Spice Blends - The World in 10 Spice Blends Gift Set

We have opened the most precious chest to offer you the 10 rarest and most secret Spice Blends that man has managed to preserve over the millennia that have characterized his history.

Average weight per jar: 60 g


ZHUATANG

Origin: China

Created around 1300, this blend is among the oldest in the world. Legend has it that it was created with the intention of bringing together all five flavors that are the basis of Chinese dietary theory: sweet (cinnamon), salty (cloves), bitter (anise), sour (fennel seeds), spicy (pepper), and to rebalance Yin and Yang. In Chinese cuisine, it is normally used to prepare so-called "Lu" dishes, a cooking method used for stewing certain dishes, generally fatty meats such as pork and duck: thanks to the long cooking time, these absorb all the aromas to the maximum. Also recommended with tofu, soups, stir-fried vegetables, and all various noodle-based dishes.

Ingredients: Star Anise, Cinnamon, Szechuan Pepper, Fennel, Cloves.


MADRAS CURRY

Origin: India

This Curry is so famous that it has become synonymous with the word Curry worldwide. Madras is the ancient name of the city of Chennai, in southeastern India. It is a bold Curry that, depending on the quantity of chili pepper, can be more or less spicy. The predominant flavor is that of turmeric: dry and enveloping. Then follow the spicy and particular notes of mustard and pepper, enhanced by the light smokiness of paprika. Cardamom, with its floral aroma, completes the blend.

Ingredients: Coriander, Turmeric, Fennel, Salt, Cumin, Garlic, Fenugreek, Bay Leaf, Cloves, MUSTARD, Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Cardamom.


CHIMICHURRI

Origin: Argentina

This blend of herbs and spices originated in Argentina and has spread throughout South America and Northern Europe. The flavor and aroma of onion and garlic stimulate its pairing with grilled meat and fish. It lends itself to marinades with extra virgin olive oil, by sprinkling it over the meat and letting it rest for at least an hour. The result will be surprising.

Ingredients: Garlic, Onion, Sweet Paprika, Oregano, Salt, Parsley, Pepper.

PAIN D’ÉPICES

Origin: France

Pain d’Épices is a spice blend created to flavor desserts, biscuits, bread, panna cotta, puddings, and more. It originates from the town of Colmar, capital of Alsace, also known as the capital of Alsatian wine production. The origins of this sweet blend are lost in the mists of time. Greeks and Romans used to make sweet breads flavored with honey, but the oldest ancestor of Pain d'Epices as we know it today can be found in a honey bread flavored with herbs and used as a ration by the Chinese army around 1100 AD.

Ingredients: Cinnamon, Star Anise, Cardamom, Coriander, Mace, Allspice, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cloves.

RAS EL HANOUT

Origin: Morocco

It is a spice blend with warm and "sweet" (not spicy) aromas, such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. As it can be considered a condiment, it is easy to use for marinating meats, perhaps mixed with fat, or transformed into a spreadable cream not only for meats, fish, or vegetables, but also for stews and tagines. To prepare a spreadable cream, add a teaspoon of Ras el Hanout to softened butter, sour cream, or Greek yogurt; if, however, you want an emulsion to make your crudités special, mix it with extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients: Turmeric, Coriander, Allspice, Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Cumin, Fennel, Nutmeg, Star Anise, Orange Peel, Fenugreek, Bay Leaf.


CAJUN

Origin: Louisiana

Cajun cuisine is a typical American cuisine born with French immigrants from Canadian Acadia and forcibly displaced by the English to Acadiana, a colonial region of present-day Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas. Cajun foods are characterized by simple preparation and the use of rustic ingredients. This spicy spice blend is very common in the United States and is suitable for all red meat and game dishes.

Ingredients: Salt, Thyme, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Sweet Paprika, Brown Sugar, Oregano, Chili Pepper, Nutmeg, Cumin.

BERBERÉ

Origin: Eritrea, Ethiopia

Berberé is the name of a mix of African spices, used in Eritrea and Ethiopia for the preparation of the famous national dish, zighinì stew. The blend includes spices with countless properties: cardamom, chili pepper, ginger, cloves, coriander, allspice, common rue, ajowan, sometimes also long pepper and fenugreek. There are essentially two types of Berberé: one with fenugreek and one with cardamom. Berberé can be used to spice countless foods and dishes and to increase the use of spices in cooking, also helping to eliminate salt and fats.

Ingredients: Nutmeg, Coriander, Cardamom, Allspice, Black Pepper, Kummel, Cayenne Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Salt, Fenugreek.


ZA'ATAR

Origin: Lebanon

Za'atar is a very popular spice mix in the area of the former Ottoman Empire (Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Jordan). In Israel, it is very fashionable, as it is in Palestine where it is considered a typical ingredient of their cuisine. In Lebanon, children are raised on bread and za'atar because it is believed to strengthen the body and mind. Very versatile, Za'atar is simply mixed with oil for dipping bread, bagels, pita, or manakish, a kind of pizza widespread throughout the Middle East; in Palestine, it is served with chickpeas and olives and is eaten not only for breakfast but also as a mid-morning snack, served with hummus; it is added to labneh, a yogurt with the consistency of cheese; it is also used to flavor meats and vegetables. You can use it to season an onion pizza or to flavor stewed potatoes; it is very pleasant to use it as a dry rub for chicken or lamb and it is also tasty on tomatoes and mozzarella or on eggs.

Ingredients: White Sesame, Sumac, Thyme, Salt, Marjoram, Coriander, Dill.


MYKONOS

Origin: Greece

The Mykonos herb blend was invented in the 1960s. It seems that one of the chefs on Aristotle Onassis's yacht, on the occasion of the first visit of Jacqueline Kennedy, who would later become the Greek shipowner's wife, prepared this melange to dress a salad of carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes that Jacqueline loved. The guests were so enthusiastic that the recipe soon traveled around the world. This blend encloses all the scents of the Mediterranean in an aromatic bouquet. It is a blend particularly suitable for flavoring fish and white meats, eggs and sauces, and dishes based on steamed vegetables and legumes. Also excellent for marinating meats to be grilled.

Ingredients: Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Mint, Marjoram, Oregano, Fennel.


KASKÀ

Origin: Niger, Mali, Ghana

In some 13th-century AD citations, a Syrian historian from Aleppo mentions Kaskà on four occasions, always pairing it with couscous. These ancient citations show that couscous, and therefore Kaskà, spread rapidly, but that in general they were common mainly in the Islamic west as far as Tripolitania, while further east, starting from Cyrenaica, the cuisine was mainly Egyptian, so couscous was only an occasional dish. One of the first references to Kaskà in northern Europe is in Brittany, in a letter dated January 12, 1699, but long before that it had appeared in Provence, where the traveler Jean Jacques Bouchard wrote of having eaten it in Toulon in 1630. This blend is not only fundamental for the preparation of couscous, to which it should be added during cooking, but it is also a happy combination when paired with fish and lamb.

Ingredients: Coriander, Cumin, Paprika, Black Pepper, Chili Pepper.