Fruits and berries
Black pepper, allspice, star anise, juniper, sumac and tamarind: dried fruit that carries the flavour.
Fruit spices are dried fruits used for their sour, sweet or aromatic flesh and seeds. Black pepper, allspice, tamarind, sumac, star anise and vanilla are all in this group.
What they are
Black pepper is a dried berry, allspice is an unripe berry, star anise is a star-shaped fruit and vanilla is the cured pod of an orchid. Sumac is the dried berry of a shrub, and tamarind is the pulp of a pod. The fruit holds both oils and acids that give flavour.
How they are used
Peppercorns are cracked or ground, tamarind is soaked into pulp for sour curries and chutneys, sumac is sprinkled on meat and salad for tang, and vanilla pods are split to flavour milk and cream. Star anise lends a licorice note to broths and braises.
Buying and keeping
Keep whole fruits in closed jars. Vanilla pods should be supple and oily. Tamarind keeps well as a block. Ground fruit spices lose aroma quickly, so grind them as needed.
Fruit on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 moreChili pepperch墨lli
The pungent berry of the Capsicum plant, used to add heat to dishes worldwide.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Earthy and deep
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreHabanero
A very hot chili cultivar with a floral aroma, native to the Amazon and grown in Mexico.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Floral and perfumed
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 2 moreLong pepper
The dried fruit spike of a climbing vine native to Java, once the world's standard heat.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sharp and pungent
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 1 moreAlligator pepper
The seed pods of West African ginger plants, named for the bumpy texture of their inner kernels.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreCapsicum annuum
A flowering plant producing berries of many colors and heat levels, from sweet bell peppers to fiery chilies.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreBlack pepper
The dried fruit of a climbing vine, the world's most traded spice.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚙馃嚛 Bangladesh and 2 morePiper chaba
A creeping vine from South and Southeast Asia whose stems and roots are used as a pungent spice.Root 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 3 moreLong pepperpippali
The dried fruit spike of a climbing vine, once the world's most prized spice.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 4 moreRocoto
A hairy-leaved Andean pepper with black seeds and a distinct cucumber aroma.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Earthy and deep
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 1 moreMountain pepper
The dried berry of an Australian shrub, used as a peppery condiment and wasabi substitute.Fruit 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sweet and mellow
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chili pepper: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Piper chaba: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Long pepper: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mountain pepper: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, source
- Rocoto: The original uploader was Lrothc at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen K枚hler, K枚hler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
- Alligator pepper: NsirimS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Habanero: Andr茅 Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Black pepper: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source