Spicing things up...

[fajrdrako]

Ah, the things that begin on the Bujold mailing list - good or bad, that list does get interesting and thought-provoking ideas on it.

So one person suggested giving spices as a wedding present - seems to me a good idea, if you're dealing with people who cook, and it's also good as a Christmas present. The upshot is that nishatalitha made it into a meme:

Take this list of herbs and spices, bold what you have, italicise what you want and strike any you've never heard of. Leave a gap and add what you have that's not already on the list.

What I want depends on what I'm planning to cook at any given time. I'm going to add a notation: an asterisk denotes something I particularly love, like cinnamon or parsley. Two of my favourite foods ever.

Ajwain
Allspice berries - Berries? No. I have ground allspice.
Aniseed
Asafoetida
Baking Powder
Basil*
Bay Leaves
Bicarbonate of Soda
Cardamom seeds
Cardamom powder
Caraway seed
Cayenne
Celery seed
Chilies
Chili Powder (blend - not ground chilles [that's Cayenne])
Chives
Cinnamon*
Cloves (ground)
Cloves (whole)
Coriander (ground)
Coriander (whole)
Cream of tartar
Cumin (ground)
Cumin seed
Curry
Curry Leaves [...what's that? I thought curry was a mixture of spices. Ah-hah! It's the same as neem. I've cooked with neem.]
Dill
Fennel Seed
Fenugreek
Chinese Five spices - I make my own as needed.
Garam masala
Ginger (ground) (and fresh as well, and frozen in little plastic squares)
Herbes de Provence (MUST contain lavender) [I buy it fresh when I need it; I find it loses potency if stored]
Lavender
Mace
Mango powder (Amchoor)
Mint
Mustard
Mustard seeds - brown [I really should throw this out - I never use them]
Nutmeg (whole)*
Nutmeg (ground)*
Onion seeds (Kaloni)
Orange zest [which I find surprisingly hard to find now, and expensive when found - I may not have any at the moment, but I do like having it on hand. I don't always have organges.]
Oregano
Parsley*
Paprika
Peppercorns - I keep them on hand, but I think I'm allergic to them now.
Peppercorns - green
Peppercorns - white
[what about various forms of ground pepper? I have that, too.]
Poppy seed
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Sambar powder
Savory
Sesame seeds
Tarragon [I just happen to have run out, but didn't buy more; I don't use it in quantity]
Tamarind Paste
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla*

Cinnamon quills*
Sumac
Tandoori seasoning
Mixed Herbs

cocoa
garlic powder
lemon zest
stevia
rose water

There's probably other stuff but I'm doing this by memory. I'd use lavender, but I have friends who are allergic, and another who just dislikes it.

I think a person looking at my list could conclude, quite rightly, that I like to cook, but don't generally do south-east Asian or Caribbean dishes.