The most popular spices are used in cooking every day.
Spices are made using dried seeds', fruit, bark or roots and have been popular for many different uses for centuries. Although most commonly added to food for flavor and color, spices are also used in medicines, beauty products, beverages and even tobacco. With 350 spices available around the world, there are certain spices which prove more popular than others. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Pepper
Pepper is harvested from berries grown on a vine.
Nicknamed the King of Spices, pepper is more popular than all the other spices combined according to PBS Online's Hidden India website. Black and white pepper come from the same berry, which grows on a vine. The unripe green berry, once picked, remains out in the sun to dry produces black pepper. To make white pepper, the same berry stays on the vine until fully ripe and bright red in color. Black, cracked and white pepper are commonly used as condiments or a spicy addition to hot and cold meals.
Vanilla
Native to Mexico, vanilla is the most popular sweet spice. The strict, labor-intensive harvesting of the vanilla vine and seed make it an expensive spice, along with saffron and cardamom. Vanilla typically flavors confections, desserts, baked goods and, of course, ice cream. Vanilla essence, also known as imitation vanilla, is synthetically produced using a vanilla-like flavoring; this often lacks the rich, delicate taste of real vanilla. Recent poor harvests have seen the price of vanilla increase dramatically, increasing the use of vanilla essence.
Ginger
Ginger is most often seen in root or ground form.
Ginger is a vine, or rhizome, that grows along the surface of the ground. Rhizomes can be grown in a small pot in your home, according to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Being one of the most popular hot spices, ginger is regularly used as a condiment or cooking addition. Ginger added to hot tea can relieve minor symptoms of a cold. For those interested in romance, ginger is a natural aphrodisiac.
Nutmeg
The flowers of the nutmeg bush produce fruit which contain nutmeg seeds.
Nutmeg is native to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. The flowers of a nutmeg bush produce a fruit that looks similar to an apricot; the seeds' of this fruit make the nutmeg spice. Popularly used in sweet puddings and custard, nutmeg also has medicinal properties. Nutmeg can be used to relieve the minor symptoms of colic and diarrhea according to Louise M. Darling of the University of California Biomedical Library.
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