Pepper is one of the oldest and most popular spices in the world. In the Middle Ages, it was considered desirable currency. Black peppercorns have a special, earthy, rich aroma and is used in virtually all savory dishes.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and Burma and is a member of the Laurel family. Cinnamon sticks are added whole to casseroles, riche dishes, mulled wines and in mugs of hot chocolate. Ground cinnamon is used in cakes pastries and biscuits. North Africans use it to spice up their chicken dishes.
Traditional Healers use it as a stimulant and astringent. They also use it to for diarrhea, and stomach upsets as well as a sedative to women in labor.
Cummin
Cumin is a very ancient spice. It was known to the Egyptians 5,000 years ago and was found in the pyramids. There are Biblical references to cumin. In Germany, a bride and groom used carry a little of the seed to represent their commitment to being faithful. Cumin has a strong, spicy, sweet aroma. It is used extensively in Mexican, Middle Eastern, North African and Indian cooking. Cumin is regarded as a appetite stimulant and Traditional Healers use it to ease stomach disorders, flatulence, colic, and diarrhea.
Suggested Use: Cumin is wonderful in bean soups and vegetable stews. Adding Cumin to cooking rice or couscous imparts a warm flavor and aroma. It makes a wonderful dip when mixed with mayonnaise. Cumin is an integral part of Indian spice blends for making curries and other spicy dishes.
Ginger
Ginger has its origins in India and China and by the 14th century was the most common spice after pepper. It is widely used in Western baking in gingerbreads, cakes, and biscuits. It shouldn't be overlooked to flavor fish, poultry, meat, vegetable and noodle dishes. Traditional Healers use it for a wide variety of ailments including treating poor circulation, flatulence, indigestion, and muscle aches.
Saffron
All the recipes in this section contain an ancient ingredient, saffron. This spice is extracted from the Crocus sativus (saffron crocus), the only eatable one of the 80 in the crocus family. Saffron is obtained from the pistils of the flower and must be harvested by hand, which is why the cost is so high. Apart from this, 150,000 flowers are needed to produce one kilo of saffron and they are not easy to cultivate. Saffron has mythical origins. Legend relates that the Greek god Hermes happened to mortally wound his friend Crocus. Small flowers with intense color and strong scent then grew where his blood fell to earth and fertilized it. Saffron was long considered a mystical spice: it was used to dye the robes of Roman priests and Cleopatra is said to have used it to preserve the beauty of her skin. How can you select high quality saffron? The main thing is to look at its appearance: saffron should be a vivid red without any trace of white impurities. It is better to buy it in filament form and not as powder. It should be slightly moist and have a sharp odor with slightly bitter aftertaste. You can also do a tactile test: take a filament between thumb and forefinger and immerse in warm water. The filament should leave yellow and not red color on the skin.
Tumeric
Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the bright yellow of the spice rainbow, is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic. A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory. The volatile oil fraction of turmeric has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of experimental models. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity.
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