herbsandspices.food The reference guide to herbs and spices
Chilli Compare Spice Finder

🥣 Blends & rubs

Garam masala, ras el hanout, za'atar, jerk, five-spice and the rest.

28 pages in this section

Advieh
The fragrant, rose-scented spice mixture of Persian cooking
A gentle, fragrant Persian blend of rose petals, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin, sometimes with nutmeg, ginger and turmeric, used for rice (polo), stews (khoresh) and sweet…
🫑 Heat No heat
Baharat
"Spices": the all-purpose seasoning of the Arab world
A warm, peppery all-purpose blend from the Arab world, built on black pepper, allspice, cumin, coriander and cinnamon, used for meat, rice, soups and stuffed vegetables.
🌶️ Heat Mild to medium
Berbere
The hot, red, many-layered heart of Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking
A fiery red Ethiopian and Eritrean blend of dried chillies with fenugreek, korarima, ginger, garlic and warm spices, the essential seasoning of wat stews and lentil dishe…
🌶️ Heat Hot
Bouquet garni
A tied bundle of herbs that flavours the pot and then leaves it
A small bundle of herbs, classically parsley stalks, thyme and bay leaf, tied together and simmered in stocks, soups and stews, then lifted out before serving.
🫑 Heat No heat
Cajun seasoning
Paprika, cayenne, garlic and herbs from the jar, Louisiana-style
A Louisiana-style all-purpose seasoning of paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion, black pepper, thyme and oregano, used for blackened fish, gumbo, jambalaya, seafood boils and …
🌶️ Heat Medium to hot
Chaat masala
Sour, salty and sulphurous: the seasoning of Indian street snacks
A tangy Indian blend of dried mango powder, black salt, cumin, coriander and other spices, sprinkled over chaat street snacks, fruit, salads, raita and fried foods just b…
🌶️ Heat Mild to medium
Chili powder
The American chile blend behind chili con carne
An American blend of ground dried chiles, usually ancho, with cumin, oregano and garlic, developed in 1890s Texas for chili con carne; not the same as pure ground chilli …
🌶️ Heat Mild to medium
Chinese five-spice
Star anise, cassia, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper in one sweet-savoury powder
A Chinese blend usually of star anise, cassia, cloves, fennel seed and Sichuan pepper, sweet and aniseedy, used for roast pork and duck, braises and marinades across sout…
🌶️ Heat No heat to faint
Curry powder
A British idea of Indian cooking that took on a life of its own
A turmeric-yellow blend of coriander, cumin, fenugreek, chilli and other spices, created for British and colonial kitchens and now at home in Japan, the Caribbean and bey…
🌶️ Heat Mild to hot
Dukkah
Egypt's pounded nut, seed and spice mixture for bread and oil
An Egyptian mixture of roasted nuts, sesame, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt, pounded coarse and eaten with bread dipped in olive oil, or scattered over salads, eggs an…
🌶️ Heat No heat to mild
Fines herbes
The delicate fresh-herb quartet of classic French cooking
A classic French combination of fresh, finely chopped chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon, added at the last moment to omelettes, sauces, fish and salads.
🫑 Heat No heat
Garam masala
The warming finishing blend of north Indian cooking
A north Indian blend of warm, aromatic spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, usually added near the end of cooking to perfume a dish.
🌶️ Heat Mild to medium
Hawaij
Yemen's two blends: one for soup, one for coffee
The name for two Yemeni blends: a savoury one of cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom for soups and stews, and a sweet one of ginger, cardamom and cinnamon for coff…
🌶️ Heat Mild
Herbes de Provence
Dried Mediterranean herbs of the south of France, lavender optional
A mixture of dried herbs of southern France, typically thyme, savory, rosemary, oregano and marjoram, used for grilled meat, roast vegetables and tomato dishes; lavender …
🫑 Heat No heat
Italian seasoning
An American jar of Mediterranean dried herbs
An American-style blend of dried Mediterranean herbs, typically oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and marjoram, used in tomato sauces, pizza, dressings and roast vegetables…
🫑 Heat No heat
Jerk seasoning
Allspice, Scotch bonnet and thyme: Jamaica's great barbecue flavour
Jamaica's fiery, aromatic seasoning of allspice, Scotch bonnet chillies, thyme, spring onion and garlic, used as a wet marinade or dry rub for chicken and pork cooked slo…
🌶️ Heat Hot to very hot
Mixed spice
Britain's baking blend for buns, puddings and Christmas cake
A British sweet-spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice and often coriander, used in hot cross buns, Christmas pudding, fruit cake and crumbles; not the…
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Mulling spice
Cinnamon, cloves, orange and allspice for hot winter drinks
A mixture of whole spices, usually cinnamon, cloves, allspice, star anise, nutmeg, dried orange peel and ginger, steeped in wine, cider or juice to make mulled wine and o…
🫑 Heat No heat
Panch phoron
Bengal's five-seed tempering, used whole
An eastern Indian and Bangladeshi blend of five whole seeds, usually fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel, fried in hot oil at the start of cooking for dal…
🫑 Heat No heat
Pickling spice
Whole spices for vinegar pickles, brines and corned beef
A mixture of whole spices, typically mustard seed, coriander, allspice, peppercorns, bay, cloves, dill seed and dried chilli, used to flavour pickling vinegars, brines an…
🌶️ Heat Mild
Pumpkin spice
America's autumn blend, which contains no pumpkin
An American sweet-spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice, made for pumpkin pie and now the flavour of autumn lattes, muffins and much else; it conta…
🫑 Heat No heat
Quatre épices
French charcuterie's four spices: pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger
A French blend of four ground spices, usually white or black pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger or cinnamon, used mainly in pâtés, terrines, sausages and slow-cooked meat …
🌶️ Heat Mild
Ras el hanout
Morocco's "head of the shop" blend
A complex Moroccan and North African blend, traditionally a spice merchant's finest mix, combining sweet, floral and warm spices; recipes range from a dozen to over thirt…
🌶️ Heat Mild
Sambar powder
Roasted lentils, coriander and chilli for south India's everyday stew
A south Indian blend of roasted coriander seed, dried red chillies, lentils, fenugreek, cumin, pepper and curry leaves, ground and simmered with tamarind and toor dal to …
🌶️ Heat Medium to hot
Shichimi togarashi
Japan's seven-flavour chilli pepper
A Japanese table seasoning of red chilli, sansho pepper, dried citrus peel, sesame, hemp or poppy seed, ginger and nori, sprinkled over noodles, rice bowls, yakitori and …
🌶️ Heat Medium
Suya spice
Yaji: the peanut-and-chilli seasoning of Nigerian grilled meat
A Nigerian and West African blend, also called yaji, of ground roasted peanuts or kuli-kuli with chilli, ginger, garlic, onion and spices, rubbed onto thin skewers of bee…
🌶️ Heat Hot
Tandoori masala
The red spice blend for yoghurt-marinated, clay-oven-roasted meat
A Punjabi-style blend of Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, dried fenugreek leaf and warm spices, mixed with yoghurt as a marinade for tandoori chicken, t…
🌶️ Heat Mild to medium
Za'atar
Wild herb, sumac and sesame, the taste of the Levantine breakfast
A Levantine blend of a dried thyme-like herb, tangy sumac, toasted sesame and salt, eaten with olive oil and bread and baked onto manakish; also the Arabic name for the h…
🫑 Heat No heat