Know your spices

******

CHILLI

There are more than 200 varieties of chilli, all of which contain capsicum which is what gives them their fiery heat which comes mostly from the seeds and membranes.

*Take great care when chopping fresh chilli, avoid rubbing your eyes while preparing them as their heat can cause great pain to the eye.

*By adding whole chillies to the pot you are able to control the amount of heat in the dish by pulling them out when required, as the longer chillies are cooked the hotter the dish will become.

*By adding a small amount of chopped chilli to a stir fry at the very last moment, you are adding a tasty bite to the flavour, but very little heat.

*******

CINNAMON

This spice is the peeled and curled inner bark from the slim young stems of a tropical evergreen tree belonging to the laurel family.

*It's known as one of the warming spices, and an important ingredients Graham Missal.

*Cinnamon is an excellent spice to add to chocolate dishes and drinks and is used extensively in cake making.

********

CARDAMOM

Comes as a pale green pod which contain black seeds, which complement fish, meats and curries.

*It is known as the queen of spices, (pepper is the king!) this spice is the dried unripened fruit of a herbaceous perennial of the ginger family.

*Cardamom is used to make spiced teas, and is often added to coffee.

*This spice is particularly good at bringing out the flavour of a fresh fruit salad.

********

ALLSPICE

This is a dried, unripe berry of a tree indigenous to the Caribbean and Central America. As the name implies it tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

*It's a traditional spice in recipes for pickled onions, pickled red cabbage etc.

*******

CUMIN

Features in Indian cuisine, mainly in curry powders, but it is also used in chutneys and pickles.

*Often cultivated for its medicinal purposes and used as a digestive and asthma relief.

*Cumin seed is often used whole after toasting and tastes great when fried with potatoes.

********

CLOVES

This spice is the dried, unopened, flower bud of a small evergreen tree and has quite an overpowering smell if used in excess, but is superbly aromatic when used in small controlled quantities. Powdered cloves rubbed into pork before roasting makes for a good flavour combination, and whole cloves spiked into a ham before baking also brings out the flavour.

********

NUTMEG

Nutmeg is the seed of a tropical tree, and comes with a lacy covering called mace which has a slightly softer flavour. Nutmeg offers a more robust flavour.

*It is never used in large quantities as it is said to cause hallucinations if too much is taken at a time. Best when grated as required.

*Nutmeg is a particularly useful flavouring agent when cooking milky dishes such as bread and butter pudding.