Hospitality: spices that mark them
The cardamom coffee, the cup of chai and the spice that says welcome.
Hospitality is where spice appears as an act of welcome, in a cup of cardamom coffee, a tray of tea with ginger, a plate of nuts with chilli or a pinch of salt shared at the door.
Offering a drink
Arabic coffee, flavoured with cardamom and offered in small cups, is a sign of welcome across the Gulf and Levant. Chai with ginger and cardamom is offered in South Asian homes, and mint tea is the Moroccan greeting.
Offering food
A host who offers spiced food shows generosity. Georgian supra, Ethiopian coffee ceremony and Indian thali meals express hospitality through plenty.
Etiquette
Guests are usually expected to accept at least a little. Say if you have a food restriction, which hosts will usually understand.
Hospitality on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
馃嚤馃嚢 Sri Lanka and 5 moreCinnamon
The dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, prized for its sweet warmth and essential oil.Bark 路 Warm and sweet-spiced 路 Sweet and mellow
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 4 moreSaffron夭毓賮乇丕賳
The dried crimson stigmas of the autumn-blooming saffron crocus.Stigma 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Bitter
馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands and 5 moreJuniper berry
The fleshy seed cone of the juniper tree, a piney spice for game and gin.Sharp and pungent 路 Citrus and bright
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 1 moreAlligator pepper
The seed pods of West African ginger plants, named for the bumpy texture of their inner kernels.Fruit 路 Sharp and pungent 路 Hot and fiery
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 5 moreGinger
The pungent rhizome of a flowering perennial, one of the world's most traded spices.Root 路 Hot and fiery 路 Sharp and pungent
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Juniper berry: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Cinnamon: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Alligator pepper: NsirimS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ginger: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saffron: Hubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source