Everyday use: spices that mark them
The spices of the working kitchen, reached for every day.
Daily cooking is the main home of spice, with a few trusted spices used every day in every kitchen, such as turmeric, cumin and chilli in India, pepper in Europe, and cinnamon and allspice in the Caribbean.
The everyday spice rack
Most households use between five and fifteen spices regularly. A typical Indian kitchen has a masala dabba, a tin holding mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, coriander, chilli and one or two others. A European kitchen has pepper, paprika, bay, thyme and cinnamon.
How skill is passed on
Families learn the proportions by watching, and the same spices can taste different in each house. Many cooks toast and grind small batches weekly.
Keeping it simple
Few spices are needed to start. Learn a handful well, buy whole where possible, and keep jars fresh.
Everyday use on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreFennel
The anise-scented seeds and crisp bulb of a Mediterranean perennial herbSeed · Anise and liquorice · Sweet and mellow
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 morePoppy seed
The tiny kidney-shaped oilseed of the opium poppy, used in baking and cooking across Europe and South Asia.Seed · Earthy and deep
🇱🇦 Laos and 2 moreKhao khuaເຂົ້າຂົ້ວ
Dry-toasted sticky rice, ground rough, the nutty backbone of Lao laabSeed · Smoky
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreMustard seed
Tiny seeds from Brassica plants that become a sharp condiment or cooking oil.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreGarlic powder
A dry, savory spice made from dehydrated and ground garlic cloves.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreCumin
The dried seed of a small parsley-family herb, used whole or ground in many world cuisines.Seed · Warm and sweet-spiced · Earthy and deep
🇯🇵 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreGarden cress
A fast-growing edible herb with peppery leaves and seeds used in salads and traditional medicine.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Sour and tart
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFenugreekحلبة (hilba)
The cuboid seed of an annual legume, prized for its bitter warmth and maple aroma.Seed · Bitter · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreMustard seed
Tiny seeds from three Brassica plants that create pungent condiments and cooking oil.Seed · 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.
- Garlic powder: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fennel: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, source
- Cumin: Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Poppy seed: Odedr, Public domain, source
- Mustard seed: Novalis at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khao khua: Isan1985, CC0, source
- Sansho: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Garden cress: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mustard seed: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source