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
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 3 moreIndian prickly ash
A pungent fruit from a thorny shrub, used for its tingling spice in coastal India and Vietnam.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Numbing and tingling
馃嚨馃嚫 Palestine and 4 moreGreek sage
A hairy Mediterranean shrub with pink flowers and edible fruit galls.Leaf 路 Herbal and green 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 5 moreSichuan pepper鑺辨 (hu膩ji膩o)
The dried husk of Zanthoxylum fruit, prized for its citrus scent and electric numbness.Fruit 路 Citrus and bright 路 Sharp and pungent
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
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 3 moreStar anise鍏 (b膩ji菐o)
The reddish-brown star-shaped fruit of a Chinese evergreen tree, used for its licorice-like flavor.Fruit 路 Sweet and mellow 路 Anise and liquorice
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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sichuan pepper: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chili pepper: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Star anise: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
- Indian prickly ash: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Greek sage: This file is a work by Ester Inbar ( user:ST or he:user:ST ). More of, Attribution, source
- Black pepper: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source