TheSpiceStore.com-- Exotic Gourmet Spice

Spanish Saffron 1g
Coming from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas to make a single pound which explains why it is the world’s most expensive spice. According to Greek myth, handsome mortal Crocos fell in love with the beautiful nymph Smilax. But his favours were rebuffed by Smilax, and he was turned into a beautiful purple crocus flower. A native of the Mediterranean, saffron is now imported primarily from Spain, where Muslims had introduced it in the 8th century along with rice and sugar. The name is from the Arabic word zafaran which means ‘yellow’. In India its colour is considered the epitome of beauty and is the official colour of Buddhist robes.

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Mixed Peppercorn 59g
Above all, the history of the spice trade is the history of pepper, the ‘King of Spices’. Pepper has been moving westward from India for 4,000 years. It has been used in trading as an exchange medium like money and, at times, has been valued so highly that a single peppercorn dropped on the floor would be hunted like a lost pearl. In classical times, ‘tributes’ were paid in pepper, and both Attila the Hun and Alaric I the Visigoth demanded pepper as a substantial part of Rome’s ransom. Indian pepper had a profound influence on the European economy of the Middle Ages.Many western countries owed their prosperity to this spice which fetched them a very high price. Easily the finest in quality anywhere, Indian pepper is grown in the monsoon forests along the Malabar coast in South India.

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Roasted Mace 29g
Mace is the aril (the bright red, lacy covering) of the nutmeg seed shell. The mace is removed from the shell and its broken parts are known as blades. The history of mace is closely tied to the history of nutmeg for obvious reasons, though the two items have been treated seperately . Because the yield of mace is much less than nutmeg, it has had greater value. A pile of fruit large enough to make one hundred pounds of nutmeg produces a single pound of mace. Since it is an expensive spice, by roasting the blades, we have tried to extend its flavour and aroma, therefore only a little amount needed to be used.

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Nutmeg (ground) 61g
The nutmeg tree is a large evergreen native to the Moluccas (the Spice Islands) and is now cultivated in the West Indies. It produces two spices — mace and nutmeg. Nutmeg is the seed kernel inside the fruit and mace is the lacy covering (aril) on the kernel. Nutmeg has long been lauded as possessing or imparting magical powers. A sixteenth century monk is on record as advising young men to carry vials of nutmeg oil and at the appropriate time, to anoint their hidden parts for virility that would see them through several days. Tucking a nutmeg into the left armpit before attending a social event was believed to attract admirers. Nutmegs were often used as amulets to protect against a wide variety of dangers and evils; from boils to rheumatism to broken bones and other misfortunes. In the Middle Ages carved wooden imitations were even sold in the streets, BUT this isn't the imitation, it is the real thing.....

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Roasted Cumin 46g
We have slow roasted the cumin to enhance and concentrate it's flavour. Hence, reducing the amount used in any recipe by half. As a spice cumin is native to the Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries, especially India, North Africa, China and the Americas.Cumin was known to the Egyptians five millennia ago; the seeds have been found in the Old Kingdom Pyramids. The Romans and the Greeks used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion. Classically, cumin symbolised greed; thus the avaricious Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, came to be known privately as ‘Cuminus’.

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Paprika (Hungarian) 57g
Like all capsicums, the paprika varieties are native to South America. Originally a tropical plant, it can now grow in cooler climates. In Europe, Hungary and Spain are the two main centres for growing paprika peppers, though these varieties have evolved into much milder forms than their tropical ancestors. Hungarian paprika is known as stronger and richer than Spanish paprika, which is quite mild. Commercial food manufacturers use paprika in cheeses, processed meats, tomato sauces, chili powders and soups. Its main purpose is to add colour. If a food item is coloured red, orange or reddish brown and the label lists ‘Natural Colour’, it is likely paprika.

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Roasted Coriander 30g
A native of the Mediterranean, coriander is the dried ripe fruit of an annual herb with several branches and serrated leaves. The name 'coriander' is based on the Greek work 'kopis' which means 'bug'. The whole plant, when freshly bruised, gives out a peculiarly strong, rather obnoxious odour similar to that associated with bugs. Happily, when the plant grows and matures, these disagreeable traits are wholly lost and the ripe fruits are completely free from them. A fragrant spice, coriander is today valued as much for its medicinal properties as for its use as a condiment. It finds extensive application in several kinds of foods, beverages, liquors and perfumes.

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Roasted Clove 37g
The word ‘clove’ is from the Latin word for ‘nail’ – clavus. The clove is native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is cultivated in Brazil, the West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar and Pemba. The Chinese wrote about cloves as early as 400 BC. There is a record from 200 BC about courtiers keeping cloves in their mouths to avoid offending the emperor while addressing him. Arab traders delivered cloves to the Romans. Wars have been fought over 3 centuries between Dutch, Portugese and English for the control of 'clove islands' but you don't have to go that far to get clove - just click the buy me button on the right.....

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