Spice craft/ Adding the right seasonings works like magic, turning

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 6, 2002 by Teresa J. Farney

That would an Indian curry dish be without the zip of cardamom? Or Hungarian goulash without sweet paprika? Or Spanish paella without a few threads of saffron for its aroma and pale yellow hue?

The savvy cook knows these foods are nothing without their signature spices. Even the smallest addition can make or break a dish.

With the huge selection of spices out there, knowing which ones go best with which foods can help you perk up recipes you already use or create your own special dishes. It also can help you discern flavors in restaurant meals.

Though a lot of people tend to lump spices and herbs into the same category, there is a difference. Spices are the buds, bark, roots, berries and aromatic seeds that are harvested and used to flavor cooking. Some typical examples of spices are cloves (buds), cinnamon (bark), turmeric (root), peppercorns (berries), vanilla (the bean from a tropical orchid vine) and cumin, coriander, dill and fennel (seeds).

Herbs are the leaves of plants, so when the coriander leaf is used, it's referred to as an herb; when coriander seed is used, it's a spice.

Though both can bring even the dullest foods to life, spices tend have a more pungent, sharper flavor than herbs.

"For thousands of years, human beings have been adding precious amounts of spice to food to make it more appetizing, and in extreme cases, to mask the identity of the food which may have tasted downright awful on it own," says Ian Hemphill in his book, "The Spice and Herb Bible." Hemphill, owner of Herbie's Spices in Sydney, Australia, is considered one of the most knowledgeable spice experts in the world.

Spices provide an incredible variety of colors, textures, aromas and flavors that add interest and depth to foods, Hemphill said. The flavors come from the volatile oils that naturally occur in spices. Some flavors are apparent in the fresh form, like ginger. Other spices either change or develop their true flavor only when they are dried, such as vanilla, a green tasteless bean that gets flavor only after drying and curing. Peppercorns that are picked green also get their flavor from the enzyme reaction that occurs when they are dried, which turns them black.

Flavorful categories

Spices are grouped into five basic categories: sweet, pungent, tangy, hot and amalgamating (used in the whole form in mixtures). Their use is governed by these characteristics. Examples of the spices by category are:

Sweet - cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla

Pungent - cloves, star anise, cardamom

Tangy - ginger, tamarind, sumac, kokam

Hot - pepper, chile, mustard, horseradish

Amalgamating - coriander seed, fennel seed

Sharon Tyler Herbst, author of "Food Lover's Companion: Comprehensive Definitions of Nearly 6,000 Food, Drink, and Culinary Terms," says it makes perfect sense to play around with spices from different categories and use them in unusual ways.

"By varying the seasoning you can give attitude and style to food," she says. "Don't be afraid to experiment with combinations you might not normally think of. For example, nutmeg is a natural for sweets like cookies and eggnog but it also makes magic with spinach. And pepper (black or white) adds sass to practically anything, including fruit like strawberries, apples and melon. There are dozens of ways to spice up your culinary life. Be adventurous and have fun!"

Cooking spice-by-spice

To help you develop spice-cooking savvy, here is a guide from the American Spice Trade Association with suggestions for combining them with foods or dishes.

Allspice - liver pat, Middle-Eastern tomato sauce, Caribbean chicken, Jamaican pot roast, baked rice, honey-glazed winter squash, creamy fruit-salad dressing, baked pears

Caraway seeds - cabbage, chicken paprikash, pork or veal stew, roasted potatoes, sauerkraut, potato salad, spice cookies

Celery seeds - tomato juice cocktail, chicken chowder, chicken salad, meat pies, buttered steamed potatoes, poached celery wedges, cabbage and carrot slaw

Chili powder - bean dips, corn chowder, oven-fried chicken, corn meal-topped stews, baked stuffed potatoes, baked beans, sour cream or yogurt dressing

Cinnamon - sugared nuts, pumpkin, noodle pudding, Moroccan chicken stew, Greek lamb stew, couscous, mashed yams, sugared sliced tomatoes, fruit pies, cakes, puddings

Cloves - fruit juices, split peas, poached fish, beef stew with dumplings, beets with orange sauce, fruit-salad dressing, poached apples

Coriander seeds - lentils, curried chicken, pork kabobs, Indian rice pilaf, coriander butter for winter squash, yogurt dressing for fruit, coffee cake

Cumin seeds - guacamole dip, beans, fettuccine primavera, Mexican seafood stews, chilis and curries, brown rice, black beans, vinaigrette

Curry powder - deviled eggs, mulligatawny, tomato and meat sauces, creamed shellfish, hamburgers, rice pilaf, baked winter squash, fruit dressing

Dill weed and seeds - sour cream and yogurt dips, cream of vegetable soup, egg noodles, herbed butters, Scandinavian veal meat balls, boiled new potatoes, green beans, marinated cucumbers