Most Popular Spices by Cuisine
With the explosion of cooking shows on TV and more information on recipes from far away places available on the internet Americans are more willing to experiment in the kitchen than ever before. Now while other cultures around the world have grown up cooking with a pinch of this spice or a dash of that spice many Americans still seem a bit hesitate to cook in this manner.
After talking to customers for years we decided to come up with this handy guide to help inspire cooks to experiment more in the kitchen in trying out amazing recipes from different parts of the world. Here you'll find seasoning blends by region that take the guess work out of the meal prep process or if you have a bit more confidence in your cooking abilities and like to dabble we also list the most common spices used by each type of cuisine. If you're looking for recipe ideas we also list those by cuisine type.
One thing we hate is to see a good spice go to waste in the spice cabinet. Normally this happens because a cook see a recipe they're anxious to try but it calls for a spice that they aren't familiar with but order it anyway. Then they find that they don't know how else to use the spice and it goes to waste. On each of our spice product pages we tell you what foods each spice goes well with, what other spices are complimentary to it and also some recipe ideas using the spice. We've always gotten great feedback on this.
Cajun & Creole Seasonings
Blackened Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Creole Seasoning and Cajun Rub (Hot)
Cajun & Creole Spices
Allspice, basil, bay leaves , black pepper , caraway seeds , cardamom seed powder , cayenne , celery seed , chives , chile peppers , Korintje cinnamon , Vietnamese 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 Seasonings
Adobo Lime Rub , Caribbean Spice , Colombo Powder (Caribbean curry powder), Jamaican Jerk and Mojo Seasoning .
Caribbean Spices
Allspice , achiote seeds (annatto seeds) , black pepper , chile peppers , Korintje cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cloves , garlic , ginger , lime , mace , nutmeg , onion , and thyme .
Chinese Seasonings
Chinese Spices
Korintje Cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cloves , fennel seed , ginger , lemongrass , Sichuan peppercorns , star anise , Tien Tsin chiles , turmeric and white pepper .
Indian Seasonings
Garam Masala , Panch Phoron , Madras Curry , Maharajah Curry , Vindaloo Curry and Tikka Masala .
Indian Spices
Anise seed , asafoetida , bay leaf , black cardamom , black mustard seed , black pepper , black salt, brown mustard seed , chile peppers , cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cloves , coriander , cubeb berries , cumin , dried mango , fennel seed , fenugreek leaves , fenugreek seeds , garlic , ginger , green cardamom , lemon , lime , mace , mint , nigella , nutmeg , onion , poppy seeds , saffron , sesame seed , star anise , turmeric and white pepper .
Italian Seasonings
Italian Seasoning, Pizza Seasoning , Spaghetti Seasoning and Tuscany Bread Dipping .
Italian Spices
Basil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic , onion , oregano (Mediterranean) , marjoram and parsley .
Mediterranean Seasonings
Citrus Seasoning , Greek Seasoning , Herbs de Provence and Mediterranean Dry Rub .
Mediterranean Spices
Basil , bay leaves , black pepper , cardamom seed powder , chervil , chile peppers , chives , cilantro , cinnamon , Vietnamese 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 Seasonings
Adobo Seasoning , Habanero Mango , Manzanillo Seasoning , Mole Seasoning, and Taco Seasoning.
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 Seasonings
Baharat , Lebanese 7 Spice , Shawarma and Za'atar
Middle Eastern Spices
Aleppo pepper , anise seed , caraway , cardamom , cumin , maras pepper , nutmeg , sumac and turmeric
North African Seasonings
Baharat , Berbere , Harissa , Moroccan Chicken Spice Rub , Moroccan Vegetable Rub ,Ras el Hanout and Piri Piri Seasoning.
North African Spices
Birds eye chiles , cilantro , cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cubeb berries , cumin , garlic , ginger , grains of paradise , mint , onion and saffron .
Spanish Seasonings
Spanish Spices
Basil , bay leaf , cayenne , cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cloves , garlic , mint , nutmeg , oregano (Mediterranean) , paprika (Smoked Sweet) , parsley , rosemary , saffron , sage , tarragon , and thyme.
Thai Seasonings
Spicy Thai Seasoning , Thai Curry Seasoning.
Thai Spices
Basil , black pepper , cardamom , chile peppers , cilantro , cinnamon , Vietnamese cinnamon , cloves , cumin , garlic , ginger , lemongrass , lime , mace , mint, nutmeg , shallots , turmeric and white pepper .
This will certainly be enough to get you started in no matter which cuisine you want to try and my one guarantee – if you do it right there will be no such thing as a bland dish!
