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.

🇵🇪 Peru and 5 moreChili pepperchīlli The pungent berry of the Capsicum plant, used to add heat to dishes worldwide.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep

🇧🇷 Brazil and 5 moreMalagueta peppermalagueta A small, fiery chili from Capsicum frutescens used across Portuguese-speaking regions.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreChipotle Smoke-dried ripe jalapeño peppers used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cookingChilli · Hot and fiery · Smoky

🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreDalle Khursaniडल्ले खुर्सानी A round, fiery chilli from the Himalayas, known for its intense heat and vitamin content.Chilli · Hot and fiery

🇵🇹 Portugal and 5 morePiri piri A very hot African cultivar of Capsicum frutescens used for spicy sauces and marinadesChilli · Hot and fiery

🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreBird's eye chiliพริกขี้หนู A small, intensely hot cultivar of Capsicum annuum native to Mexico and widely grown in Southeast Asia.Chilli · Hot and fiery

🇫🇷 France and 1 moreEspelette pepperpiment d'Espelette A mild Basque chili with sweet, fruity notes and protected origin status.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 morePoblano A mild Mexican chili pepper that becomes the dried ancho when mature.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCrushed red pepper Dried and crushed chilli peppers, often with seeds, used as a spicy condiment.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep

🇮🇹 ItalyPeperoncino A hot Italian chili pepper used in southern cuisine, dried and crushed for heat.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreFresno chile A medium-sized Capsicum annuum cultivar with a conical shape and bright red skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇵🇭 PhilippinesSiling haba A long, bright green chili from the Philippines, prized for moderate heat in sour and savory stews.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇨🇳 ChinaEr jing tiao二荆条 A fragrant Chinese chili cultivar prized for its deep hue and medium heatChilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇲🇽 MexicoSerrano pepper A hot Mexican chili from mountain regions, used fresh in salsas and sauces.Chilli · Hot and fiery · 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

🇺🇸 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

🇲🇽 MexicoChile de árbol A small, fiery Mexican chili pepper known for its grassy heat and bright red dried pods.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Smoky

🇮🇳 IndiaByadagi chilliಬ್ಯಾಡಗಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ A deep red, mild cultivar from Karnataka prized for its colour and oleoresin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇺🇸 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

🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreCapsicum frutescens A small, wild chili species with erect berries, native to the Americas and widely grown in tropical regions.Chilli · Hot and fiery 🇺🇸 United StatesFish pepper A variegated heirloom chili from the Chesapeake Bay, prized for its color-changing fruit and crab dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery

🇭🇺 HungaryCherry peppercseresznyepaprika A small Capsicum annuum cultivar from Hungary, used for paprika and preserves.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow 🇫🇷 FranceRomenay pepperpiment de Romenay A compact, mild French chili cultivated in the historical province of Bresse.Chilli · Hot and fiery 🇨🇳 ChinaXiao Mi La Pepper小米辣 A wild Capsicum frutescens cultivar from southern China, prized for intense heat in spicy regional dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent 🇮🇳 IndiaNandurbar Mirchiनंदुरबार मिर्च A GI-tagged chilli cultivar from the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, India.Chilli · Hot and fiery

🇲🇽 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 🇮🇳 IndiaRamanathapuram Mundu chilli A round, mild red chilli from Tamil Nadu with a GI tag.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep 🇵🇪 PeruAjí amarillo A golden-orange Peruvian chili with fruity notes and moderate heatChilli · Hot and fiery · 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
Peperoncino: Ramac, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Piri piri: Bovineone at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Capsicum frutescens: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Big Jim pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cherry pepper: James Lee, CC BY 2.0, source
Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
Serrano pepper: Cindy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Malagueta pepper: Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil, CC BY 2.0, source
Chipotle: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Siling haba: Bagoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Datil pepper: Paullassiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chile de árbol: Cliff Hutson, CC BY 2.0, source
Byadagi chilli: Msclrfl22, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fresno chile: Nadiatalent, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Espelette pepper: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Crushed red pepper: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Poblano: stef yau, CC BY 2.0, source
Bird's eye chili: Daniel Risacher, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Er jing tiao: Borshingwoods, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dalle Khursani: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Madame Jeanette: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source