If you could only use 10 spices for the rest of your life ....

.... what would they be? You get salt, pepper and chilli for free!

Today, mine would be;

Garam masala (a cheat straight away)
Ginger
Cumin
Star anise
Saffron
Cinnamon
Cardamon
Mustard seeds
Coriander seeds
Fenugreek

Cinnamon
Smoked Paprika
Cumin
Coriander
Turmeric
Cardamom
Ginger
Mustard Seeds
Nutmeg
Asafoetida

Could scrape by with:
Turmeric
Cumin
Coriander
Cinnamon
Ginger
Paprika

(assuming that dried herbs aren't included in the 10 - 'cos I'd be scuppered without thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary, marjoram...)

cool !!!


garlic
basil
oregano
cumin
bay leaf
tumeric
paprika
cilantro

cinnamon
saffron
nutmeg
ginger
paprika
cumin
coriander
mustard seeds
fennel seeds

black pepper
basil
cumin
corriander
cinnamon
cayenne
fennel
oregano
turmeric
nutmeg

Salt
Black Pepper
Oregano
Garlic
Sugar
Basil

I don't need any other spices.

i had to struggle to come up with 10! and i wasnt sure what counted as a 'spice' either. salt, garlic and sugar would easily replace nutmeg, fennel and cayenne in my list.

This is a great question ;-)

I would say that herbs are complete separate, especially the ones which I can grow on a windowsill or in a British garden ;-) That includes garlic - and I can grow poppy, coriander, fennel and mustard too!

I will have whole spices wherever possible, so that I can dry and grind them if appropriate. So ... exotic spices ... black pepper taken as given ...

1) green cardamom seeds - my sine qua non
2) fresh ginger
3) allspice berries
4) smoked paprika
5) black onion (nigella) seeds
6) saffron threads
7) whole nutmegs
8) cumin seeds
9) fenugreek seeds
10) anise seeds

(The last few were a struggle, because I'd cheated so much at the start ;-)

Quote:

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RubyDuby

i had to struggle to come up with 10! and i wasnt sure what counted as a 'spice' either. salt, garlic and sugar would easily replace nutmeg, fennel and cayenne in my list.

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You get salt, pepper and a chilli of your choice for free!
And also herbs (and garlic) are separate.

So really it's the exotic stuff that can't grow in Europe/North America... some lucky people in India etc could probably grow a lot of it. And I guess a lot of goodies grow well in South America.

I went to a spice farm in Goa, India and was so jealous that I couldn't grow all that stuff!

Quote:

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Sluggie

Cinnamon
Smoked Paprika
Cumin
Coriander
Turmeric
Cardamom
Ginger
Mustard Seeds
Nutmeg
Asafoetida

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I've never used asafoetida. What's it like? Where is it grown? What does it taste like? And what's i good used with?

questions, questions!!

@ Aradia : if i'm right it comes from India and has a strong smell. but i don't know how it's supposed to be used in recipes

cinnamon (love of my life)
cardamon
cumin
saffron
curry
ginger
basil
marjoram
nutmeg
parsley

here you go, aradia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida

It really stinks, but it alleviates gas apparently.

Mine would be:
cinnamon
nutmeg
ginger
coriander
cardamom pods
cumin
fenugreek
yellow mustard seeds
five-spice (CHEAT!!!)