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What spices will you only buy from specific regions?
I am preparing to make beef bourguignon for my Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow (Kyiv cake for dessert) so I am watching Julia Child's take on it.
She mentioned that if you want the dish to be really French than you could buy imported bay leaves from France because they have a different flavor than American bay leaves. It made me start thinking about where my spices were grown and if all of them have specific regional variances that can take specific dishes to the next level. I knew honey can taste wildly different based on the region's flora that was available to make the honey, but never thought too much about spices.
Have you found that using spices from their region of origin significantly enhances a dish?
I sorta look at Cassia and Cinnamon as different spices, cinnamon is much more subtle which is great for some things, but will leave you hanging when you need a really bold flavor (e.g., I didn’t enjoy true cinnamon syrup as much in a latte as I do Cassia).
But 100% agreed on Saffron. Turmeric too should be sourced from reputable dealers, sadly, given the number of articles I’ve seen talking about lead dyes in cheap brands. I have seen it sold whole some places, but it’s more like ginger in that state (I.e., a root)
That is probably right. What I found was that French bay leaves come from the Laurus nobilis plant (bay laurel or sweet bay), native to the Mediterranean. American bay leaves, on the other hand, are often from the Umbellularia californica plant, also known as California bay laurel or California bay. French bay leaves tend to have a more subtle, slightly sweet flavor almost like a floral and delicate quality. American bay leaves, especially those from the California bay laurel, are generally stronger and more pungent. Some people find them to have a slightly minty or eucalyptus-like flavor, which can be overpowering in delicate dishes.
That's correct. I live in California and we have the California bay growing wild in many parks here. I've also planted a Laurus nobilis in my yard and it does well here. My mom actually preferred the California one and would send me off to the woods once every couple years to harvest a branch for her.
Is most "cinnamon" sold in the US actually cassia?
Cinnamon in the UK is a much sweeter, softer taste than what I've bought in California. How would I find cinnamon here in the US that's like what I got in Britain?
Yes, almost all of it. To find cinnamon you typically need to go to a higher end store (my local food co-op has a great bulk spice section) and look for “true” cinnamon or Ceylon. There may be other names, but that’s what I’ve typically seen it as
When possible, I buy my spices from the Mexican Food region of the grocery store because they are significantly cheaper than the same spices on the spice aisle. I am learning to cook a greater variety of dishes, but I am far far away from the point where this kind of nuance would matter.
To add to this, check out your local Indian grocer too, if you're lucky enough to have one. We no longer live in an area with an Indian grocer, so whenever we visit an area with one, we stock up. It's cheap and good. And bonus to OP's question, there are bay leaves aplenty! Further still, I think bay leaves are pretty easy to grow yourself, and since you're pretty much always going to use them dried, you could grow tons of them, dry them out, and have good bay leaves for a very long time.
Indian bay leaves are quite different than Western, however. Think less subtle rosemary and pine and more cinnamon and cloves.
I've noticed that the Mexican spices brands in the store offer true cinnamon (Ceylon) rather than cassia. Ceylon has lots of thin layers; cassia is thick and the stick is usually a single layer curled in itself once or twice.
I have only ever bought powdered cinnamon. I was aware it came in sticks, but I don't know how you cook with them.
Grate the stick if you want powder, you can use chunks or whole to impart flavour in liquids (I.e., soups or sauces). Similar to whole nutmeg, freshly grated cinnamon is usually more intense/favourable.
Honestly, I have been generally disappointed with a lot of spices (especially fresh herbs) that I can buy in supermarkets.
For example, I recently went to buy some fresh cilantro cuttings (because the cilantro in my garden had only just sprouted and was too small to harvest), and it had no smell whatsoever. So I thought I'd buy a potted cilantro instead and get a head start on my cilantro patch, and it had no smell either! Whenever I grow my own from seed—and I have grown a lot of different varieties—the smell is so dramatic that I can smell it from many feet away. How on earth did the supermarket get its hands on such wholly unscented cilantro?
So I went home without any cilantro. Thankfully, I lucked out and found a reasonably large volunteer cilantro plant growing amongst the weeds at the edge of my garden bed.
I wonder if buying imported spices is just a workaround for avoiding low quality produce, since low-quality produce is rarely exported.
You might want to consider growing your own fresh herbs. Many of them grow like weeds and you will have more than you will need from a single plant. Cilantro is one of the easiest one to grow, as you may have surmised from finding it amongst your garden weeds.
That is indeed what I do. I especially appreciate having ready access to somewhat more obscure herbs, like shiso and summer savory. It has spoiled me, though.
Garam masala, there's enough regional differences where you pretty much always have to mix it differently for each dish
I've been using this reddit thread for years
Honestly, the only thing I really try to do is to buy whole spices because they hold onto the essential oils so much better leading to much better taste / longevity than powdered.
But to answer your actual question OP, I’d say Aleppo pepper maybe? You can get some decent substitutes from the same region tho.
Where do you live that there's no Turkish or Persian shop selling boatloads of spices? Look for the Tuana brand. Fairly certain you can even order those.
Yikes, that's unfortunate mate. That said, generic Indian spices can go a long way!
Where do you live with a ton of Turkish/Persian shops?!
(I have access to Indian/Pakistani stores, an East Asian grocery and several Mexican stores on top of a plethora of other grocery options. I just love new things. )
The Netherlands! There's loads of those shops in all major cities, usually selling cheap, fresh, vegetables, and a lot of different types of spices. I don't necessarily have a lot of choice for the source of these spices, but I do have a large selection of different spices. From fenugreek to allspice to saffron to lemongrass to mixed spices, I have quite a lot of choice.
I'm lucky to have a ton of choices, we just get fewer Persian/Turkish immigrants so we get the occasional restaurants but not a store.
Our Indian stores have amazing produce and spices though too
Outside of big cities, almost the entire southern US
I live in Michigan in the US but I am willing to travel or pay for certain flavors to be shipped to where I live. I actually haven't tried the bay leaves that aren't grown in the US so I don't know how big a difference it would have in my dish.
But last year I spent two weeks in Spain in an AirBnB. I cooked half of my meals there and was just blown away by how much better everything tasted compared to standard produce/selection in the US.
Right now I am planning out my garden for the upcoming year and if there is a chance I grow a unique cultivar of something like bay leaves, thyme, parsley, then I will!
I used to use a site called the Spice House to get things I usually can't get when I lived in Boston without a car, might save you some driving time since they ship free with no-rush
https://www.thespicehouse.com/
If I can get Mexican vanilla it's far superior to the Madagascan stuff, but it's very hard to find where I live. My Mexican friend will bring me back the occasional pod now and then though.
I'd add: I prefer Tahitian vanilla in the right context. It's not worth bothering with in baked goods like cookies, but there's a noticeable difference in puddingy/custardy/creamy desserts.