Spice news
TradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'TradeSpice market update: cumin continues its upward trendTradePatel Retail launches 23-product whole spices range under Indian ChaskaChilliChili Prices Hit Rp100,000 per Kg: What's Happening?ChilliChicago-Area Brand The Spice Drops Launches a Concentrated Chili Oil That Makes Food Spicy Without Changing the FlavorHarvestSaffron In The Cold Desert? Ladakh Is Putting 90,000 Iranian Corms To The TestMarketsUttar Pradesh Gears Up To Become Global Hub For Spice Processing & ExportsHarvestWhy 100 UP Farmers Are Growing Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop RaidsHarvestKashmir Squanders SaffronChilliChesapeake Chili Crisp? A DC-Area Chef Is Putting Unexpected Spins on the Condiment.HarvestRed Gold In Cold Desert: Iranian Corms Take Root As Ladakh Begins Saffron Farming Under 'Him Sarovar'TradeSpice market update: cumin continues its upward trend
EveryMasala

Spices for desserts and sweets

Gingerbread, kheer, halwa, spiced cakes and the sweets of festival tables.

Dessert is where sweet spices are at home. Cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger, saffron and rose flavour puddings, cakes, biscuits and confectionery in nearly every cuisine.

Milk and rice puddings

Kheer in India, firni in Iran, muhallebi in Turkey and rice pudding in Europe are all gently spiced, with cardamom, saffron, rose, cinnamon or nutmeg.

Baking

Gingerbread, speculaas, Lebkuchen, mince pies, apple pie and cinnamon buns use warm spices. Baklava and other Ottoman sweets use cinnamon and clove, and Latin American sweets use vanilla and cinnamon.

Confectionery

Halwa in the Middle East and South Asia, gaz in Iran and Turkish delight take cardamom, rose, saffron and mastic.

Desserts and sweets on EveryMasala

The spices written up so far, best known first.

PartSeedBarkRootFlowerFruitChilliLeafResinBulbStigmaBlendPasteSeasoning
FlavourHot and fieryWarm and sweet-spicedSweet and mellowEarthy and deepCitrus and brightSharp and pungentSmokyFloral and perfumedBitterAnise and liquoriceSour and tartSavoury and umamiNumbing and tinglingHerbal and green
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 4 moreBasil A tender culinary herb with glossy leaves and a licorice-like aroma, native to tropical Asia.Leaf 路 Anise and liquorice 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 馃嚠馃嚦 India and 2 moreCardamom Aromatic seeds from spindle-shaped pods used in sweet and savory dishes across Asia and the Middle East.Seed 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaKewra啶曕啶掂ぁ啶监ぞ A fragrant essential oil distilled from the male flowers of the screwpine plant.Resin 路 Sweet and mellow 路 Floral and perfumed 馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesMrs. Burns' Lemon Basil An heirloom sweet basil cultivar from New Mexico with intense lemon flavor and large leaves.Leaf 路 Citrus and bright 路 Floral and perfumed

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven spices you may not know, what is cooking this week, and one blend explained step by step.