Spices. They are foundational to tasty food in my opinion. And if you live in a tiny house, they are small and light, and can make a crazy difference in the flavor of your food. As your probably know, I love to cook from scratch and I use a large selection of spices. (Which I store in racks on the back of my pantry door.) But are you comfortable with knowing what spice to use with what food? When I was learning to cook, my mom had a list hanging on the back of the spice cupboard door that was very helpful. I think when I learned how to season food, it was a huge help to me in my cooking. Now if I'm making tomato soup for instance, I have an easy reference for what spices would compliment tomatoes, and I can experiment within that.
I don't know where the list my mom had that I learned from originated, but the source for this one is at the bottom of the page. I recommend printing this and hanging it somewhere (like the inside of the door) close to where you store your spices for easy reference.
Spices By Foods They Compliment:
Chicken - Basil, Bay Leaf, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Curry Powder, Garlic, Lemongrass, Mace, Marjoram, Mint, Onion, Paprika, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Saffron, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme
Beef - Basil, Bay Leaf, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Cumin, Curry Powder, Dry Mustard Powder, Garlic, Green Pepper,Lemongrass, Onion, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme
Fish - Bay Leaf, Cayenne, Curry Powder, Celery Seed, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Lemongrass, Lemon Zest, Marjoram, Mint, Dry Mustard Powder, Onion, Paprika, Parsley, Red Bell Pepper, Saffron, Sage, Sesame Seed, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric
Lamb- Basil, Cinnamon, Cumin, Curry Powder, Garlic, Marjoram, Mint, Onion, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Sesame Seed, Thyme
Pork - Allspice, Caraway, Celery Seed, Cloves, Coriander, Fennel, Ginger, Juniper Berries, Dry Mustard Powder, Paprika, Sage, Savory
Veal - Bay Leaf, Black Pepper, Curry Powder, Dill, Ginger, Lemon, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Saffron,Sage, Tarragon
Eggs - Basil, Chives, Curry Powder, Dry Mustard Powder, Green or Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Paprika, Parsley, Tarragon
Cheese - Chives, Nutmeg, Oregano, Red Pepper, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme
Artichokes - Bay Leaf, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme
Asparagus - Garlic, Lemon, Onion, Chives, Sesame Seed, Tarragon
Beets - Star Anise, Allspice, Basil, Dill, Ginger, Mint
Bell Peppers - Basil, Oregano, Rosemary
Broccoli - Red Pepper, Savory, Turmeric
Cabbage - Caraway Seeds, Celery Seed, Juniper Berries, Tarragon
Carrots - Allspice, Star Anise, Bay Leaf, Caraway Seeds, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Mint,Sage, Tarragon
Cauliflower - Chives, Coriander, Sage, Turmeric
Corn – Basil, Chives, Dill Seeds, Oregano
Cucumbers - Dill, Mint
Eggplant - Basil, Cumin, Marjoram, Oregano
Fennel - Caraway Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Rosemary, Thyme
Green Beans - Basil, Dill, Garlic, Onion, Savory
Mushrooms- Black Pepper, Marjoram, Nutmeg, parsley, oregano, sage, tarragon, thyme
Onion - caraway seed, mustard seed, nutmeg, Oregano, Sage, Thyme
Peas - Mint, Onion, Parsley, Rosemary, Tarragon, Turmeric
Potatoes - Caraway Seeds, Chives, Dill, Dill Seeds, Paprika, Parsley, Thyme, Turmeric
Spinach - Dill, Nutmeg, Tarragon
Sweet Potatoes - Allspice, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg
Tomatoes - Basil, Cilantro, Cumin, Fennel Seeds, Garlic, Oregano, Red Pepper, Black Pepper,Rosemary, Saffron, Tarragon, Thyme
Zucchini - Basil, Oregano
Spices By Ethnic Foods They Compliment:
Cajun & Creole Spices
Allspice, basil, bay leaves, black pepper, caraway seeds, cardamom, cayenne, celery seed, chives, chile peppers,cinnamon, cloves, cumin, dill seed, dill weed, garlic, gumbo filé, lemon, mace, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, oregano (Mediterranean), paprika, parsley, saffron, savory, tarragon, thyme, white pepper and yellow mustard.
Caribbean Spices
Allspice, achiote seeds (annatto seeds), black pepper, chile peppers, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, lime, mace, nutmeg,onion, and thyme.
Chinese Spices
Cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, ginger, hot mustard, lemongrass, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, Tien Tsin chiles,turmeric and white pepper.Indian Spices
Indian Spices
Anise seed, ajwain, asafoetida, bay leaf, black cardamom, black cumin, black mustard seed, black pepper, black salt,brown mustard seed, citric acid, chile peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cubeb berries, cumin, dried mango, fennel seed, fenugreek leaves, fenugreek seeds, garlic, ginger, green cardamom, lemon, lime, long pepper, mace, mint, nigella,nutmeg, onion, poppy seeds, saffron, sesame seed, star anise, turmeric and white pepper.
Italian Spices
Basil, garlic, onion, oregano (Mediterranean), marjoram and parsley.
Mediterranean Spices
Basil, bay leaves, black caraway, black pepper, cardamom, chervil, chile peppers, chives, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves,coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek seeds, garlic, ginger, juniper, mace, marjoram, mint, nutmeg, onion, oregano (Mediterranean), paprika, parsley, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme, turmeric and white pepper.
Mexican Spices
Allspice, achiote seeds (annatto seeds), basil, Mexican cinnamon, cayenne, chile peppers, cilantro, coriander, cumin,epazote, mint, nutmeg, oregano (Mexican), sage and thyme.
Middle Eastern Spices
Aleppo pepper, anise seed, caraway, cardamom, cumin, maras pepper, nutmeg, sumac and turmeric
North African Spices
Birds eye chiles, cilantro, cinnamon, cubeb berries, cumin, garlic, ginger, grains of paradise, long pepper, mint, onion andsaffron.
Spanish Spices
Basil, bay leaf, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, mint, nutmeg, oregano (Mediterranean), paprika (Smoked Sweet),parsley, rosemary, saffron, sage, tarragon,thyme and vanilla.
Thai Spices
Basil, black pepper, cardamom, chile peppers, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime, mace, mint, nutmeg, shallots, turmeric and white pepper.
What are your favorite seasonings? Or what are you going to try after reading this list? I'd love to hear about it!
Sources:
http://www.spicesinc.com
