The flavours behind the food we eat
Welcome to the reference guide for herbs and spices: 312 pages on every leaf, seed, bark, root and chilli worth cooking with; from a handful of basil to a Carolina Reaper, and the blends, pastes and traditions built on them.
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Bird's eye chilli
The small, fierce chilli of Southeast Asian cooking
Bird's eye chillies are small, pointed, very hot chillies used across Southeast Asia and Africa. The name covers several varieties of Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens.
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💡 Did you know…
- Mint sauce is a British condiment of finely chopped fresh mint steeped in vinegar with sugar and a little boiling water. It is the traditional sharp accompaniment to roast lamb. (Mint sauce)
- A guide to the spice brands and own-label ranges in British supermarkets, from Schwartz and Bart to Rajah, Natco and Tropical Sun, and how their prices per gram compare. (British supermarket spices)
- How to infuse oils, butters and vinegars with herbs, spices, garlic and chilli, hot or cold, and how to avoid the real risk of botulism when fresh garlic or herbs sit in oil. (Infusing oils, butters and vinegars)
- Common sage is a hardy, grey-leaved Mediterranean shrub with a musky, slightly bitter, camphor-laced flavour. It is made for rich foods: pork, sausages, stuffing, brown butter and pumpkin. (Sage)
🌶️ Spice Finder
Tell us what you're cooking and what's in the spice rack, and we'll tell you which blend, rub or paste to make — and what you're missing.
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🌡️ The Heat Ladder Scoville scale
The bars are on a log scale: every fifth of the way along is ten times hotter, from a bell pepper's zero to pure capsaicin at 16 million. Pick a chilli, or use the arrow keys. See capsaicin for why it burns.