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.

🇨🇳 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

🇵🇪 Peru and 4 moreRocoto A hairy-leaved Andean pepper with black seeds and a distinct cucumber aroma.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep

🇲🇽 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

🇵🇪 Peru and 5 moreCapsicum baccatumají A domesticated Andean chili with fruit that hangs down, known for its bright orange skin and warm heat.Hot and fiery · Citrus and bright 🇮🇳 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

🇮🇹 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 🇫🇷 FranceRomenay pepperpiment de Romenay A compact, mild French chili cultivated in the historical province of Bresse.Chilli · Hot and fiery

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

🇮🇳 IndiaHarmal chilliHarmal mirsang A smooth red cultivar from Goa, known for its intense heat and role in traditional Goan cooking.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇭🇺 HungaryCherry peppercseresznyepaprika A small Capsicum annuum cultivar from Hungary, used for paprika and preserves.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow 🇺🇸 United StatesFish pepper A variegated heirloom chili from the Chesapeake Bay, prized for its color-changing fruit and crab dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery

🇺🇸 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 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSandia pepper A New Mexico-developed Capsicum annuum cultivar used for green and red dishes.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇲🇽 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 🇮🇳 IndiaBafat A coastal Indian spice blend for pork stews and meat dishesBlend · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreLong pepperpippali The dried fruit spike of a climbing vine, once the world's most prized spice.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇲🇽 MexicoGuajillo chilichile guajillo A dried Mexican pepper with a sweet, fruity flavor and mild heat.Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery

🇩🇿 Algeria and 5 moreBlack mustard The dark seeds of an annual plant, used whole in oil or ground into a sharp paste.Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery

🇸🇷 SurinameMadame Jeanette A fruity, very hot chili cultivar from Suriname with a reddish-yellow skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreMountain pepper The dried berry of an Australian shrub, used as a peppery condiment and wasabi substitute.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBlack pepper The dried fruit of a climbing vine, the world's most traded spice.Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreGinger The pungent rhizome of a flowering plant, widely used as a spice and folk medicine.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

🇯🇵 JapanKōrēgusuコーレーグス A Ryukyuan chili sauce made by soaking hot peppers in Awamori rice spirit.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent

Photo credits on this page

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

Black mustard: AnRo0002, CC0, source
Black pepper: Rainer Zenz, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
Kōrēgusu: ayustety, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Rocoto: The original uploader was Lrothc at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
Capsicum baccatum: Retama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
Serrano pepper: Cindy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Harmal chilli: Lavu Ankush Thakur, CC0, source
Long pepper: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mountain pepper: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, source
Guajillo chili: Badagnani, CC BY 3.0, source
Madame Jeanette: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ginger: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source