2026, Art, books, crops, Food, History

Spice of Life

37 Comments

I’m having fun churning through a bunch of “listicle” books in preparation for Blevins.   Shipwrecks, Nellie Bly, plants, more plants and Phineas Fogg.

The latest is The History of the World in 100 Objects, which was a BBC radio show awhile back.  I found the CDs through Interlibrary Loan and it’s prodigious – 20 discs!  It comes with a pamphlet that have 100 teeny little black and white photos of the items.  Luckily I was able to find a website that has nicer photos of the objects, so I’ve been keeping that open while I listen to the CDs.

It’s well done – not nearly as stuffy as I was expecting – and I’m enjoying it, although I’m having to keep at it since you can’t renew ILL items.

All the items are in the British Museum, including a statue of Chicomecoatl, the Aztec of Goddess of Maize and Sustenance.  The narration starts out with an overview of food having a divine role throughout history and then moves on to the history of maize, the plant it derives from and where it grows (just about everywhere).  Then came this funny bit:

“But crucially, maize is a rich carbohydrate that gives you a rapid energy hit.  But it is, let’s face it, pretty stodgy, and so from very early on, farmers also cultivated an ingenious – and tasty – accompaniment, the indigenous chili.  It has virtually no nutritional value but, as we all know, it’s uniquely able to liven up dull carbohydrates – and it shows that we’ve been foodies for as long as we’ve been farmers.”

I laughed out loud especially since I had just added a slug of frozen poblanos to a dish I had made about an hour before.  Now I want to go to Penzey’s to see if they have any good chili mixtures.

Do you have any “go-to” spices?

37 thoughts on “Spice of Life”

  2. First of all, regarding the supposed lack of nutritional value in peppers, they have enough vitamin C that chilis were used on board ships in some places to combat scurvy rather than lemons or limes.

    While I sometimes resort to chili powder (and not usually for chili), I generally prefer to put together my own mixture of cumin (which Jacque doesn’t like), oregano, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic powder. That mixture doesn’t have much heat so as I make the chili I can regulate the heat with red pepper flakes.

    I also use quite a lot of Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset as a general herb combination.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  3. We are using more smoked paprika in our cooking these days, probably because we are cooking more foods from Spain. We also use lots of cumin and coriander. Husband likes turmeric and ginger. We go for flavor, not heat.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  4. I love smoked paprika more and more too. But my mainstays are basil, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Minimal salt any more. Depending on the dish, I also like to use chili powder, sage, rosemary, cumin, curry, and turmeric.

    Sometimes I’ll go with a Mrs. Dash’ s blend for ease of use on things like chicken breasts or burgers. But if I’m making up a dish like a stew or soup, all bets are off and I might use a little bit of 10 or 15 different spices. It’s all good if you don’t overdo any single spice.

    Chris in Owatonna

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  5. I like to use cumin, chili powder, ginger, and dried basil and oregano. I love the taste and smell of cumin. I use it a lot. I also like to add the herb mixture Herbs de Provence to soups. I also add lemon to a lot of things – lemon juice or zest. I add red wine to soups too.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  8. When we were in New Mexico Husband picked up some finely ground chimayo pepper at an open air market. It is intensely red and so hot that even now after several years we can only use a quarter teaspoon. We keep it in the freezer.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  9. Rise and Shine, Baboons

    There is nothing better than good old cinnamon and sugar on the top of a pie, a biscuit or a scone on the sweet side of spice.

    Another favorite combo that I mix myself is sea salt or kosher salt (bigger grains), onion powder, garlic powder, paprika (smoked or otherwise, and a bit of chili. I use this on roasted vegetables in the oven or on the grill.

    A friend gave me some penzeys spice combos for Christmas and I have to figure out how to use them. It was a great gift. They use one of them on toasted pita bread.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  10. I just threw out a collection of spices. I purchased them 4-5 years ago. I have trained myself to not miss salt. I had tried some salt substitutes for Sandra a few years back. They were all distasteful to both of us. I use pepper in just about everything, bay leaf in soup, and chili powder in a few things. I used to use many of those spices I threw out. The rest were baking spices for Sandra. I am finding cooking almost too big a burden, especially cleaning up. I called meals on wheels and left a message, the normal protocol, but they have not called me back.
    OT we are have a sort of blizzard, strong winds but light snow. Birds are very active in my feeder hung from a long rope giving lots of sway. I am in my recliner under a quilt watching how the birds land on the feeder. They catch it on the upswing on the lee side. Sometimes they fly to wait for a swing that does not happen and they are left sort of fumbling in the air.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  11. I love hot and spicy foods! Exploring the flavors of ethnic cuisines is one of my favorite pastimes.

    When I first moved to the West Side in 1973 and discovered Morgan’s Mexican Lebanese food store, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. So many new (to me) flavors to be explored. And when the first Hmong farmers showed up at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market, I was enthralled by all of the exotic greens, herbs, and veggies they introduced.

    Morgan’s introduced me to jalapeños, cilantro, garlic sauce, and freshly made corn tortillas, and I was off and running.

    I don’t really have a go-to spice or flavoring, but more often than not, garlic is involved. We have an extensive collection of spices, some from Penzey’s but many from various ethnic markets all over the Twin Cities.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I used to drive to Morgan’s from the Minneapolis suburbs. At that time it was about the only place I knew where I could get ancho chili powder and they also had canned chile pulp, similar in consistency to tomato sauce, that I liked as an ingredient in my chili. It was not especially spicy, just flavorful. I have not seen the product anywhere since.

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  13. I make a German spice mixture that is 1c cinnamon, 1/4 c ginger, 1t allspice, 1t cloves, 2t ground cardomom, 2t ground aniseseed, 2t coriander, 2t ground mace, 1t ground star anise, and 1t nutmeg. I put it in lebkuchen and other German desserts.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. I love cumin in pumpkin or squash soup. I usually combine it with a lot of the other spices in the brown/tan color range, like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and paprika. For a pot of soup, about two teaspoons of cumin and smaller amounts of the other spices. Black pepper and salt. Maybe a little ground mustard.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  15. Depends on the dish. An egg bake I make frequently uses dry mustard. I love cardamom in breads and maybe rice pudding. Fresh ginger in a Thai carrot soup (that uses coconut milk), cilantro, along with a smidgen of green chili sauce…

    I don’t like things very hot, and have never really learned to cook with chilis.

    I love the scent of thyme, basil, and oregano – dried or fresh.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  16. im a garlic guy
    cumin smoked paprika and on my taters and beans
    italian combo in pasta dishes and sauces
    flavorful non to med hot peppers
    i do my experimenting in sauces and dressings but i often forget what i put in there. i get inspired snd dont do a very scientific job of documentation

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

Leave a comment