Spices for dinner
The main meal of the evening: curries, roasts, braises and grills.
Dinner is the main gathering meal in much of the world, and often where the full range of a cuisine's spices is shown, from slow-cooked stews to roasts and curries.
Slow-cooked dishes
Stews and braises use whole and ground spices cooked for hours. Moroccan tagines, Indian curries, Mexican moles, Persian khoresh and Hungarian goulash each use a different spice set, giving each its character.
Roasts and grills
Spice rubs and marinades, such as jerk, tandoori, suya, shawarma and barbecue rubs, flavour meat before cooking over fire. Pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander and garlic are common across them.
Table spices
Beyond the cooking, many tables carry their own seasonings, such as pepper mills in Europe, pepper sauce in the Caribbean, chilli oil in China and shichimi in Japan.
Dinner on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇬🇷 Greece and 4 moreParsley
A bright green herb from the celery family, used fresh across Europe and the Middle East.Leaf · Bitter · Herbal and green
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreSaffronزعفران
The dried crimson stigmas of the autumn-blooming saffron crocus.Stigma · Sharp and pungent · Bitter
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreIndonesian bay leafdaun salam
The aromatic leaves of a Myrtaceae tree used to flavour soups and stews across Indonesia and Suriname.Leaf · Bitter
🇴🇲 Oman and 3 moreDried lime
Sun-dried limes from the Persian Gulf, used whole or ground to add sour depth to Middle Eastern dishes.Fruit · Sour and tart · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 IndiaErode TurmericErodu Manjal
A Geographical Indication turmeric from Tamil Nadu with high curcumin content.Root · Earthy and deep · Bitter
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreBay leaf
The dried or fresh leaves of the laurel tree, used to infuse depth into slow-cooked dishes.Leaf · Herbal and green · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreAsafoetida
A pungent gum-resin from the Ferula plant, used as a garlic and onion substitute in South Asian cooking.Resin · Sharp and pungent · Earthy and deep
🇬🇪 GeorgiaKhmeli suneliხმელი სუნელი
A flexible Georgian blend of dried herbs and seeds for stews and meats.Blend · Warm and sweet-spiced · Earthy and deep
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 2 morePanch phoronপাঁচ ফোড়ন
A Bengali blend of five whole seeds used to temper dishesBlend · Bitter · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇹🇷 TurkeyUrfa biber
A sun-dried and night-wrapped chili from Turkey with a smoky, raisin-like taste.Chilli · Smoky · Sweet and mellow
🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreMugwort艾草 (ài cǎo)
Aromatic leaves from the Artemisia genus used in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine.Leaf · Bitter · Herbal and green
🇬🇪 Georgia and 1 moreBlue fenugreekუცხო სუნელი
The blue-flowered annual herb that seasons Georgian stews and Swiss cheeseSeed · Earthy and deep · Bitter
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 3 moreAshanti pepper
The dried fruit of a climbing vine, used for its fresh, herbaceous heat in West African stews.Fruit · Sharp and pungent · Bitter
🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreHorseradish
A pungent root vegetable from Southeastern Europe used as a spicy condiment.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreGalangal
The pungent rhizome of the ginger family, essential to Southeast Asian soups and pastes.Root · Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇮🇹 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
🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreCaper
The pickled flower buds of a drought-tolerant Mediterranean shrub.Flower · Sharp and pungent · Sour and tart
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreEpazoteepazōtl
A pungent leafy herb from the Americas, traditionally used to flavor beans and stews.Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreKaffir limeมะกรูด
The bumpy-skinned citrus fruit and double-leafed shrub of Southeast AsiaFruit · Citrus and bright · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreTurmericहल्दी
The dried rhizome of a tropical ginger relative, prized for its golden color and earthy bite.Root · Warm and sweet-spiced · Bitter
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreCubeb
The dried fruit of a climbing vine, known for its long tail and sharp taste.Fruit · Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreBlack cumin
The tiny black seed of a wild annual flower, used across the Middle East and South Asia.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Herbal and green
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreBay Laurelδάφνη
The dried leaf of a Mediterranean evergreen, used to infuse slow-cooked dishes with herbal depth.Sharp and pungent · Bitter
🇨🇳 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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Panch phoron: Wiki-uk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parsley: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black cumin: AndreHolz at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khmeli suneli: А. Кабанов, CC0, source
- Turmeric: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Caper: IssamBarhoumi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bay leaf: Χρήστης:Andrikkos / The original uploader was Andrikkos at Greek Wikip, Public domain, source
- Horseradish: Pethan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Urfa biber: Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chenpi: Dboxes, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Epazote: Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.), Public domain, source
- Ashanti pepper: User:Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Asafoetida: Toyah, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indonesian bay leaf: W.A. Djatmiko ( Wie146 ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
- Erode Turmeric: Sivaranjani, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kaffir lime: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dried lime: Theinfo, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cubeb: Kembangraps, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saffron: Hubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bay Laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Blue fenugreek: Flyout, CC BY-SA 3.0, source