Ultimate Spice Guide: Middle Eastern Cuisine

One of the oldest cuisine made by man, Middle Eastern cuisine spread across continents including Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is said to be a cradle of a lot of cooking techniques and recipes we surely enjoy up to this date. Basic elements for this cuisine includes wheat, clarified butter, spices, proteins, seafood, eggplants, fava beans, and chick peas. Unravel this multi-cultural cuisine through this visual provided by Cooksmarts.com.

Let's get to know the spices up close:

• Bay Leaves  - used mostly as aromatics, bay leaves gives off this pleasant and sweet aroma especially when dried. Ancient Greeks and Romans put this behind their ear as a sign of knowledge, peace, and protection.
• Cardamom - native to the Middle East, North Africa, and Scandinavia, this pungent spice are available in three types: green cardamom, black cardamom and Madagascar cardamom. This spice goes well with chicken, duck, lentils, and rice.
• Cinnamon  - the only spice in the list that is being used on both sweet and savory dish. Obtained from the inner bark, this sweet and fragrant spice is also used in traditional medicine due to its anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties.
• Cloves - dried flower buds of an evergreen tree native to eastern Indonesia. It provides that unique warm, sweet, and aromatic taste of gingerbread and pumpkin pie.
• Cumin  - sometimes spelled as "cummin", this spice belongs in the parsley family. Native to the Mediterranean, cumin is hotter to the taste, lighter in color, and larger than caraway, another spice it's sometimes confused with. It has a distinctive bitter flavor and strong, warm aroma due to its abundant oil content.
• Ginger - one of the most common spice all over the world aside from garlic and onion. This pungent and spicy aromatic is perfect not only for Asian stir-fry but also with sweet dishes and fruit concoctions. It is also known for its medicinal properties particularly aids in gastrointestinal health.
• Coriander  - commonly known as Cilantro in America and some parts of Asia, coriander has been the most extensively used herb in the world. Either served as garnish or aromatics, you cannot deny its pungent yet pleasant smell in any dish. Aside from being a spice, it is also used in traditional medicine in treating skin swelling and disorders.
• Oregano  - also called wild marjoram in some parts of Europe, this spice belongs in the mint family. Aside from its balsamic and aromatic flavor, it is also used in traditional herbal medicine due to its antibacterial properties.
• Za'atar - its a spice blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and dried sumac. It has a slightly astringent, lemony flavor with a strong punch. You can easily make it at home or buy ready-made spice mix in Middle-Eastern stores.
• Garlic Powder - a common component of spice mix usually made from dehydrated garlic granulated to a desired size.