Main spice flavours

Main spice flavours

Spices come in 5 different categories: sweet, pungent, tangy, hot and amalgamating. Usually herbs and spices are meant to compliment and bring out the flavour of the dish in which they are being used, not to dominate it. It’s important to know the characteristics to be able to use the right amount of the right spice into cooking.

Sweet:   cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, poppy seed, dill seed

Pungent:   cloves, star anise, cardamom, ginger, paprika, garlic

Sour:   ginger, tamarind, sumac, kokam

Hot:   pepper, chili, mustard, horseradish

Amalgamating:   coriander seed, fennel seed, turmeric