The most curious thing about spices is how they originated. Most were discovered among thick brush and are part of larger plants that are not valued for their flavor, so there must have been so much experimentation that went into finding the World's spices. Here is a bit of information about some of the most common spices.
Garlic - This bulb is part of the lily family and a cousin of the onions and leeks. The cloves can iether be minced and put into dishes or kept whole to infuse the flavor and then removed. Roasting can be done in about an hour in a 300 degree oven by slicing the whole head of garlic in half and covering in extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Raw garlic is valued for its natural antibacterial properties. Beware of elephant garlic - it is easy to think the bigger the garlic, the bigger the flavor - not true. It is the mildest of all available garlic. Garlic powder is usually just ground dehydrated garlic, but avoid things labeled garlic seasoning, because they'll contain mostly salt.
Shallots - These are a good cross between onions and garlic; they taste like a very delicate onion and grow in cloves similar to garlic. Their flavor is great for salad dressings and marinades. Shallots are small, so making soup and similar dishes normally call for too much onions to substitute shallots. They're a bit more expensive than onions, so best to save for special occasions.
Ginger - This root has been known as being a universal healer. Its name comes from Sanskrit for "horn root" and grows in subtropic areas from Jamaica to India to China. It has a very peppery, slightly sweet flavor. It has spice as opposed to real heat, like most chiles have. Ginger is often candied to intensify the contrast between spicy and sweet. Powdered ginger tastes much different than fresh, but is great in baked good and curries. Fresh ginger is found in most markets in its mature form, covered in a tan skin. Tightly wrapped ginger unpeeled can last 3 months to 6 months in a refrigerator and freezer respectively. Peeled ginger can be covered in sherry or madeira wine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. The wine will become infused with ginger flavor and can be used for marinades. Ginger is known for having amazing detoxifying abilities and helps with all digestive distress, which is why there are often ginger teas in most health food stores. If a ginger snap has been the only ginger you've ever tasted - try fresh - it is an amazing spice.
Allspice - This spice may be the most mistaken spice of all. Many think that it is a blend of spices, but it is actually a berry of the pimento bush and only tastes like a combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is the principle spice to Caribbean jerk seasoning, but tastes great in any spiced cookie or cake recipe.
Cardamom - This spice has a great blend of spicy and sweet flavors, but should only be used in small amounts. It can be found ground, but ground seeds start to lose flavor immediately, so it is best just to buy pods. The whole pod can be digested and can either be crushed with a mortar and pestle or just dropped into a curry whole and the pod will disintegrate. It is often used in Northern African, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.
Anise & Star Anise - Thought to be the same thing, both do have a licoricey flavor, but have different profiles and are used in different parts of the world. Anise seeds are shaped like commas and are used in Europe to flavor spice cakes, Greek ouzo and many other edibles. The licorice flavor comes from this seed and not from licorice root. Star anise is slightly more bitter and the principle spice in Chinese five-spice blend. It is a pod shaped like a star, and can be ground to put into stir-fry. Like cardamom, a little goes a long way.
Cinnamon - This common spice is the inner bark of a tropical tree and harvested during the rainy season. The bark is not curled at all until it dries. At this point it is either ground or sold in sticks all around the world. There are two different types of cinnamon, ceylon (tree) cinnamon and cassia cinnamon (most common in America). The first is buff colored and mildly flavored, while the cinnamon most Americans know is the dark reddish brown pungently flavored spice. So impress dinner guests next time and offer them some desserts with cassia.
Vanilla - Once only reserved for royalty, and still very expensive compared to most spices and extracts, vanilla is a miraculous spice. When mentioned that spices often go through a long journey to make it to the supermarkets, no other spice can match the tedious process of harvesting vanilla. Out of 20,000 orchid varieties, only one bears anything edible, and that one gives the world the vanilla bean. The flowers must be hand pollenated and bloom only one day a year. Vanilla is found only three places in the world (Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti). The beans take 8-9 months to mature, spend another good portion of a year drying and curing, and then must begin other processes to get turned into extract and other flavorings. Whole beans are about 400 times smaller than they were coming off the plant, and can be split, scraped of their seeds and used as flavorings. And that common debate between vanilla and chocolate - most good chocolate actually is enhanced by vanilla flavoring. Want something really special? Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add to raw sugar. Shake and save homemade vanilla sugar for topping desserts or coffee and cappuccino.
