It is officially the season for pumpkin spice lattes, cozy sweaters, and warm soups. Fall and winter are a time of year when spices come into their own. The perfect time for warm, hearty meals. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is important to know which spices will complement your next holiday meal.
Spices and herbs can make your dishes pop with flavor during the fall and winter months. Let's dig a little deeper into the best spices for the season. Below is an explanation of each spice, as well as a suggestion for how to use it.
Star Anise
What is star anise?
Star Anise is a brown seed found in the star-shaped pods of an evergreen tree. The spice may not be well-known or even exist in your local grocery store, but for centuries people have enjoyed the flavor it produces when used as flavoring agent during Chinese cuisine. The starlike appearance comes from its five petals which enclose many seeds on their surfaces.
What does star anise taste like?
The flavor profile can range from sweet to bittersweet with hints strong licorice or mulber on its taste, depending upon how it's prepared before consumption recalled by some as being similar to Chinese Five Spice Powder while others describe more spice like sensations when eating this delicacy for dinner parties.
How to use star anise?
Star Anise can be mixed with other ingredients to make the flavor stronger or more subtle depending on what you're making.
It’s also used for infusing flavor into soups, such as Vietnamese pho noodle soup, or adding flavor to any broth. It's also a vital ingredient in Chinese five-spice, which you can add to a stir-fry, marinade chicken with, or sprinkle with roasted nuts for a tasty snack.
Cardamom
What is cardamom?
Cardamom, a spice made from the seed pods of cardamom plants native to South India can be enjoyed both whole or ground. The spindle-shaped clusters are often used in both sweet and savory dishes around world cuisines like Indian food as well Middle Eastern cuisine such as Scandinavian recipes.
What does cardamom taste like?
As for the taste, that depends on whether it’s green or black cardamom. Green cardamom has a strong citrus flavor that is both peppery and sweet at the same time. While, black cardamom has a smokey, minty, menthol-like flavor that pairs well with savory meals. Regardless of the variety of cardamom you use, it's a strong and aromatic spice.
How to use cardamom?
It pairs great with both poultry and meat, and can make an excellent addition to curries and stews. Thanks to the spice’s citrus flavorings, it also works great with cinnamon and pistachios. It is also used in various baked goods.
Cinnamon
What is cinnamon?
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the bark of the cinnamon tree and is one of the oldest known spices. It can be purchased in its stick form or in the form of ground.
Cinnamon is widely used in various cuisines as an aromatic spice and flavoring addition for sweet and savory foods, entrees, side dishes, desserts, and flavor beverages.
What does cinnamon taste like?
Cinnamon has a woody and sweet flavor with a subtle citrus flavor, and its spicy flavor is often compared to cloves' strong punch. Aside from texture, there's no difference in flavor between ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks; it's how they're used that differs.
How to use cinnamon?
Cinnamon is best stored in its whole form and if you needed it in a powdered form it is ideal to grind it fresh each time.
Cinnamon powder can be added to curries, homemade biscuit and cake recipes, apple pie, sweet bread dough, rice pudding, and other desserts by crumbling a cinnamon stick. Sprinkle it on top of ice cream or add it whole to a dish. To enhance the flavor of a mug of hot chocolate, mix it with a cinnamon stick. Infuse a cinnamon stick in hot water to make a calming cinnamon tea. Crumble it up and combine it with sugar before sprinkling it on top of hot, freshly fried doughnuts. Cinnamon complements spicy beef curries and Indian biriyanis. If you're going to cook with numerous cinnamon sticks, ground them in a blender or coffee grinder to save time.
‘Tis the season for winter spices, so get them while you can. By the end of the year, these good-for-you spices go beyond simply tasting great.
Soeos is a brand you can trust to provide you with the best quality spices and seasoning blends for this coming winter.