The apple pie as we know it originated in Europe, with several variations throughout the continent. The most widely known variations are the English, Dutch and Swedish apple pies. While all three have made their way into the American food culture, the English version is the one familiar to most Americans. English apple pie recipes […]
Garlic Salt: Adding Two Loved Flavors At Once
Garlic salt consists of garlic powder and salt. It may also contain an anti-caking agent like calcium stearate. In most cases, commercial garlic powders are made by chopping cloves of garlic and pulverizing the pieces. Those pieces are then dehydrated. They may then be subjected to further chopping and mincing until the particles achieve the […]
Celery Salt: A Versatile Blend Of Two Ancient Spices
Celery salt is made from ground celery seed or the seeds of lovage, which is a relative of celery. The seeds are combined with salt. The salt may be regular table salt or sea salt. Humans have been using celery for most of history. The plant is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey from 850 BC, but […]
Shichimi Togarashi: The Japanese Equivalent Of Salt And Pepper
Shichimi togarashi is also marketed as Japanese seven spice powder, which may give westerners the impression that this spice mix bears some similarity to Chinese five spice powder. However, the two spice blends are very different. Shichimi togarashi is the product of a company called Yagenbori Shichimi Togarashi that has been in business for almost […]
Berbere Seasoning: Ethiopian Heat
While historians do not know much about Ethiopian cuisine prior to the 13th century, it is believed that berbere seasoning came about around 5 BC. Berbere is the Ethiopian word for “pepper.” Its arrival was at a point in Ethiopia’s history when Ethiopians ruled the Red Sea Route to the Silk Road. This gave their […]
Pickling Spice: The Spice Blend For Brined Foods
Historians believe that the English word “pickle” comes from the Dutch word “pekel” or the German word “pokel,” both of which refer to the brining aspect of pickling. Humans have been pickling foods for much longer than any of those words have been in use. In fact, some of the earliest evidence of food being […]
Ras el Hanout: The King Of Spice Blends
Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that can contain as few as 10 ingredients and as many as 80. The ingredients can range from rose petals to Spanish fly. The name comes from an Arabic term that denotes the best spices that a spice merchant has in stock. North Africa was once a […]
Za’atar Seasoning Blend: The Flavor Of The Middle East
Za’atar is a truly ancient spice blend with roots that stretch back to Biblical times. The name is also used in reference the herb thyme. There is evidence of its use in ancient Egypt and it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder. Maimonides was a 12th-century Jewish philosopher, later described the mixture of herbs and […]
Baharat Seasoning: From The Arabic For “Spice”
The word baharat is thought to come from the Arabic word that means spice. Baharat seasoning is thought to have originated in North Africa; however it is most widely used in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Like all traditional spice blends, there are certain core ingredients that comprise the backbone of the mix as well as […]
Old Bay Seasoning: Not Just For Chesapeake Blue Crabs
Old Bay is arguably the best-known spice blend in America. It is beloved all over the country and has become a staple of many spice cabinets since it arrived on the scene in 1940. It was then that a German Jewish immigrant and former spice merchant named Gustav Brunn came up with the blend and […]