Gomasio is also known as gomashio and is as simple as it gets when it comes to spice blends. Goma is the Japanese word that means sesame, and sio is the word for salt. As you may have guessed, gomasio is the combination of the two. It is sometimes called sesame salt. The sesame seeds […]
Mole Powder: Capturing Flavors From The Old And New World
Mole is a sauce from pre-Columbian Central America. The earliest versions most likely revolved around chilies and differ significantly from today’s moles. Mole has become a blend of New and Old World flavors. The chilies and the chocolate that these sauces often contain come from Mexico, the other spices from India as well as from […]
Nanami Togarashi: A Citrusy Japanese Spice Blend
Nanami togarashi is a Japanese spice blend. The word togarashi in nanami togarashi and shichimi togarashi is Japanese for chili peppers. Nanami togarashi is simply a variation on the shichimi togarashi blend. Shichimi means seven flavors; nanami means seven seas. The number seven in both names means that these blends both contain the same number […]
Quatre Epices: French Four Spice Powder
Quatre Epices was developed in St Malo during the baroque era. This is the era from the 17th century wherein Europe adopted ostentation when it came to architecture as well as art and music. This period coincided with Europe’s experience of other cultures around the world via colonialism, which is where spice mixes like quatre […]
Khmeli Suneli: The Georgian Garam Masala
Khmeli suneli is a spice blend in the mold of ras el hanout and garam masala. You can find it being used throughout the Black Sea region but it is most commonly associated with the Republic of Georgia. One of its nicknames is Georgian five spice powder but the name khmeli suneli translates literally to […]
Furikake Seasoning: A Nutritional Supplement And Seasoning In One
Furikake seasoning is one of the most popular Japanese seasonings, if not the most popular of all. It is a blend of ingredients that are indigenous to Japan. Those ingredients include nori, sesame seeds, and flakes of a dried tuna called bonito. The bonito flakes used in furikake have been dried, soaked with soy sauce, […]
Panch Phoran: Indian Five Spice
Panch phoran is sometimes written as paanch phoran or panch phoron. It literally translates to five spices or five flavors. The word panch (or paanch) means five. The spice mix has various other names depending on where in Asia it is being used. For example, it may be called padkaune masala in Nepal. It is […]
Shawarma Spice: A Spice Blend For Middle Eastern Fast Food
As with other specialized seasoning blends like taco seasoning or fajita seasoning, shawarma spice is all about convenience. It is an easy way to add the right balance of all the spices that are traditionally used on shawarma. While the origin of shawarma is not well documented, it is probably Turkish in origin and was […]
Jamaican Curry Powder: The Taste Of The British Empire
It is often reported that the concept of curry powder arrived in Jamaica via Indian indentured workers who emigrated to Jamaica and other parts of the West Indies in the 19th and early 20th century. While there is probably some truth to this (they may have brought the ingredients for curry powder with them) it […]
All Purpose Seasoning: It’s All About Versatility
All purpose seasoning refers to a herb and spice blend that can be used in multiple savory applications. The common factor in different all purpose blends is their versatility. The exact composition of all purpose seasoning varies from blend to blend and from manufacturer to manufacturer, but most will contain the same set of spices. […]