Spices for snacks and tea time
Spiced nuts, crisps, fritters, chaat and everything eaten between meals.
Snacks are where spice is often most playful, with crisp, salty, sour and hot flavours coated in seasoning mixes made to eat between meals.
Savoury snacks
Indian chaat uses chaat masala, with black salt, amchur and cumin. Mexican snacks use chilli and lime, as with tajin on fruit. Japanese rice crackers use shichimi and nori, and North American popcorn and chips use paprika, onion, garlic and cheese powder.
Nuts and seeds
Roasted nuts and seeds are coated in spice mixes from many places, such as dukkah in Egypt, masala peanuts in India and chilli-lime peanuts in Mexico.
Tea time
Tea-time snacks, such as samosas, pakoras, scones and biscuits, bring spice to the afternoon. Cardamom biscuits, ginger cake and spiced fritters are typical.
Snacks and tea time on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreCardamom
Aromatic seeds from spindle-shaped pods used in sweet and savory dishes across Asia and the Middle East.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreChipotle
Smoke-dried ripe jalapeño peppers used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cookingChilli · Hot and fiery · Smoky
🇨🇱 ChileMerkénmezkeñ
A traditional Mapuche smoked chili condiment from Chile, often mixed with coriander.Blend · Smoky · Hot and fiery
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 morePaprika
A red powder made from dried Capsicum annuum peppers, used to colour and flavour dishes across Europe and the Middle EasSeed · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChili oil辣椒油
A red condiment of infused vegetable oil and hot peppers used across Asia and Europe.Hot and fiery · Smoky
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNew Mexico chilechile de Nuevo México
A cultivar group of Capsicum annuum from New Mexico, valued for its smoky flavor and range of heat levels.Sharp and pungent · Sweet and mellow
🇹🇷 TurkeyUrfa biber
A sun-dried and night-wrapped chili from Turkey with a smoky, raisin-like taste.Chilli · Smoky · 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
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 4 moreLolot pepperlá lốt
The heart-shaped leaf of a creeping vine, used to wrap and flavor grilled meats in Southeast Asia.Smoky · Herbal and green
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreChimayó pepper
A prized New Mexico chile cultivar known for its sweet, smoky flavor and twisted dried pods.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Smoky
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Paprika: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chimayó pepper: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Urfa biber: Fornax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chipotle: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Merkén: Jorge Barrios, Public domain, source
- Chili oil: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- New Mexico chile: vxla, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chile de árbol: Cliff Hutson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Lolot pepper: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cardamom: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source