i Lead Recipes

Nigella has been used since antiquity by Asian herbalists and pharmacists and was used for culinary purposes by the Romans. The seeds are known to repel certain insects and can be used like moth balls. Nigella is used in India and the Middle East as a spice and condiment and occasionally in Europe as both a pepper substitute and a spice. It is widely used in Indian cuisines, particularly in mildly braised lamb dishes such as korma. It is also added to vegetable and dhal dishes as well as in chutneys. The seeds are sprinkled on to naan bread before baking.

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Melegueta pepper is native to tropical West Africa and grows mainly in Ghana. The spice is practically unknown in modern Western cuisine, although it was used in Europe in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It was a flavouring for the old wine ‘Hippocras” and is still used for the production of beer, wine and spirits, and the flavouring of vinegar. Meleguetta pepper was generally known as ‘Grains of Paradise’. In fact there are two spices, meleguetta pepper and the true Grains of Paradise, Aframomum granum paradisi, referred to by this name. Melegueta pepper may be used for culinary purposes and as a substitute for pepper in centres of local production. Its use is generally confined to West African cookery, though it may also find its way into Moroccan ras el hanout combinations. Some ancient European recipes may call for it, but pepper mixed with a little ginger may be substituted.

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Next to saffron and cardamom, vanilla is the worlds next most expensive spice. Growers are known to “brand” their beans with pin pricks before they can be harvested, to identify the owner and prevent theft. Vanilla is native to Mexico, where it is still grown commercially. Vanilla’s mellow fragrance enhances a variety of sweet dishes: puddings, cakes, custards, creams, soufflés and, of course, ice cream. Classic examples include crème caramel, peach Melba and apple Charlotte. Vanilla flavour is detectable in many chocolate and confectionery items and several liqueurs such as Crème de Cacao and Galliano.

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Native to China and Vietnam, star anise is today grown almost exclusively in southern China, Indo-China, and Japan. It was first introduced into Europe in the seventeenth century. The oil, produced by a process of steam extraction, is substituted for European aniseed in commercial drinks. Star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. Apart from its use in sweetmeats and confectionery, where sweeteners must be added, it contributes to meat and poultry dishes, combining especially well with pork and duck. In Chinese red cooking, where the ingredients are simmered for a lengthy period in dark soy sauce, star anise is nearly always added to beef and chicken dishes. Chinese stocks and soups very often contain the spice.

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Licorice gets its name from the Greek glyks, meaning sweet and rhiza meaning root. It is the sweet tasting rhizomes (underground stems) and roots that are used as flavourings. Licorice is native to south-eastern Europe and the Middle East, where it grows wild. Licorice is known mostly as a confectionery flavouring, especially Licorice Allsorts or Pontefract cakes. Licorice candy actually rarely has more than 2% natural licorice extract, usually taking most of its flavour from anise or a synthetic substitute. The sticks of licorice essence may be dissolved in hot water and drunk as a tisane and the roots may flavour fruit juices, syrups and for flavouring drinks like sambuca and beers like Guinness.

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