Spices for lunch
Thalis, rice plates, stews and sandwiches: the midday meal.
Lunch is the main meal of the day in many parts of the world, and spice is central to it, from the Indian thali and the Ethiopian injera platter to the Mexican comida.
The midday meal
In South Asia and parts of Africa and Latin America lunch is the largest meal. A thali brings together dal, vegetables, rice, bread, pickles and chutneys, each with its own spice. In Ethiopia a shared plate of wats and injera is built on berbere.
Lighter lunches
In the Middle East lunch may be mezze, falafel and salads dusted with sumac and za'atar. In Southeast Asia, noodle soups and rice plates use pastes, chilli and fresh herbs. Sandwiches and salads in Europe carry pepper, mustard and herbs.
Packed lunches
Dabbas in India, bento in Japan and tiffins in Singapore keep spiced food portable. Foods that taste good cold, such as pickles, chutneys and spiced rice, travel well.
Lunch on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBasil
A tender culinary herb with glossy leaves and a licorice-like aroma, native to tropical Asia.Leaf · Anise and liquorice · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇭🇹 HaitiEpis
A blended flavor base of peppers, garlic, and herbs essential to Haitian cookingHot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇾🇪 Yemen and 1 moreZhugسحوق
A Yemeni hot sauce of crushed chilies, garlic, and corianderHot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreCurry paste
A blended mixture of spices and aromatics used as the base for curries in Asia.Warm and sweet-spiced · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 IndiaAmchoorआमचूर
A sour powder made from dried unripe green mangoes, used to add tang to Indian dishes.Seed · Sour and tart · Citrus and bright
🇵🇪 Peru and 4 moreRocoto
A hairy-leaved Andean pepper with black seeds and a distinct cucumber aroma.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇵🇪 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
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreEpazoteepazōtl
A pungent leafy herb from the Americas, traditionally used to flavor beans and stews.Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇺🇸 United StatesMrs. Burns' Lemon Basil
An heirloom sweet basil cultivar from New Mexico with intense lemon flavor and large leaves.Leaf · Citrus and bright · Floral and perfumed
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreShiso紫蘇
A mint-family herb with serrated leaves, used fresh or pickled across East Asia.Leaf · Herbal and green · Sharp and pungent
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 morePápalo
A pungent herb from central Mexico to the Andes, used fresh in salsas and tacos.Leaf · Citrus and bright · 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
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreSansho山椒
The dried berries and young leaves of a spiny Japanese shrub, prized for their numbing citrus heat.Seed · Citrus and bright · Numbing and tingling
🇸🇾 Syria and 5 moreSumac
A tart, crimson spice made from ground berries of the Rhus coriaria shrub.Seed · Sour and tart · Citrus and bright
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreKorean mint배초향
An anise-scented Asian mint leaf used in Korean stews and herbal traditionsLeaf · Anise and liquorice · Herbal and green
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreRoselle
The deep red calyx of a hibiscus plant, steeped into a tart drink or cooked as a leafy green.Fruit · Sour and tart · Citrus and bright
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 5 moreVietnamese corianderrau răm
The fresh leaves of a tropical herb used in Southeast Asian soups and saladsLeaf · Citrus and bright · Sharp and pungent
🇱🇦 Laos and 5 moreLemon basil
A hybrid herb with a bright citrus scent, used across Southeast Asia and Africa.Leaf · Citrus and bright · Herbal and green
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreRice paddy herbngò ôm
A tropical aquatic herb with lemon-cumin notes, native to Southeast Asian rice fields.Leaf · Citrus and bright · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreMyoga茗荷
The edible flower buds and shoots of a woodland ginger native to East Asia.Flower · Sharp and pungent · Citrus and bright
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSassafras
An aromatic tree of North America and East Asia, famed for filé powder and root teaLeaf · Citrus and bright · Anise and liquorice
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epazote: Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.), Public domain, source
- Amchoor: Miansari66, Public domain, source
- Pápalo: Wibowo Djatmiko ( Wie146 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sassafras: Randy Everette, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sicilian sumac: Dedda71, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sansho: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Myoga: Mariko GODA, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rocoto: The original uploader was Lrothc at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Capsicum baccatum: Retama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shiso: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zhug: DonIncognito, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Curry paste: Ryan Snyder, CC BY 2.0, source
- Epis: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vietnamese coriander: Joditran, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lemon basil: Kembangraps, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rice paddy herb: Emilia Murray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Korean mint: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Roselle: Bamouzou, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Basil: Castielli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source