Glossary

How to use this glossary¶

Herbs and spices borrow vocabulary from botany, chemistry, the spice trade and a dozen cuisines at once. This glossary collects the words that turn up across the site, with a link to the full article where there is one.

Terms in bold within a definition have entries of their own. British English is used throughout; American equivalents are noted where they differ.

A–Z¶

A¶

Adulteration

Bulking out or disguising a spice with something cheaper or undeclared — brick dust in chilli, dyes in turmeric, papaya seeds in black pepper. See spice adulteration.

Ajwain

The small, ridged, thyme-scented fruit of Trachyspermum ammi, used in Indian breads, pakoras and pickles. Also called carom. See ajwain.

Allspice

A single spice: the dried unripe berry of the Caribbean tree Pimenta dioica, named for smelling like a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Not the same as mixed spice. See allspice.

Annual

A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season — basil, coriander and dill among the herbs. See annual and perennial herbs.

Apiaceae

The carrot or parsley family, formerly Umbelliferae. It supplies more spices than any other: cumin, coriander, fennel, caraway, dill, ajwain, anise, celery seed and asafoetida, plus parsley, chervil and lovage.

Aril

A fleshy covering that grows around some seeds. Mace is the red aril around the nutmeg seed. See mace.

Aromatics

Vegetables and herbs cooked at the start of a dish to build its base: onion, garlic, ginger, celery, lemongrass and the like.

Asafoetida

The dried resin of certain Ferula species, pungent raw and oniony once fried. Sold as hing, usually diluted with wheat or rice flour. See asafoetida.

B¶

Bloom

To fry ground spices or pastes briefly in fat so that their fat-soluble aroma compounds are released into the oil. See blooming spices in oil.

Bouquet garni

A tied bundle of herbs, classically parsley stalks, thyme and bay, simmered in a stock or stew and removed before serving. See bouquet garni.

Bruise

To crush lightly — a lemongrass stalk, a cardamom pod, a sprig of mint — so that it releases flavour without breaking up.

C¶

Capsaicin

The main compound responsible for the heat of chillies; it acts on the TRPV1 receptor that also senses painful heat. See capsaicin.

Capsaicinoids

The family of related compounds, including capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, that together make chillies hot. Scoville ratings measure their concentration.

Capsicum

The chilli genus, in the nightshade family Solanaceae. The five domesticated species are C. annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. baccatum and C. pubescens. Also the Australian and Indian name for a sweet pepper.

Cassia

The bark of Cinnamomum cassia and related species: thicker, harder and more pungent than true cinnamon, and much higher in coumarin. See cassia.

Chaat masala

A sour, salty north Indian sprinkle built on amchur, cumin and black salt. See chaat masala.

Chiffonade

Leafy herbs such as basil or sorrel rolled up and cut across into fine ribbons. See chopping herbs.

Chile

Spanish spelling, used in Mexico and the US Southwest and kept here in proper names such as chile de árbol.

Chili

American spelling, kept on this site for chili powder (the US blend) and chili con carne. See chili powder.

Chilli

The fruit of a Capsicum plant, fresh or dried; plural chillies. The British spelling, used throughout this site.

Chinois

A fine conical sieve, used for straining infusions and sauces.

Coumarin

A sweet-smelling compound found in cassia and tonka beans, restricted in food in some countries because large regular intakes can harm the liver. See coumarin in cinnamon.

Cracked

Broken into a few coarse pieces rather than ground — cracked black pepper, cracked coriander seed.

Cultivar

A cultivated variety selected and kept for particular traits: 'Genovese' basil or the jalapeño, for instance.

Curing

The slow process of sweating and drying that develops flavour in some spices, notably vanilla, whose green pods have little aroma until cured. See vanilla.

D¶

Decorticated

Stripped of its outer husk or pod. Decorticated cardamom is the loose seeds without the green pods.

Deseed

To remove the seeds from a chilli. Much of the heat is actually in the pale placenta the seeds are attached to, so removing that too makes a bigger difference.

Dry rub

A mixture of ground spices, salt and often sugar rubbed on to meat or fish before cooking. See dry rubs and marinades.

Dry-roast

To heat whole spices in a dry pan, with no oil. Also called toasting. See toasting spices.

E¶

Essential oil

The volatile, aromatic oil distilled from a plant. Concentrated and not interchangeable with the spice itself; some are hazardous to swallow.

F¶

Fines herbes

The French mixture of finely chopped fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. See fines herbes.

G¶

Garam masala

A north Indian blend of warming spices, usually added near the end of cooking. Garam means warm or hot; masala means a mixture of spices. See garam masala.

Ghee

Clarified butter cooked until the milk solids brown lightly; a common fat for tempering spices in South Asian cooking.

H¶

Heat

The burning sensation caused by capsaicinoids (chillies), piperine (pepper) or isothiocyanates (mustard, horseradish, wasabi). Not a taste but a pain signal.

Hing

The Hindi name for asafoetida.

I¶

Infusion

Flavour drawn into a liquid by steeping — oil, vinegar, cream, syrup or water. See infusing oils.

Isothiocyanates

The sharp, nose-clearing compounds released when mustard seed, horseradish and wasabi are crushed and wetted. See mustard oils.

K¶

Kala namak

Indian black salt: a mineral salt with a sulphurous, eggy smell, pinkish-grey when ground. Essential to chaat masala.

L¶

Lamiaceae

The mint family, formerly Labiatae: mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, savory, lavender, shiso, lemon balm and hyssop. Most have square stems and aromatic leaves.

Landrace

A traditional local variety of a crop, adapted to its region over generations rather than bred formally.

M¶

Makrut lime

Citrus hystrix, whose double-lobed leaves and knobbly zest are used in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking. See makrut lime leaves.

Marinade

A seasoned liquid or paste — often with acid, oil or yoghurt — in which food is left before cooking.

Masala

A mixture of spices, dry or wet, in the languages of South Asia.

Masala dabba

The round steel spice tin, with small bowls inside, that sits by the stove in many Indian kitchens. See masala dabba.

Mericarp

One half of a split schizocarp: each 'seed' of cumin, fennel or caraway is botanically a mericarp.

Mixed spice

The British sweet baking blend — cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger and often coriander. See mixed spice.

Mortar and pestle

The bowl (mortar) and club (pestle) used to pound spices and pastes. See pestle and mortar.

Myristicin

An aromatic compound in nutmeg and mace that contributes to their toxicity in large doses. See nutmeg toxicity.

O¶

Oleoresin

A concentrated extract of a spice made with a solvent, containing both its aroma and its pungent or coloured compounds. Widely used by food manufacturers.

P¶

Panch phoron

The Bengali mixture of five whole seeds: cumin, fennel, black mustard, nigella and fenugreek. See panch phoron.

Perennial

A plant that lives for more than two years: rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, chives, lovage. See annual and perennial herbs.

Pericarp

The wall of a fruit. In a peppercorn, the dark wrinkled outer layer that is removed to make white pepper.

Piperine

The alkaloid that gives black pepper its bite. See piperine.

Placenta

The pale spongy tissue inside a chilli to which the seeds attach; where most of the capsaicin is made.

Pungency

Sharpness or heat, as opposed to aroma. In the chilli trade, a technical term for measured heat.

Q¶

Quill

A rolled stick of cinnamon bark. True cinnamon is sold in thin, many-layered quills; cassia forms a single thick curl.

R¶

Rhizome

An underground stem that grows horizontally. Ginger, turmeric and galangal are rhizomes, not roots.

Rub

See dry rub. A wet rub is the same mixture loosened with oil or another liquid.

S¶

Sanshool

Hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, the compound in Sichuan and sansho pepper that produces a tingling, numbing sensation on the lips and tongue. See sanshool and tingling.

Schizocarp

A dry fruit that splits into two or more one-seeded parts. The 'seeds' of coriander, cumin, fennel, caraway and dill are schizocarps or their halves.

Scoville heat unit (SHU)

The unit of chilli heat. Originally a dilution taste test devised by Wilbur Scoville in 1912; now usually calculated from capsaicinoid content measured by liquid chromatography. See the scoville scale.

Solanaceae

The nightshade family: chillies, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and aubergines.

Sprig

A small stem with leaves attached — of thyme, rosemary or parsley. Roughly 5–8 cm in a recipe that does not say otherwise.

Stigma

The part of a flower that receives pollen. Saffron is the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, three per flower, picked by hand. See saffron.

Superhot

Informal name for the hottest chillies, generally those well above about 1,000,000 SHU, such as the ghost pepper and Carolina Reaper.

T¶

Tadka

See tempering. Also tarka, chhaunk or baghar, depending on the region.

Tempering

Frying whole or ground spices in hot fat to release their flavour, then adding the fat and spices to a dish, at the start or as a finishing flourish. See tempering spices.

Terpenes

A large family of aroma compounds, including limonene (citrus), linalool (coriander seed, basil) and pinene (rosemary, juniper). See aroma compounds.

Toasting

Heating whole spices, seeds or nuts in a dry pan or oven to drive off moisture and deepen their aroma. See toasting spices.

TRPV1

The heat- and pain-sensing receptor in nerve endings that capsaicin activates, which is why chilli feels hot. See capsaicin.

U¶

Umbellifer

Any plant of the Apiaceae family, named for its umbrella-shaped flower heads (umbels).

V¶

Volatile oils

The fraction of a spice's flavour that evaporates readily and carries its aroma. It is what fades first in an old jar. See how long spices last.

W¶

Whole spice

A spice as harvested and dried, before grinding — seeds, pods, bark, berries. Keeps its aroma far longer than ground. See whole vs ground spices.

Z¶

Zest

The coloured outer layer of citrus peel, where the aromatic oils are. The white pith beneath it is bitter.

British and American names¶

See also¶

• about spicypedia · style guide · the spice finder
• etymology of spice names · aroma compounds · the scoville scale