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.
🇵🇪 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
🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreDalle Khursaniडल्ले खुर्सानी
A round, fiery chilli from the Eastern Himalayas, known for its intense heat and unique shape.Chilli · 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
🇺🇸 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
🇨🇳 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
🇲🇽 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
🇮🇳 IndiaEdayur chilliഎടയൂർ മുളക്
A local Kerala cultivar with a GI tag, used for sun-dried curd chillies.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
🇯🇲 JamaicaPimiento
A sweet, heart-shaped red chili pepper used for stuffing olives and making cheese spreads.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇺🇸 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
🇮🇳 IndiaByadagi chilliಬ್ಯಾಡಗಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ
A deep red, mild cultivar from Karnataka prized for its colour and oleoresin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇸🇷 SurinameMadame Jeanette
A fruity, very hot chili cultivar from Suriname with a reddish-yellow skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇲🇽 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 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 StatesFish pepper
A variegated heirloom chili from the Chesapeake Bay, prized for its color-changing fruit and crab dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇫🇷 FranceRomenay pepperpiment de Romenay
A compact, mild French chili cultivated in the historical province of Bresse.Chilli · Hot and fiery
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
- Capsicum frutescens: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Big Jim pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
- Edayur chilli: Sanalkumar Nv, CC0, source
- Serrano pepper: Cindy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dalle Khursani: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pimiento: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datil pepper: Paullassiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Byadagi chilli: Msclrfl22, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fresno chile: Nadiatalent, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bird's eye chili: Daniel Risacher, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Er jing tiao: Borshingwoods, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Madame Jeanette: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source