Korean mint: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Prekese: NMNH, CC0, source
Garlic chives: Kurt Stüber [1], 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