Beyond salt & pepper: spices in different cuisines
Can you imagine your life without spice? And no, we mean literal spice!
Every cuisine is unique. They are infused with different spices and techniques which give mouth-watering flavours and capture thousands of people’s attention. Pairing spices with different cuisines is a great way to add depth and complexity to your dishes. They are natural flavour enhancers that add heat or sweetness, bringing a unique dish to life.
Spice & Cuisine
1. India
When we talk about spices, the cuisine that comes to mind is Indian. Our dishes are made with so many spices and so much love that it’s natural for people from all over the globe to visit and savour it once in their life! India is the homeland of spices. Every dish is intense because spices like Turmeric, Cumin, Ginger, Garlic, Chilli, Nutmeg, Cardamom, etc., are added to provide warm, earthy flavours that make every Indian dish rich in taste.
2. Mexican
Next in line is an easy guess. After Indian cuisine, there’s always Mexican cuisine packed with flavours, intensity, and spices! The most used ingredient is chilli pepper. Mexican cuisine is inspired by Spanish cuisine, and if you taste both, only the native can actually tell the difference. Foodies like us love everything! But because chilli is widely used, you’ll find it in every Mexican dish, along with cumin, salt, cinnamon, coriander and oregano. Tacos and Enchiladas are the most popular dish in Mexico.
3. Italian
Italian cuisine is worldwide. It’s a Mediterranean cuisine that people love and occasionally order or dine in! Who could resist pasta and pizza? Surely, not us. But Italian cuisine depends more on seasoning a dish rather than spicing it up. Look up any Italian dish seasoned with herbs, olive oil, and nothing else. However, it may sound bland, but there is no other cuisine than Italian who know their herbs well. Give it in the hand of an Italian, and they’ll play it like a magic trick.
4. Arabian
Welcome to the land of Middle Eastern cuisine. Arabian cuisine is also about meat and spices. Because most of their dishes have protein infused, adding spices gives a perfect balance and even more flavours! It’s authentic and has great finesse on the nose. Spices like Cumin, Paprika and Cinnamon are used in Hummus, Falafel and Couscous to add depth and warmth.
5. Chinese
While we said Indian cuisine is appreciated and loved by all, Chinese is something you cannot walk by. You have to stop in front of the stall, the flavours dancing in the air, enticing you to have a taste and another until you pack some home and have some more. Chinese cuisine is divided into eight regional cuisines: Cantonese, Hunan, Anhui, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shangdong. Asian cuisine is mostly infused with Ginger and Garlic. They are used marinades and stir-fries that give pungent flavours to dishes like Chinese Kung Pao and Thai Pad Thai.
We can always experiment with different spices with different cuisines. The best part about this is you can find the best combinations for yourself. Green Leaf Spices & Dry Fruits has a wide range of spices- from Coriander powder, Kesar, Poppy seeds, Fennel seeds, Turmeric, Chilli powder, Shah Jeera, etc.