Traveling the World to Discover the 15 Spice Blends that Made History Revisited by Bembo.
Average weight per jar: 10 g
ZHUATANG:
Originating around 1300, this blend is among the oldest in the world.
Legend has it that it was created with the intention of bringing together all five flavors that underlie Chinese dietary theory: sweet (cinnamon), savory (cloves), bitter (anise), sour (fennel seed), and spicy (pepper), and to balance Yin and Yang.
In Chinese cuisine it is normally used to prepare so-called "Lu" foods, a cooking method used to stew certain dishes, usually fatty meats, such as pork and duck: due to the long cooking time, these absorb all the flavors to the maximum.
Also recommended with tofu, soups, stir-fried vegetables, and all various noodle dishes.
Origin: China
Ingredients: Anise, Fennel, Cinnamon, Clove, Black Pepper.
MADRAS CURRY:
This curry is so famous that it has become synonymous with the very word Curry in the world.
Madras is the ancient name for the city of Chennai in southeastern India.
It is a firm Curry that, depending on the amount of chili pepper, can be more or less spicy.
The prevailing flavor is that of turmeric: dry and enveloping.
This is followed by the spicy and distinctive notes of mustard and pepper, enhanced by the light smokiness of paprika.
Cardamom, with its floral aroma, completes the blend.
Origin: India
Ingredients: Coriander, Turmeric, Fennel, Salt, Cumin, Garlic, Fenugreek, Laurel, Cloves, SENAPE, Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Cardamom.
PERDICIÓN:
Although there are no definite records, it appears that this simple aphrodisiac blend was imported from French Polynesia in 1880 when King Pomare V agreed to cede the kingdom of Thaiti to France and obtained its protection.
On that occasion Pomare V, among other things, gave French Prime Minister Jules Ferry the original recipe for this passionate mixture used by Polynesians in courtship rituals.
Brought home by Ferry, La Perdición was so successful that many French people forgot its origin and considered it a French spice blend.
This melange possesses a warm and intense aroma, mainly due to cinnamon and cloves, and today, in French cuisine, it is used to flavor soups, ragouts, sausages, and pâtés and is also excellent paired with pork, poultry, and mushrooms.
It also perfumes spiced sweet breads, puddings, dry cookies or custard for use in fruit tarts.
Origin: Polynesia
Ingredients: Black Pepper, White Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nigella.
PAMPA ARGENTINA:
This blend of herbs and spices originated in Argentina and has spread throughout South America and northern Europe.
The flavor and aroma of onion and garlic stimulate pairing with grilled meat and fish.
It lends itself to the composition of marinades with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkling over the meat and letting it rest for at least an hour.
The result will be surprising.
Origin: Argentina
Ingredients: Garlic, Onion, Sweet Paprika, Oregano, Salt, Parsley, Pepper.
PAIN D'ÉPICES:
Pain d'Épices is a spice blend created to flavor cakes, cookies, breads, baked breads, puddings and more.
It originated in the town of Colmar, the capital of Alsace, also known as the capital of Alsatian wine production.
The origins of this sweet mixture are lost in the mists of time.
Greeks and Romans used to make sweet breads flavored with honey, but the oldest ancestor of Pain d'Epices as we know it today is found in a honey bread flavored with herbs and used as a ration by the Chinese army around 1100 AD.
Origin: France
Ingredients: Cinnamon, Anise, Cardamom, Coriander, Mace, Allspice, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cloves.
RAS EL HANOUT:
This is a mixture of spices with warm and "sweet" and not spicy scents, such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Since it can be considered a seasoning, it is easy to use for marinating meats, perhaps mixed with a fat, or made into a cream to be spread not only on meats, fish or vegetables, but also on stews and tagine.
To make a creamy spread, add a teaspoon of Ras el Hanout to softened butter, sour cream, or Greek yogurt; if, on the other hand, you want an emulsion to make your pinzimonio special, mix it with extra virgin olive oil.
Origin: Morocco
Ingredients: Turmeric, Coriander, Allspice, Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Cumin, Fennel, Nutmeg, Star Anise, Orange Peel, Fenugreek, Bay leaves.
TIERRA DE FUEGO:
This is a blend with a spicy flavor due to its typical ingredients such as chili peppers, onion, cumin and many others.
Tierra del Fuego is perfect for barbecue cooking, but it can also be used for pan-frying.
Also try it on grilled vegetables. Great for Churrasco.
This spice blend originates from the gaucha tradition of South America and should be strictly used to support a decidedly hearty dish...made with different cuts of meat ( beef, pork, mutton and chicken), perhaps skewered on a spit and cooked over coals.
Origin: Mexico
Ingredients: Ancho Chili, Mustard Seeds, Onion, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Coriander, Garlic, Cumin, Dried Tomato, Oregano, Turmeric, Thyme, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Jamaica Pepper, Basil, Rosemary, Tarragon, Orange Zest, Ginger, Smoked Salt, Raw Cane Sugar.
COWBOY:
An American BBQ classic.
Coffee and cocoa, au naturel, are bitter, but they mellow and aromatize perfectly with the other spices when they come in contact with heat.
This blend, when used on red meats, imparts an energetic, unmistakable and exciting aroma, especially when the spicy notes of pepper and chili meet those of coffee.
Ideal for all beef, pork and lamb meats.
An unmistakable and balanced flavor for a BBQ that will delight your guests.
Origin: USA
Ingredients: Salt, Coffee, Black Pepper, Bitter Cocoa, Mustard, Chili Pepper, Allspice, Laurel, Marjoram, Dill, Cloves.
CAJUN:
Cajun cuisine is a typical U.S. cuisine that originated with French immigrants from Canadian Acadia and forcibly relocated by the British to Acadiana, a colonial region in what is now Louisiana and part of East Texas.
Cajun foods are characterized by simple preparation and the use of rustic ingredients.
This spicy spice blend is popular in the United States and is suitable for all red meat and game dishes.
Origin: Louisiana
Ingredients: Thyme, Onion, Garlic, Sweet Paprika, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Salt, Chili Pepper, Oregano, Nutmeg, Cumin.
BERBERÉ:
Berberé is the name of an African spice blend used in Eritrea and Ethiopia for the preparation of the famous national dish, zighini stew.
The blend includes spices with innumerable properties: cardamom, chili peppers, ginger, cloves, coriander, allspice, common rue, ajowan, sometimes even long pepper and fenugreek.
There are essentially two types of Berberé: that with fenugreek and that with cardamom.
Berberé can be used to spice up countless foods and dishes and to increase the use of spices in cooking, while also helping to eliminate salt and fat.
Origin: Eritrea, Ethiopia
Ingredients: Nutmeg, Coriander, Cardamom, Allspice, Black Pepper, Kummel, Cayenne Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Salt, Fenugreek.
ZA'ATAR:
Lo Za'atar è un mix di spezie molto popolare nell’area dell’ex impero Ottomano (Libano, Egitto, Turchia, Siria, Israele e Giordania).
In Israele è molto di moda, così come in Palestina dove lo ritengono un ingrediente tipico della loro cucina.
In Libano i bambini vengono cresciuti a pane e za'atar poiché si crede che esso irrobustisca il corpo e la mente.
Molto versatile, lo Za'atar è usato semplicemente mischiato con olio per intingere il pane, i bagel, la pitta o il manakish, una specie di pizza diffusa in tutto il Medioriente; in Palestina viene servito con ceci e olive e si mangia, oltre che come colazione del mattino, anche nello spuntino di metà mattina, servito con hummus; viene aggiunto al labne, yogurt che ha la consistenza di un formaggio; si usa, inoltre, per insaporire carni e verdure.
Potete usarlo per condire una pizza alle cipolle o per aromatizzare delle patate stufate; è molto piacevole utilizzarlo come marinata a secco per pollo o agnello ed è gustoso anche su pomodori e mozzarella o sulle uova.
Origine: Libano
Ingredienti: Sesamo, Sumac, Timo, Maggiorana, Coriandolo, Aneto, Sale.
MYKONOS:
The Mykonos herb blend was invented in the 1960s.
It seems that one of the chefs on Aristotle Onassis' yacht, on the occasion of the first visit of Jacqueline Kennedy, who would later become the Greek shipowner's wife, prepared this melange to dress a salad of carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes that Jacqueline was fond of.
Guests were so enthusiastic about it that soon the recipe went around the world.
This blend encapsulates all the scents of the Mediterranean in an aromatic bouquet.
It is a particularly good blend for flavoring fish and white meats, eggs and sauces, and steamed vegetable and legume dishes.
Also excellent for marinating meats for grilling.
Origin: Greece
Ingredients: Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Fennel, Sage, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano.
SAN JOSE':
This world-famous blend has a distinct personality characterized by a delicate balance between the different spices and, by elegantly releasing sweet, spicy and salty notes, creates an unusual and interesting flavor.
In addition to the purely gustatory and olfactory aspects, a mahogany-colored bark to the meat is appreciable, guaranteeing a unique result in all aspects.
Particularly suitable for pork, San José lends itself to a variety of uses with pork roasts and steaks, not to mention its effect on fries.
Origin: Costa Rica
Ingredients: Salt, Cane Sugar, Chili, Garlic, Paprika, Celery, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Rosemary, White Pepper, Green Paprika.
ASUNCIÓN:
This spice blend, now well-known throughout Europe, is said to have had its origin in the prairies of Estancia, Paraguay.
That region, where meat is the food par excellence, was the birthplace of what we now know as roast beef, a method of barbecuing meat hitherto erroneously attributed exclusively to England.
The extensive livestock farming practiced in Paraguay, the qualitative care taken in production, and the ability to cook meat in the grasslands while grazing, confirm what influence this area has had in the history of this cut of sirloin.
In that green expanse, full of pristine pastures, had its development this mixture of spices used by camperos to flavor grilled beef.
Origin: Paraguay
Ingredients: Salt, Rosemary, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Garlic, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano.
KARIBES:
It was the Caribbean Indians who invented this portentous spice blend now used around the world as a base for preparing meats for barbecue or grilling.
As early as the 15th century these peoples, dubbed the "navigators of American prehistory," were using spices to season meats and fish.
Their cultural influence expanded throughout Latin America, from Nicaragua to Brazil via the Amazon and even into North America, forming the Carichana (Karb-Ana) colony, Cariben. Even in the present day, the success of this blend never ceases to amaze country cooking enthusiasts who use it with pork, beef, and baked potatoes.
Origin: Caribbean
Ingredients: Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Paprika, Chilli, Mustard, Cayenne Pepper, Chives, Tarragon, Marjoram.