Spices

Spices are condiments of vegetable origin that were traditionally used to preserve food, although today its main purpose is to flavor dishes. There are different types of spices, obtained from the leaves, seeds or bark of different aromatic plants. Some of these natural spices originate from the Mediterranean climate and others reach us from further afield, with interesting healthy properties that will give a special touch to your recipes. Get to know them!

Types of spices

The variety of types of spices is as wide as the plant world. On the one hand we have sweet spices , such as cinnamon, vanilla or nutmeg, which are widely used in baking but also to prepare some oriental-inspired dishes.

From the east we get the spicy spices , starting with the pepper (white, black, cayenne, pink ...) and continuing with the paprika, chilies or chillies. For its part, aromatic spices add flavor to dishes and in many cases are substitutes for salt. They include very popular spices such as garlic, parsley, mint or mustard, but also more exotic healthy spices such as turmeric or ginger.

Less well known, but also widely used in cooking, are bitter spices such as sesame or cardamom, which should be used sparingly for their strong flavor.

Spice mixes

Spice blends are combinations of spices and herbs for use in cooking, very popular in some countries. The best known are curry (with pepper, turmeric, coriander and cumin) and garam masala (cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, etc.), although there are many more such as Japanese shichimi, five-powder Chinese spices, the Moroccan Ras El Hanout ... Try adding them to your recipes and you will see!