Spices
Spices are various plant parts that are added to food in small amounts with the aim of improving the flavour. Some may also add gusto, “kick” or zest, because spices not only act on our taste buds but also have subtle and not so subtle stimulant effects. In the following list, the part or parts used are indicated by superscripts, respectively r for roots, rh for rhizomes and stems, b for bark, fl for flower (flb for flower buds, fls for styles), fr for mature fruits (including fleshy cones), fri for immature fruits, s for seeds, sa for seed arils and e for exudates and resins (usually obtained from stems). Note that spices derived from leaves are listed under Culinary herbs . Many of them are used fresh as culinary herbs but are also commercially available in the form of dried spice herbs.
ajowan, ajwain, bishop’s weed (Trachyspermum ammi)fr
amchur, mango powder (Mangifera indica)fri
angelica fruits (Angelica archangelica)fr
asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida)e
bird chilli (Capsicum frutescens)fr
black cumin (Bunium persicum)fr
black cumin, incorrect use (Nigella sativa)s
black mustard (Brassica nigra)s
black pepper (Piper nigrum)fr, fri
Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius)fr
brown mustard (Brassica juncea var. juncea)s
cacao, chocolate (Theobroma cacao)s
camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)e
canarium, Chinese black- (Canarium pimela)fr
candlenut (Aleurites moluccana)s
capers (Capparis spinosa)fli, fri
cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)fr, s
cardamom, Chinese black- (Aframomum costatum)fr, s
cardamom, Ethiopian (Aframomum corrorima)s
cardamom, Indian black (Amomum subulatum)fr, s
carob (Ceratonia siliqua)fr
cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum)b
cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens)fr
Ceylon cinnamon – see cinnamon
chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)fl
charoli (Buchanaria lanzan)s
chilli (Capsicum frutescens, C. annuum)fr
Chinese anise (Illicium verum)fr
Chinese keys (Boesenbergia rotunda)rh
Chinese olive – see canarium
Chinese pepper – see Sichuan pepper
cicely – see sweet cicely
clove(s) (Syzygium aromaticum)flb
cola (Cola acuminata)s
coriander (Coriandrum sativum)fr
cumin, black (Bunium persicum)fr
devil’s dung – see asafoetida
Dijon mustard – see brown mustard
elder flowers (Sambucus nigra)fl
elderberries (Sambucus nigra)fr
Ethiopian cardamom (Aframomum corrorima)s
fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)s
galangal, greater (Alpinia galanga)rh
galangal, lesser (Alpinia officinarum)rh
galangal, small (Kaempferia galanga)rh
garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)fl, fr
ginger (Zingiber officinale)rh
grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta)s
greater galangal – see galangal
Guinea pepper (Xylopia aethiopica)fr
hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)fl
horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)r
Indian mustard – see brown mustard
Indonesian mango ginger – see mango ginger
Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum)fr
juniper berries (Juniperus communis)fr, fri
kokum, kokam (Garcinia indica)fr
korarima (Aframomum corrorima)s
lesser galangal – see galangal
licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)rh
liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)rh
long pepper (Piper longum)fri
lovage (Levisticum officinale)fr
makrut lime (Citrus hystrix)fr
mandarin peel (Citrus reticulata)fr
mango ginger (Curcuma amada)rh
mango ginger, Indonesian (Curcuma mangga)rh
Melegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta)s
mustard – see black, brown or white mustard
pink pepper (Schinus molle, S. terebinthifolius)fr
pomegranate seeds – see anardana
Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)fl
safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)fl
sansho (Zanthoxylum piperitum)fr
Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum, Z. simulans)fr
small galangal – see galangal
spilanthes (Spilanthes acmella)fl
sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata)fri
Tabasco pepper (Capsicum frutescens)fr
tailed pepper, cubebs (Piper cubeba)
tamarind (Tamarindus indica)fr
torch ginger (Etlingera elatior)fli
vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)fr
white ginger (Mondia whitei)r
white pepper – see pepper
zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria)rh