The tamarind name comes from the Arabic term tamar hindi, which means Indian date. The leguminous tamarind tree is believed to originate in Africa but has been heavily cultivated in India since antiquity. It is likely that it was brought to the subcontinent by Arabian traders. In Africa, it grows wild in Nigeria as well […]
Mango Powder: The Fruity Spice
Mango is indigenous to India, Burma, and Malaysia and is documented as one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world. There is evidence of its cultivation going back 4,000 years. As a result of European colonization starting around the 16th century, mango has spread to many different regions. As a result of the colonist’s […]
Zedoary: A Mysterious Indian Rhizome
The plant from which zedoary is obtained is native to India, Pakistan and Indonesia but can now be found in many places. For example, it can now be found growing in Florida as well as in parts of Latin America. Zedoary is also known as kachur and as white turmeric. It was brought to Europe […]
Achiote Powder: Pure Red
Achiote powder is a spice that consists of ground annatto seeds, which can be in the form of a powder or served as the main ingredient in a paste. The terms achiote and annatto can be used interchangeably, and you may see this seasoning listed as either in products. Europe’s first encounter with annatto came via […]
White Sugar: The Most Popular Flavor On Earth
Refined white sugar is brown sugar that has had all of its molasses removed until it achieves an absence of color. Even though sugar has had a long history, the process of refining it was relatively unchanged from the 14th to the middle of the 19th century. The process of converting sugar cane to refined […]
Sassafras: A True North American Flavor
Most of the popular herbs and spices come from tropical regions, usually the Far East but sometimes from Africa or from Central and Latin America. Sassafras is different in that it comes from North America. The tree that produces it comes belongs to the Lauraceae family that includes cinnamon and the bay trees that give […]
Asafoetida: A Spice With An Unforgettable Aroma
Asafoetida is a spice consisting of the resin from a plant called Ferula that is native to Iran and Afghanistan. Hing and ferula asafoetida are two of this spice’s many other names. Alexander the Great first brought it to Europe in the belief that it would a good substitute for Cyrenaic silphium. The now-extinct silphium […]
Light Brown Sugar: The Milder Version Of Brown Sugar
Like dark brown sugar, light brown sugar consists of refined white sugar with added molasses. Light brown sugar simply has less of it. Dark brown sugar contains 6.5 percent molasses, light brown sugar has 3.5 percent. Sugar cane originated in the South Pacific and made its way to the Middle East by way of India. […]
Dark Brown Sugar: Refined Sugar With A Hint Of Molasses
Dark brown sugar is simply refined white sugar to which molasses has been added. It contains 6.5 percent molasses compared to the 3.5 percent in light brown sugar. For much of human history, the most readily available sweetener was honey. The sugar cane used to make much of the sugar we use is originally from […]
Caraway Seeds: An Old World Favorite
Caraway seeds come from the caraway plant, which grows in parts of Asia as well as in Europe and North Africa. The caraway plant is a relative of the carrot. The spice was well known in ancient Egypt and ancient Rome and many food historians believe that the use of Caraway seeds began with the […]
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