Scoffopedia

Tag: spices

  • Ginger

    whole ginger and powdered ginger

    Ginger is a flowering plant whose rhizome, or root, is highly prized as a spice. It originated in Southern Asia and was exported to Europe as early as the Roman times. These days it’s mainly grown in India, Jamaica, Africa, China and Australia.

    It’s widely used as a flavouring for many Asian and Caribbean dishes – most curries have a garlic and ginger base to which other spices are added. In Western culture, however, it’s more often used in baking, particularly in its powdered form (see above photo).

  • Allspice

    allspice berries, whole and ground

    Allspice originates from the West Indies. It’s made from the dried, unripened berry of the tree Pimenta dioica, which is of the eucalyptus family.

    Historically it was called ‘Jamaican pepper’ and was frequently imported from Britain’s Caribbean colonies. Later it became more commonly known as allspice – the name given to it because it was thought to combine the flavours of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

    The berries can be used whole or ground in both sweet and savoury dishes.