Have you ever looked at the spice aisles in the supermarket and wondered what on earth all these different spices would be used for? Or maybe your kitchen cupboard is full of these and you're unsure how to use these in your dishes? If the answer is 'yes' (or even if the answer is 'no!') take a look at our useful guide to help you get creative with some of the most commonly used, everyday spices.
1. PAPRIKA
DESCRIPTION: a powdered spice with a deep orange-red colour and a mildly pungent flavour, made from the dried and ground fruits of certain varieties of pepper.
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Fish, Cheese, Sausages
2. BASIL
DESCRIPTION: an aromatic plant of the mint family, native to tropical Asia. The leaves are used as a culinary herb, especially in Mediterranean dishes.
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Beef, Eggs, Pasta
3. GARLIC
DESCRIPTION: a strong-smelling pungent-tasting bulb, used as a flavouring in cookery and in herbal medicine
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Chicken, Vegetable Soup, Meatballs
4. GINGER
DESCRIPTION: a hot, fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant, which may be chopped or powdered for cooking, preserved in syrup, or candied..
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Seafood, Carrots, Chocolate
5. PARSLEY
DESCRIPTION: a biennial plant with white flowers and aromatic leaves which are either crinkly or flat and are used as a culinary herb and for garnishing food
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Tuna, Potatoes, Mushrooms
6. ROSEMARY
DESCRIPTION: an evergreen aromatic shrub of the mint family, native to southern Europe. The narrow leaves are used as a culinary herb, in perfumery, and as an emblem of remembrance.
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Lamb, Tomatoes, Game Meat
7. TURMERIC
DESCRIPTION: a bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome of a plant of the ginger family, used for flavouring and colouring in Asian cookery and formerly as a fabric dye.
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Beef, Coconut, Curry
8. CINNAMON
DESCRIPTION: an aromatic spice made from the peeled, dried, and rolled bark of a SouthEast Asian tree.
TRY PAIRING IT WITH: Chicken, Apples, Coffee
