Herb and spice mix like curry to ras el hanout to herbs de Provence define and are fundamental to many cuisines around the world. Bringing these unique and varied blends into your home kitchen allows you to cook the cuisine of other cultures authentically as well as provide an opportunity to be creative in your everyday cooking. 

 

It’s incomprehensible to imagine, in an age where spices can be found in every supermarket, how precious they once were. Wars were fought, fortunes built and lost, new worlds plundered, and civilizations constructed because of the spice trade. The Spice Trade is also known as the Maritime Silk Roads that designated a matrix of sea routes that connected the East with the West. The distance was vast and arduous extended from the west coast of Japan, through the islands of Indonesia, around India to the lands of the Middle East - and from there, across the Mediterranean to Europe. The Spice trade included the cultivation, preparation, transportation, and merchandising of spices and herbs that not only was a prosperous way to wealth in ancient times and also had great cultural and economic magnitude on the history of the world. 

Spices have been the nucleus of all important aspects of life: beauty (as perfume), health (as medicine), spiritual life (via their role in ritual), and, of course, sustenance (as a seasoning). From the royal orange pistils of saffron to the versatility of allspice, spices and herbs make cuisines distinctive, memorable, and delicious. The fact that they came from faraway places added to their worth and desirability. Exotic spices evoked foreign lands and stirred imagination and innovation. When the nobility lavished them by the handful on their food, they might as well have been sprinkling platinum and diamond dust on their dishes. Once one of the most complex supply chain networks of all time, as ocean travel progressed global commerce has become faster and made spices and herbs relatively inexpensive. Spices that were once as valuable as gold has become everyday household commodities. It is the hope that this installation will motivate people to try new flavors, to see how cuisines developed from the age of exploration, and perhaps learn about cultures you are not familiar with food to be an approachable and easy access point. Please find the spice mix recipes at globallocalgourmet.com. To extend this trip, no passport is required.

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TEST TUBE SPICE KEY

 

AFRICA - 9

1. Bahārāt – Tunisia & Middle Eastern cuisine

2. Berbere – Horn or Africa - Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, & Somalia

3. Cape Malay Curry Powder - South Africa 

4. Dukkah – Egypt

5. Harissa – Tunisia

6. Ras el Hanout – Morocco & North Africa  

7. Massalé  Reunion Island & Seychelles

8. Tabil - Algeria & Tunisia  

9. Tsire/Suya Seasoning - Nigeria &West Africa 

 

MIDDLE EAST - 4

10. Advieh – Persia/ Iran 

11. Za’atar – Middle East &  Levantine Countries 

12. Kabsa - Saudi Arabia 

13. Hawaij -  Yemen 

 

ASIA - 3

14. Chinese Five Spice – China   

15. Gomasio –Japan 

16. Togarashi – Japan 

 

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT - 6

17. Chaat Masala –  India, Bangladesh & Pakistan

18. Curry Powder 

19. Garam Masala – India 

20. Chai Masala  - India 

21. Sambar - Southern India 

22. Panch Phoron – Bengal  

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EUROPE - 9

23. Herbes de Provence – A seasoning blend featuring many of the herbs that grow most abundantly in southern France.

24. Khmeli Suneli – A Georgian mix of warm, nutty, grassy, and bitter spices like fenugreek, coriander, savory, and black peppercorns.

25. Tuscan Seasoning Rub

26. Greek Seasoning 

27. British Mixed Spice 

28. Sharena Sol - Bulgari

29. Speculoos Spice Mix - Belgium and Netherlands 

30. Lebkuchen Spice - German version of pumpkin spice 

31. Vadouvan - French-derived Indian Curry 

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LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN - 8

32. Mexican Adobo – Mexico & Latin America 

33. Puerto Rican Adobo - Puerto Rico 

34. Jerk Spice – Jamaica 

35. Caribbean Curry  - English Caribbean 

36. Poudre Colombo Powder  - French Antilles  

37. Chimichurri - Argentina

38. Sazon  - Spanish Caribbean

 

NORTH AMERICA - 10

39. Dry Rub – Kansas City

40.  Cajun Seasoning - New Orleans 

41. Chili Powder - Texas

42. Creole Seasoning - New Orleans 

43. Gullah Geechee Seasoning - South Carolina& Georgia 

44. Montreal Steak Seasoning  - Montreal 

45.  Old Bay - Maryland

46. Pickling Spice – USA

47. Pumpkin Pie Spice –USA

48. Soul Food Seasoning -  USA