To cook deliciously, you need to know which spices are suitable for what - a table for all occasions

In my childhood, there was a maximum of 5-6 spices in the kitchen: cinnamon, cloves, black and red pepper, dried parsley and dill. This was enough to make the dishes flavorful. Simple, homemade food. At some point, I wanted to improve my culinary skills and cook something completely different from my usual food. I started experimenting with spices - what they are suitable for and what they are not. There are a lot of recommendations on the Internet, but very often they are not for everyone. I decided to make my own table. I am posting it for everyone to see.

Universal spices

Today there are a lot of varieties of spices in the supermarket. But all my friends, including me, for a long time bought spices “for meat”, “for vegetables”, “for fish" They consist of a certain set of spices and pieces of vegetables. Very convenient if you don’t know what the individual components are for. But I still advise you to delve deeper into this issue. The dishes will sparkle with new colors!

It's best to start with universal spices that definitely won't sit in your kitchen drawer. They can be added to salty and sweet dishes, soups and side dishes.

Table:

Universal spices
Name	Description	Taste and aroma	What is it used for?	Best fit
Black pepper	Black dried fruits of the Indian climbing plant Piper nigrum.	Strong spicy aroma and pungent taste	All types of meat, dishes made from them, fish, marinades, soups and borscht, potatoes, vegetable salads	Grilled meat
Paprika	Red-orange powder ground from the dried sweet fleshy pepper Capsicum annum.	The aroma is soft, subtle, spicy. The taste is sweetish	Poultry, soups and borscht, potato dishes, cheese	Potato
Dried ginger	Gray-yellow powder obtained from the rhizome of a perennial herbaceous plant from the Ginger family (Zingiberaceae)	Fresh spicy aroma with herbaceous and citrus notes, burning taste with a hint of freshness	Marinades and sauces, poultry, baked goods	Cookies and gingerbread
Turmeric	Bright yellow-orange powder with strong yellow pigment. Extracted from the rhizomes of the Curcuma longa plant	The aroma is subtle, mustard. Taste: slightly pungent, woody	Bird, spicy rice, pilaf, marinades and sauces, fish, vegetables and salads, sweet pastries	Chicken
Cinnamon	Light brown powder or tubes - dried bark of an evergreen tree of the Laurel family	The aroma is spicy, sweet-tart. The taste is sweetish, slightly hot, with notes of wood, vanilla and citrus.	Baked goods, sweet cereals, desserts, tea, jam, fruit salads, yogurt	Sweet dishes with apples
Dried garlic	Golden granules or powder. It is the dried and crushed root of the well-known plant of the same name	Subtle garlic aroma, muted burning taste without bitterness	Poultry, vegetables, sauces, meat and semi-finished meat products, soups	Vegetable casseroles
Curry	A yellow turmeric-based spice mixture native to India. Definitely contains chili pepper and coriander. Other additives may vary.	Deep spicy, invigorating aroma. The taste depends on the set of spices	Meat and poultry, cheese, vegetables, soups, rice, sauces, seafood	Any spicy dishes

I always have a large supply of these spices.They go quickly and everyone loves them. But if you want something unusual, you need to use specific spices.

Spices for meat

Different types of meat - different spices. Of course, black pepper is very important when cooking meat. But since I already talked about it, I won’t repeat it. Let's consider other contenders who are able to highlight the taste of meat dishes in the most advantageous way.

Table:

Spices for meat and meat dishes
Name	Description	Taste and aroma	Best fit	Features of use
Rosemary	Fresh and dry leaves of the same-named evergreen plant of the Lamiaceae family. Reminds me of pine needles	Strong pine aroma, pungent, bitter taste, with lemon and eucalyptus notes	Roasted lamb and pork	Added at the beginning of cooking and then removed. May overpower the taste of the dish, so use in small quantities
Cumin (jeera)	Elongated dark flat seeds of a biennial plant of the genus Kmin	Strong spicy aroma with nutty notes. The taste is specific, bitter	Pilaf	Zira is added to dishes in the middle of cooking. She needs time to open up.
Mustard seeds	Yellow-brown round seeds of an annual plant of the Brassica family	Spicy mustard aroma, taste - bitter, slightly spicy	Roasted beef, pork and chicken	To reveal the taste, the grains are fried in oil with other seasonings and spices.
Thyme (thyme)	Fresh and dried shoots and small elongated leaves of a perennial aromatic plant	Strong spicy herbaceous aroma, pungent, refreshing taste	Roast, baked poultry	The aroma takes a long time to develop. It's best to add it at the beginning of cooking.

The choice of spices today is huge, it’s easy to get confused. Often the same spice is sold in grains and powder.

Advice. It is best to buy spices in grains and grind them yourself immediately before use.

Powdered spices fizzle out quickly. And in the markets, unscrupulous sellers often dilute them with something cheap. Powders can be taken in small volumes, always in sealed bags.

Spices for fish and seafood

It is believed that noble red and other expensive fish do not require the use of spices. Her taste is wonderful as is. But in small quantities, seasonings can improve it many times over.

You cannot do without spices when cooking fish with a strong smell and high fat content. They neutralize unpleasant moments and make the dish not only edible, but also very tasty.

How to season fish:

Spices for fish and seafood
Name	Description	Taste and aroma	Best fit	Features of use
White pepper	Peas are white-gray. Black pepper fruits without pericarp	More subtle aroma and less pungent taste than black pepper	Stewed and baked fish and seafood	Universal use: at the beginning, middle, end of cooking, for the finished dish
lemon pepper	Light yellow powder. It is a mixture of spices, which includes ground black pepper, lemon zest and acid, onion, turmeric, salt	Strong aroma and taste of pepper with sourness	Baked fish, shrimp	Replaces lemon and pepper, used for grating fish and boiling shrimp
Coriander	Round, light brown seeds of the well-known cilantro, plant Coriandrum sativum L	Subtle spicy aroma with woody notes, citrus taste with a slight pungency	Marinades and sauces for fish	Must be crushed before use
Caraway	Grey-brown crescent-shaped seeds collected from a perennial plant of the Apiaceae family.	Spicy fresh smell with notes of dill, pungent, bitter taste	Fish and seafood in sauce	Requires long heat treatment and moderate use

Spices for baking, sweet dishes and drinks

It is impossible to imagine gingerbread and mulled wine without spices. In addition, spices help diversify the taste of pies, sweet buns, and add piquancy to desserts.

Table:

Spices for baking, desserts and drinks
Name	Description	Taste and aroma	Best fit	Features of use
Vanilla	Processed dark brown pods of Vanilla evergreen vines	Subtle and sweet unique aroma and bitter taste	Universal: any sweet dishes, pastries, desserts, drinks, ice cream, etc.	Use only with sugar. You need to grind sugar with pods in a coffee grinder or prepare syrup
Carnation	Elongated dried flower buds of brown color. Derived from the tropical clove tree Syzygium aromaticum	Strong, sharp spicy aroma, tart, hot-spicy taste	Mulled wine and other spicy drinks	Used whole, requires boiling
Star anise	Star-shaped brown fruits of the evergreen shrub or tree Illicim verum	The smell is subtle and complex with notes of citrus, the taste is spicy, sweetish with a slight bitterness.	Mulled wine. Lovers prepare jam and compotes with star anise	Add to drinks whole 10 minutes before ready
Nutmeg	Brown powder or kernel of the fruit of the evergreen tree Nutmeg	Tart, strongly spicy with a hint of musk, sweetish	Chocolate desserts, baked goods made from yeast dough, gingerbread cookies, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, jams and preserves	It should be added to dishes with extreme caution; it may interfere with the taste of the food.
Cardamom	Greenish pods with brown seeds or gray powder. It is the fruit of a perennial herbaceous plant of the Ginger family.	Spicy-burning camphor aroma and sharp-sweet taste with lemon notes	Confectionery with added coffee, all kinds of drinks	The seeds are boiled in a liquid base (sometimes without opening the pods), and added in ground form to a dry base.

Spices are not only tasty, but also healthy. In some cases, a spoonful of spices can replace a handful of tablets. They improve digestion, metabolism, increase efficiency, relieve apathy, and help cure colds.

For example, I really like drinking tea with ginger. I cut the fresh root into thin slices (1 tablespoon), put 3 cups of lemon in a teapot (500 ml). When the tea has cooled down a little, add 1 teaspoon of honey to the mug. It helps a lot with a sore throat, a runny nose, and a cough.

Spices for vegetables and salads

Without spices, many vegetables seem mediocre and bland. To give them a refined flavor and an alluring smell, you need to use aromatic sauces. For fresh salads, it is good to use flavored oil.

Table of the most suitable seasonings and spices:

Spices for vegetables and salads
Name	Description	Taste and aroma	Best fit	Features of use
Oregano	Green leaves of the perennial plant Oregano (fresh and dried)	Spicy with woody notes, hot with bitterness	Cabbage, zucchini and eggplants	Fresh leaves are placed in salads, and dried ground seasoning is used in sauces.
Basil	Dense green leaves of the annual herbaceous plant Ocimum basilicum (fresh and dried)	The taste is bitter with a sweet aftertaste. Aroma with notes of clove, lemon, menthol or anise (depending on the type)	Tomatoes, peas, eggplants, salads with lots of greens, tomato sauces	Add to sauces 10-15 minutes before readiness. Used fresh in salads and to decorate dishes
Provencal herbs	A mixture of herbs originally from France. Ingredients: sage, thyme, rosemary, savory, peppermint, oregano, marjoram, basil	Palette of fragrant herbs	Olive oil salad dressing, sauces, potatoes and other roasted vegetables	Can be used to replace salt
Tarragon (Tarragon)	Elongated green leaves of the perennial herbaceous plant Artemisia dracunculus (fresh and dried). Genus species – Wormwood	Peculiar spicy aroma, piquant, sweetish-hot-spicy taste	All types of salads	When cooking a dish, it is added at the very end. When fresh, it opens better if you sprinkle it with lemon juice.
Chilli	Small red pods or red powder obtained from the fruits of a perennial tropical subshrub of the Solanaceae family	Strongly hot taste, peppery aroma	Spicy sauces and warm salads with tomato	To reduce the heat of fresh pepper, remove the seeds and veins.

Many people don’t even realize how many spices exist in the world, and how they change familiar dishes - they complement the taste of products, take them to a new level, and allow you to create real culinary masterpieces. I have just begun my journey into this fascinating world. And I don't want to stop. I would be grateful if someone tells me about their favorite spices and what they are especially good at.