• Asafoetida – Used as a digestive aid in Indian cooking, asafoetida has a strong odor that mellows out into a garlic-onion flavor.
• Achiote Paste – Reddish-brown paste or powder ground from annatto seeds with an earthy flavor. Used primarily in Mexican dishes like mole sauce and tamales.
• Allspice – Similar to cloves, but more pungent and deeply flavored. Best used in spice mixes.
• Annatto Seeds – A very tough reddish-brown seed with a woodsy aroma and an earthy flavor. Called Achiote Paste (see above) when ground, this is used to flavor many Mexican dishes.
• Bay Leaf – Adds a woodsy background note to soups and sauces.
• Basil – Highly aromatic with a robust licorice flavor. Excellent in pestos, as a finishing touch on pasta dishes, or stuffed into sandwiches.
• Caraway Seeds – These anise-tasting seeds are essential for soda bread, sauerkraut, and potato salad.
• Cardamom – This warm, aromatic spice is widely used in Indian cuisine. It’s also great in baked goods when used in combination with spices like clove and cinnamon.
• Cayenne Pepper – Made from dried and ground red chili peppers. Adds a sweet heat to soups, braises, and spice mixes.
• Chervil – Delicate anise flavor. Great raw in salads or as a finishing garnish.
• Chia Seeds – No, these seeds aren’t just for growing crazy terracotta sculptures! Nearly flavorless, they can be ground into smoothies, cereals, and baked goods for extra nutrition and texture, or even used as a vegan egg substitute.
• Cinnamon – Found in almost every world cuisine, cinnamon serves double duty as spice in both sweet and savory dishes.
• Cloves – Sweet and warming spice. Used most often in baking, but also good with oatmeal.
• Coriander – Earthy, lemony flavor. Used in a lot of Mexican and Indian dishes.
• Cumin – Smoky and earthy. Used in a lot of Southwestern US and Mexican cuisine, as well as North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian.
• Dill – Light and feathery herb with a pungent herb flavor. Use it for pickling, or baked seasoned potatoes.
• Fennel Seeds – Lightly sweet and licorice flavored. It’s excellent with vegetable dishes, or even chewed on its own as a breath freshener and digestion aid!
• Fenugreek – Although this herb smells like maple syrup while cooking, it has a rather bitter, burnt sugar flavor. Found in a lot of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.
• Garlic Powder – Garlic powder is made from dehydrated garlic cloves and can be used to give dishes a sweeter, softer garlic flavor.
• Gochugaru – This Korean red pepper spice is hot, sweet, and ever-so-slightly smoky.
• Grains of Paradise – These taste like a cross between cardamom, citrus, and black pepper. They add a warming note to many North African dishes.
• Lemon Thyme – Sweet lemon aroma and a fresh lemony-herbal flavor. This is excellent in vinaigrettes.
• Loomi – Also called black lime, this is ground from dried limes. Adds a sour kick to many Middle Eastern dishes.
• Mace – From the same plant as nutmeg, but tastes more subtle and delicate. Great in savory dishes, especially stews and homemade vegan patties.
• Mahlab – Ground from sour cherry pits, this spice has a nutty and somewhat sour flavor. It’s used in a lot of sweet breads throughout the Middle East.
• Marjoram – Floral and woodsy. Try it in sauces, vinaigrettes, and marinades.
• Mint – Surprisingly versatile for such an intensely flavored herb. Try it paired with peas, potatoes – and of course, with chocolate!
• Nutmeg – Sweet and pungent. Great in baked goods, but also adds a warm note to savory dishes.
• Nutritional Yeast – Very different from bread yeast, this can be sprinkled onto or into sauces, pastas, and other dishes to add a nutty, cheesy, savory flavor.
• Oregano – Robust, somewhat lemony flavor. Used in a lot of Mexican and Mediterranean dishes.
• Paprika – Adds a sweet note and a red color. Used in stews and spice blends.
• Rosemary – Strong and piney. Great with beans, and potatoes or a simple vinaigrette.
• Saffron – Saffron has a subtle but distinct floral flavor and aroma, and it also gives foods a bright yellow color.
• Sage – Pine-like flavor, with more lemony and eucalyptus notes than rosemary. Found in a lot of northern Italian cooking.
• Savory – Peppery green flavor similar to thyme. Mostly used in roasted dishes and stuffing, but also goes well with beans and Italian marinades.
• Shiso – A member of the mint family, this herb is used extensively in Japanese, Korean, and South East Asian cooking as a wrap for steaming seasoned rice and vegetables, in soups, and as a general seasoning.
• Smoked Paprika – Adds sweet smokiness to dishes, as well as a red color.
• Star Anise – Whole star anise can be used to add a sweet licorice flavor to sauces and soups.
• Sumac – Zingy and lemony, sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that’s great in marinades and spice rubs.
• Tarragon – Strong anise flavor. Can be eaten raw in salads or used to flavor tomato dishes, soups, and stews.
• Thai Basil – A spicy, edgier cousin to sweet Italian basil. A must-have for Thai stir-fries, Vietnamese pho, spring rolls, and other South Asian dishes.
• Turmeric – Sometimes used more for its yellow color than its flavor, turmeric has a mild woodsy flavor. Can be used in place of saffron in a pinch. Best used in curry spice mixes.
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