What's the best spice?

Lynne Cim wrote:Thai basil from my garden is my favorite.

This is the bees' favorite so I always grow it. And I love it too!
Also wild oregano for us all.
I get many kinds of bees including honey bees that go the distance for this.

Both are super dooper with freshly picked tomatoes!

I have to say Garam Masala which is cumin plus a bunch more spices. I have several pounds of it.

But the one I use the most of is fennel, which I have more than several pounds (I buy in bulk ) because it contains an enzyme we need to better digest pulses. In addition to ground fennel (which the dog eats too) I make tisane out of whole grains that go in stews after it has been used for tea.

Jay Angler wrote:I'm such a traditionalist... Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.... the Beatles got it right! And I grow all of those.

Beatles? did I miss something? Simon & Garfunkel Y/N?
... just messin' with ya

Good list - I seem to recollect Rosemary and Thyme were strewn about on the floors of homes & castles as an anti-bacterial (?) agent, back when sanitary conditions were, ummm, somewhat lax

Sugar and spice and everything nice

I started my deep dive into herbs & spices back around 1970 while delving into the culinary arts and, thus, was more focused on the flavors and enhancements they add to food. I sorta gained an intuitive sense of what to add to food I was preparing (e.g., who’s hailing me as I scan through the spice rack for this dish)

However, in more recent times, on focusing more on nutrition and health, I kinda backed off, recognizing I didn’t really have a clue what their health-related properties were, nor how they might react in different combinations together.  Now with ** some ** more knowledge under my belt (?under my tongue?) I’ve re-introduced many into regular use… still somewhat relying on that intuitive sense

There are so many goodies out there, as well exemplified by the posts in this thread (thank y’all very much!!) it’s hard to boil it down to one favorite.  Nevertheless CAYENNE jumps to mind as a top contender to share

[TMI Alert]
I started adding cayenne to almost every meal once I learned about it’s property of facilitating bowel movements - particularly for ‘seniors’ (like me) whose elimination function may be somewhat impaired
… OK, so there appears to be many factors that facilitate ‘normal’ elimination - hydration & movement for example

SALT - especially sea salt, more so for it’s mineral content, seems to be important, especially in these times when so much commercially grown produce is lacking in minerals and other nutrients they would derive from the soil under more ‘natural’ growing conditions.

I hear tell, from some ‘alternative’ health advisors I’ve come to trust, we (almost) cant’ add too much salt to our diet…
CAVEAT EMPTOR - let your body (read: nature) be your guide

I can't believe no one mentioned fennel seed. can you imagine Italian sausage without fennel seed?

The best single spice is 14 spices

https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/green-curry-paste/

First I made the recipe after having some at Ta Ra Rin restaurant and being struck by the fact that this is probably more delicious than any of the dishes I had in Thailand

I tried to try them all, but clearly I missed one.  Probably a few.

Then I made a 5x batch a few days later, then I recently did a 20x batch that got me about a half gallon.  That should do me for awhile 🤣

I tried 3 brands of premade stuff.  They did not compare to this recipe fresh.

Doesn't have much of a shelf life given the fresh basil and cilantro, but you can get around that by keeping it in the freezer with the top coated in oil.

I don't often do the secondary "green curry" recipe as I can't grow coconuts or much rice and, think I ate chicken once last year.  But I can stir the paste into cooked squash, or potatoes, or black beans and barley, or broth and tomatoes or whatever.  

And for whatever reason, the body wants a strong dose of it just about every day.

Linked recipe is very hot and can be used as guideline, and is not identical to the restaurant version I had and aimed to emulate  I think more basil and citrus leaf, fewer of those crazy hot Thai chilies and some more of a milder green chili.  

Best.  Spice.  Ever.

Or maybe it's just a nutritional phrase😂

I don't know if it is my favorite, but I really like using different mushrooms in some dishes to bring out flavor. Porcini and death trumpets impart strong rich flavors, but they are not for every dish.

Jason



I tend to only use cumin with coriander.

John Hutter wrote:The best single spice is 14 spices

I don't personally buy that green curry is a spice, but since green curry is the best curry, and also freaking fantastic, you get partial credit.

Odd one: Black salt, or kala namak

It tastes like sulphur, and has lots of minerals in it. once it's been cooked into a food it won't taste like eggs, though they use it for that purpose to make vegan tofu scramble (the flavor is added at the end). I first had it in an Indian restaurant sprinkled on pakora, a fried appetizer. My first thought was "what the heck?? Weeeeeird!" and I was turned off. But as I ate other things I found myself reaching for it again. And again. Soon I was addicted. Maybe my body needed stuff that's in it?

Anyway, nowadays I put it on popcorn or roasted potatoes because it has way more depth than plain or pink salt. I use it in tofu scramble, but I don't put it on eggs because I fear egg-overload flavor, lol, but that might just be my cartoon-brain reacting.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/everything-you-need-to-about-black-salt/
(note: we are NOT talking about black lava salt from Hawaii)
You can order it online or find it in Asian food stores, particularly Indian stores. A large jar will last forever.

Kim Wills wrote:kala namak

I'm still not buying that salt is a spice, but this is a good addition! We have some, but I've only used it to make tofu taste eggy. You've got me wanting to try it on taters!

Christopher Weeks wrote: I'm still not buying that salt is a spice...

I get your point - the dictionary is clear, "an aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food," so pepper is a spice, but salt is a mineral.

But for those of us who *aren't* purists, I know a foodie who might like to try that kala namak. I wonder how it's made, but that would be for its own thread.

I'm on the salt-is-a-mineral-so-clearly-not-a-spice team.
I absolutely love black peper--ground over the dish. So that's my vote, but haven't seen anyone mention my second favorite--oregano. That wins for versatility.

So my feeling is that these is multiple classes of spices.

Sweet
Sour
Spicy
Salty

I think the debate on herbs vs minerals vs spice. I would say it depends on proportion. If it is a small amount compared to the whole then no matter it's source it's a spice as it is used to alter, accentuate, or improve the dish.

As we all know herbs and minerals are often called spices for these very reasons.

According to wiki spices are from plants, but it does not incude minerals which I do.

That said my favorite is curry, which is actually multiple spices combined.

Hello,
For me garlic and turmeric. In generous quantities.
In the garden this year, I expect rosemary, oregano, lemonbalm, saffron, rosemary and black cumin (Nigella sativa).
Arguably you could count goutweed and wild garlic as spices ... But ... They are too good to be used only as seasoning.
Have  a nice evening,
Oliver

I admit my first thought was that "spice" meant things that can be grown, so, plants. I'm going to check out the new "black salt" thread now ... and while I'm there, I'll mention that although some black salt is only minerals, traditionally they cooked the salt and added spices (I just learned this today!), making something like a seasoned salt. So there. 😜
I'll go sit in the corner now.
The one made just for me.
Where the cool kids hang. 😎

Kim Wills wrote:. So there. 😜

🤣

8am in the morning and I already learned something new: I've never heard of black salt

If I had to choose one plant that produces spice, that would definitely be hot pepper.
Just one plant can produce enough of heat for a family, for a year.
Turned into powder, into hot sauce or just added to a dish, it makesthe most boring food interesting ;)
Good sea salt infused with hot chili sauce is great on the road and might ignite some interesting conversations if you always carry it in a small ziploc bag and use in public ;)