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.
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 4 moreFennel
The anise-scented seeds and crisp bulb of a Mediterranean perennial herbSeed 路 Anise and liquorice 路 Sweet and mellow
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
馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan and 5 moreLovage谢褞斜懈褋褌芯泻
A tall European herb with celery-like leaves and spicy seeds used in soups and broths.Leaf 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Herbal and green
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 4 moreThyme
The dried leaves of a Mediterranean mint-family herb, used to perfume stews and baths alike.Leaf 路 Earthy and deep 路 Warm and sweet-spiced
馃嚮馃嚦 Vietnam and 1 moreRice paddy herbng貌 么m
A tropical aquatic herb with lemon-cumin notes, native to Southeast Asian rice fields.Leaf 路 Citrus and bright 路 Warm and sweet-spiced
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreFenugreek丨賱亘丞 (hilba)
The cuboid seed of an annual legume, prized for its bitter warmth and maple aroma.Seed 路 Bitter 路 Warm and sweet-spiced
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.
- Thyme: Evan-Amos, CC0, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rice paddy herb: Emilia Murray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Basil: Castielli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fennel: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, source
- Lovage: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source