Spices are the soul of food. To make any dish palatable, spice is a must! Seasoning your food is important because it enhances the flavours of the ingredients. Spices also have numerous health benefits. And it’s no secret that using a little spice can make the most basic dish taste new and interesting. So, here are 10 most precious spices in the world to amp up the flavour of your dishes. Read on!
1. Cardamom
Cardamom, a spice in the ginger family, is most recognizable by its bud holding small black seeds. Known as the “queen of spices,” it adds the extra zing to your baking, provides the freshness in a cup of milk tea, and overall makes your dishes taste better. Cardamom is native to subtropical Asia and is one of the major spices in Indian cuisine.
One of the most expensive spices in the world, saffron, is a spice that mostly adds flavour to cuisines or naturally provides a yellow dye in required dishes. Its subtly earthy and grassy aroma, with a hint of sweetness that is similar to floral and honey, is great to amp up the flavour of your dishes. Saffron is also a powerful spice with numerous health benefits.
Asafoetida, popularly known in India as hing, is one of the rare spices in the world that imparts a savory and umami quality to dishes. It often can mimic the taste of onions, garlic, egg, and even meat. Asafetida, produced from the dried latex of the roots of Ferula species, is native to the deserts of Iran and the mountains of Afghanistan.
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4. Anardana
Anardana is one of the most popular spices in Indian and Persian cuisine. It is mostly used as a souring agent. A sticky spice made from the dried seeds and pulp of wild pomegranates, Anardana has numerous health benefits. It contains major amounts of potassium and copper, is packed with fibre, and helps in stabilising blood sugar levels.
Cumin is one of the unique spices that make your dish better in numerous ways. It accentuates the sweetness of vegetables and enhances the savoury flavour of rich meats. Cumin is also iron-dense and makes for a good iron source. A spice common in Latin American, Middle Eastern, African, and Indian cuisines, cumin can be used both as a whole seed and as a powder.
Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices known for lending its distinctive kick to all manner of sweet and savoury dishes. Its rich, warm, spicy, and sweet notes make it perfect for adding depth to dishes. Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, the Malabar Coast of India, and Myanmar. This spice is also cultivated in South America and the West Indies.
Native to the Malabar Coast of India, Black pepper, also known as Black gold, is regarded as the world’s most traded spice. Black pepper is mostly spicy warmth and it comes from a compound called piperine. This particular spice is obtained from the small dried peppercorns of the vine Piper nigrum.
Cloves originated in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia and are one of the most popular aromatic spices of Indonesia. Cloves mostly give a pungent hint in dishes and are mostly used in savory dishes, desserts, and drinks. People also use whole cloves to flavor meat, sauces, and rice dishes.
Nutmeg, which originated in the Banda Islands of Indonesia, is known as Jaiphal in India. The word nutmeg comes from the Latin nux, meaning nut, and muscat, meaning musky. Hence the spice has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet taste. It is mostly used to flavour baked goods.
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10. Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a native of South Eastern Europe and West Asia. However, it is one of the few spices that is now cultivated in India, Argentina, Egypt, and Mediterranean countries. India is the largest producer of fenugreek in the world. The seeds are used to improve the flavour of foods. This spice provides a strong odour and slight bitterness in taste.
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