When you want to add extra flavor to a dish, turn to spices. Spices can come from a plant’s roots, seeds, bark, buds, or berries. (Herbs are produced from the stems and leaves of a plant).
You can find all kinds of spices out there, so you might feel overwhelmed by the spice selection at your store — but don’t fear — this table lists the more common spices and their flavors.
| Spice | Description |
|---|---|
| Allspice | Spice berries of the evergreen pimiento tree with tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves — hence the name. Sold as whole, dried berries or ground. |
| Caraway | Has a nutty, faint anise flavor. Sold as dried seeds. |
| Cardamom | Pungent, spicy-sweet flavor. Sold as whole dried seeds and ground. |
| Cayenne or red pepper | A hot, powdered mixture of several chile peppers. Sold ground. |
| Chili powder | A hot and spicy mixture of dried chiles, cumin, oregano, garlic, coriander, and cloves. Sold ground. |
| Cinnamon | Sweet and aromatic spice from the bark of a tropical tree. Sold whole, in dry sticks or ground. |
| Clove | Sharp and deeply fragrant. Sold as whole dried buds or ground. |
| Coriander | Similar in flavor to caraway. Sold as whole dried seeds and ground. |
| Cumin | Slightly acidic aroma; nutty-flavored seed. Sold as whole dried seeds and ground. |
| Curry powder | A spice blend that can include more than a dozen different herbs and spices. |
| Ginger | Sharp and faintly sweet flavor; intensely aromatic. Sold dried ground, crystallized, preserved, and fresh. |
| Nutmeg | Pleasing aroma; slightly sweet and nutty taste. Sold as whole seeds and ground. |
| Paprika | Beautiful red powder; varieties range from sweet to hot. Sold ground. |
| Peppercorns | Black peppercorns are intense, hot, and aromatic. Sold cracked, finely ground, or as whole peppercorns in black and white. |
| Saffron | The world’s most expensive spice. Made from dried stigmas from a special variety of flowers. Available as powder or whole red threads (which are of better quality). |
| Turmeric | Yellow-orange powder that’s intensely aromatic and has a bitter, pungent flavor. Sold as a powder. |