🌶️Culinary Guide

The Spice Route

Explore our collection of 51 spices from around the world. Discover their origins, flavors and culinary uses.

How to use The Spice Route?

The Spice Route is your complete guide to mastering the art of spices in cooking. Each detailed entry gives you:

  • Geographic origin and history of the spice
  • Taste profile with intensity and heat level
  • Perfect pairings with meats, fish and vegetables
  • Usage tips and mistakes to avoid
  • Substitutions if you don't have the spice

51 spices found

A
2 spices
🌿

Piment aleppo

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Originating from Aleppo, Syria, this chili is prized for its moderate heat and slightly fruity flavor.

Moyen-Orient
salades
🌿

Achiote (roucou)

Annatto comes from the seeds of the achiote tree and has long been used in Latin America and the Caribbean to color and flavor foods.

Amérique, Amérique centrale
pouletpoisson
B
2 spices
🌿

Bétel (feuille séchée)

Betel leaf is used in Southeast Asia to flavor dishes, infusions, and traditional preparations.

Asie
🌿

Curcuma noir

Black turmeric is a rare variety traditionally used in India for its deep aroma.

Inde
légumes
C
5 spices
🌿

Ciboulette chinoise

Chinese chives are an Asian herb with a stronger garlic-like flavor, widely used in Chinese cooking.

Asie
légumes
🌿

Coriandre racine

Coriander root is widely used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking for its stronger flavor compared to leaves.

Asie, Asie du Sud-Est
🌿

Mélange créole

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Creole spice blends originate from Caribbean and Louisiana cuisines.

Amérique, Caraïbes
viandespoissons
🌿

Herbe à curry

Curry herb is a Mediterranean aromatic plant whose aroma recalls curry.

Inde, Méditerranée
viandeslégumes
🌿

Arbre à curry (graines)

Seeds associated with the curry tree are linked to South Asian culinary traditions and should not be confused with curry powder blends.

Inde, Asie
lentilles
D
10 spices
🌿

Basilic séché

Basil is a signature herb of Italian and Asian cuisines, known for its fresh, sweet aroma.

Méditerranée, Asie
poissonstomates
🌿

Citron noir (loomi)

Loomi is a dried lime from the Middle East, essential in Persian and Gulf cuisine.

Moyen-Orient
🌿

Caloupilé séché

Curry leaves are a cornerstone of South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, used for centuries to flavor dishes.

Inde, Sri Lanka
lentilles
🌿

Fleur de jasmin séchée

Jasmine has been used in Asia for centuries to flavor teas and desserts.

Asie
🌿

Lime séchée

Dried lime (loomi) is a traditional Middle Eastern ingredient used in stews and Persian rice dishes.

Moyen-Orient
🌿

Bouton de rose séché

Rosebuds have been used for centuries in the Middle East and Asia to perfume desserts and drinks.

Moyen-Orient, Asie
🌿

Sauge séchée

Sage is a Mediterranean herb used since antiquity.

Méditerranée
viandes
🌿

Shiso séché

Dried shiso preserves the characteristic aromas of this Japanese herb.

Asie
🌿

Basilic thaï séché

Basil is a signature herb of Italian and Asian cuisines, known for its fresh, sweet aroma.

Asie, Méditerranée
poissonstomates
🌿

Racine de curcuma séchée

Turmeric has been used for millennia in India and South Asia.

Inde, Asie
F
3 spices
🌿

Curcuma fermenté

Fermented turmeric comes from a traditional process that develops deeper, more complex flavors.

Inde
légumes
🌿

Graines de lin

Flax has been cultivated for millennia in Europe and Asia.

Asie
salades
🌿

Safran d'Inde frais

Fresh turmeric is commonly known as Indian saffron and used throughout Asia.

Inde, Asie
G
4 spices
🌿
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that varies by region and family, usually added toward the end of cooking.

Inde
viandeslégumes
🌿

Cardamome verte

Green cardamom is a signature spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, and it's also popular in Scandinavian baking and spiced coffee traditions.

Inde, Moyen-Orient
🌿

Baie du Sichuan verte

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Green Sichuan pepper is harvested earlier than red, offering a fresher, more citrus-forward profile.

Asie
volaillespoissons
🌿

Achiote moulu

Ground annatto is powdered annatto seed, convenient for quick mixing into rubs, marinades, and sauces.

Amérique, Amérique centrale
pouletporc
H
1 spice
🌿

Basilic sacré (Tulsi)

Tulsi is a sacred plant in India, used for centuries in infusions and Ayurvedic cooking.

Inde
légumes
I
3 spices
🌿

Laurier indien

Indian bay leaf (tej patta) comes from northern India and is a key ingredient in curries and biryanis.

Inde
🌿

Fenouil indien

Indian fennel is widely used in India and often served after meals as a digestive.

Inde
🌿

Safran iranien

Iran is the world's leading producer of saffron.

Moyen-Orient
J
2 spices
🌿

Bouton de jasmin

Jasmine has long been used in Asia to flavor teas, desserts, and infusions.

Asie
🌿

Bouton de jasmin

Jasmine has long been used in Asia to flavor teas, desserts, and infusions.

Asie
L
1 spice
🌿

Basilic citronné

Basil is a signature herb of Italian and Asian cuisines, known for its fresh, sweet aroma.

Asie, Méditerranée
poissonstomates
N
1 spice
🌿

Baie du Népal

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Nepal pepper refers to aromatic Himalayan pepper berries with fresh, complex notes.

Asie
viandeslégumes
P
1 spice
🌿

Graines de pavot

Used since antiquity in Europe and the Middle East, poppy seeds add crunch and mild flavor.

Moyen-Orient
salades
R
2 spices
🌿
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Ras el hanout is a complex North African blend—often with 20+ spices—especially associated with Moroccan cuisine.

Moyen-Orient, Afrique
viandeslégumes
🌿

Ail rôti séché

Dried roasted garlic captures roasted garlic's mellow, caramel-like character in a shelf-stable form.

Méditerranée
viandeslégumes rôtis
S
7 spices
🌿

Safran

Saffron is one of the world's most precious spices, made from crocus stigmas and cultivated since antiquity in Iran, Spain, and India.

Méditerranée, Moyen-Orient
🌿

Baie de sansho

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sansho is a Japanese pepper related to Sichuan pepper, long used for its citrusy, numbing notes.

Asie
volaillepoisson
🌿

Poivre de Sichuan

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Native to China, Sichuan pepper isn't a true pepper but a berry with citrusy, numbing notes.

Asie, Chine
porccanard
🌿

Paprika doux fumé

Smoked paprika comes from Spain and is wood-smoked.

Méditerranée, Hongrie
viandespommes de terre
🌿

Curcuma fumé

Smoked turmeric is made by smoking the root, adding a distinctive woody character.

Inde
légumes rôtislégumes rôtis
🌿

Paprika espagnol

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Spanish paprika is known for its rich aroma.

Méditerranée, Espagne
viandes
🌿

Safran espagnol

Spanish saffron is among the world's most renowned, grown in Castilla-La Mancha.

Méditerranée, Espagne
T
1 spice
🌿

Curcuma

Native to South Asia, turmeric is a rhizome used for centuries in Indian and other Asian cuisines.

Inde, Asie
légumes
W
5 spices
🌿

Cardamome blanche

White cardamom is a bleached form of green cardamom, offering a milder, subtler aroma.

Asie
🌿

Curcuma blanc

White turmeric is a lighter-colored variety used in Asia for its gentler, more herbal aroma.

Inde, Asie
légumes
🌿

Ail sauvage

Wild garlic (often used similarly to ramsons depending on naming) is a foraged aromatic prized for its green garlic-like flavor.

Méditerranée
salades
🌿

Ail des ours séché

Wild garlic is a European woodland plant valued for a gentler, more herbal garlic flavor. Dried, it becomes a convenient seasoning.

Méditerranée
pommes de terre
🌿

Safran sauvage

Wild saffron refers to non-cultivated varieties, extremely rare.

Y
1 spice
🌿

Galanga jaune

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Yellow galangal is widely used in Thailand and Indonesia.

Asie, Asie du Sud-Est