A music fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. Rock and Roll was the melding of blues, country and gospel music. Ray Charles is considered the Godfather of Soul Music as he pulled together various elements of jazz, blues, country and gospel.

Like the various music fusion genres fusion food is not some new phenomenon but it is still absolutely fascinating to me. There is a long culinary history of cross cultural dishes that has occurred whenever and wherever several cultures have lived together.

Wolfgang Puck is considered one of this country’s leading pioneers on fusion cuisine and he started this back in 1983 when he began serving Asian dishes using fresh California ingredients. In this country we have a long history of this spectacular collision of flavors and cultures – look no farther than Cajun and Creole in Louisiana and Tex-Mex in the Southwest. And more recently who hasn’t heard of Korean Tacos BY he, N’awlins), Nuevo describe the almost limitless possibilities, a few are somewhat familiar like Pan Asian but others will sound intriguing such as Nuevo Latino, Floribbean and Thai Indian.

Many ethnic cultures have traditionally used a variety of wrappers – tortillas, flatbread, pita bread and chapati. These are easy to fill or top. We’ve made Garam Masala Burgers using pita bread, Thai Chicken Wraps and a Cheesy Stuffed Crust Pizza.

Creative fusion food is a delicate balance of knowing when to tone down some flavors while also being adventurous when combining with a more traditional fare. Experiment with chile peppers, fish sauces, beans, couscous, fruits, potatoes, stir fry noodles, curries, pilafs, rice and pastas.

Challenge your taste buds. I know that I am fascinated by this growing trend and plan to dive in and find out what pleases my palate and leave boring, tired old meals in the past!

Makes me hungry just thinking about it and now I’m also in the mood to hear Ray sing “Hit the Road Jack”!

Spices are the building blocks of flavor and differentiate one cuisine from the other. I consider spices to be all of the edible parts of the plant that are used to flavor food. This may include the root, rhizome, stem, bark, seeds, fruit and leafy parts. Other than the English and some Americans, most cultures do not refer to the leafy parts used as seasonings as herbs since not all herbs are used for seasoning food.

Today in the US we are witnessing a culinary revolution of sorts in the foods we eat and the spices used to season them. Americans are searching for something new, along with greater variety and more intense flavors with spicier and hotter profiles.
The US is becoming increasingly diverse due to the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations. With these shifting demographics we are being exposed to increasingly diverse cultures, ingredients and foods. These cuisines tend to be spicier and are becoming much more commonplace.

While we have become quite familiar with cinnamon, chipotle, cilantro and ginger in the last 10 years we are now also recognizing and learning how to use fennel seeds, lemongrass, pasilla, star anise, epazote, Thai basil, guajillo and cardamom.

Many younger Americans have grown up with a wider variety of ethnic foods and they’re very eager to experiment with new flavors. We’re seeing this becoming more evident in cross cultural or fusion dishes. And just because they’re aging doesn’t mean that Baby Boomers are quite done influencing the foods we eat either. They’re looking to eat healthier and are becoming more adventurous especially with meatless meals. But they won’t accept bland, they want interesting flavors to satisfy their palates.

We’re also seeing more interest in the roasting of spices. This is a very common cooking technique used in other cultures. Roasting spices brings out the flavorful and aromatic oils. Roasting spices adds additional depths of flavor especially to Thai, Indian, Moroccan, Southwestern US and Mexican cuisines.

One of the emerging trends that began during the recent economic downturn was the increase in cooking at home. So we’re constantly looking to add new recipes, spices and seasoning blends to our site that showcase not only authentic flavors and cuisines but are also geared for those that crave a  familiar food or meal but with added seasoning twists and unexpected flavors.

This would of course be one of the epic food battles that would be on a par with some of the classic struggles of all time – North vs. South, Yankees vs. the Red Sox, Guy vs. Rachael, or maybe Democrats vs. Republicans (ok maybe not that bad).

We had the wonderful experience of living for several years in N’awlins (a.k.a. the Crescent City, the Big Easy, NOLA) and this beautiful area that straddles the Mississippi River is truly unlike any other city in the US (yes New York, LA and Chicago we know how amazing you have been and will continue to be but it isn’t quite the same vibe). New Orleans is called by some the most European of all the US cities, what sets it apart is not just the food, the music or the oppressive humidity but the people. They have a laidback style and a unique language that’s all their own.

Even now as we live in the northeastern US we are drawn back to this jewel of the south several times a year. Always during June with Jazz Fest and of course for Mardi Gras. Now Mardi Gras is actual the last day, which is also called Fat Tuesday, which is the climax of the two week long New Orleans Carnival Season.

While the food in this southern Louisiana region is spectacular the two most arguably famous dishes have to be Jambalaya (Jam-ba-lie-ya) and Gumbo (Gum-bow). Now you really can’t say one is “better than the other” as they are both amazing in their own right.

As we are becoming more familiar in this country regarding the trends of fusion food the Cajun and Creole dishes of The Big Easy have long been the result of the ultimate fusing of people and culinary flavor. This cuisine has been influenced by the French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Native American and African people that have all had a major impact in this city and its surrounding areas since it was established in 1718.

Jambalaya
Jambalaya is the kindred culinary cousin of Spanish Paella. Jambalaya typically consists of three stages – meat and vegetables, stock and then rice. For authentic Jambalaya you have two primary styles to choose from either Creole, also called “red jambalaya” (which includes tomatoes) or Cajun (no tomatoes allowed).

One pot Creole jambalaya starts with the meat which is typically chicken and sausage. The sausage is usually Andouille (an-do-eee) or smoked sausage. Next up is the holy trinity of N’awlins vegetables, roughly 50% onions, 25% green bell peppers and 25% celery. Once the vegetables are translucent the tomatoes and seafood are then added. The seafood is some combination (or even all) of crabmeat, crawfish, firm-fleshed fish fillets cut into bite-sized pieces, shrimp and oysters. Towards the end of the cooking process stock (fish, chicken or vegetable) and rice are added. The rice is cooked in this pot.

Cajun style jambalaya also includes the holy trinity of vegetables (but no tomatoes). The meat choices are the similar but may also include alligator, duck, turtle and venison. The meat is typically cooked first in a cast iron pot so that the meat browns and sticks to the bottom of the pot. The meat is then removed from the pot and the vegetables are added and sauteed’ until soft. The meat, stock and seasonings are then added back to the pot. Rice is added towards the end of the cooking process. Cajun jambalaya tends to be a bit spicier.

Jambalayas are ideally suited for fusion experimentation. A variety of meats, stock and spices can truly make it your own. But don’t stray too far from the standard vegetables and rice otherwise it isn’t really a jambalaya it becomes more like a stew.

Gumbo
Gumbo is more like a soup that is served over a small serving of rice (unlike Jambalaya the rice is not cooked in the same pan) and is believed to have originated in New Orleans in the 18th century. Like Jambalaya there are subtle Cajun and Creole differences. This dish also draws on many different cultures including French, Spanish, German, West African, and Choctaw. No matter which version you prefer they all have a thickener (whether roux, okra or file powder).

Much of the flavor of the gumbo comes from the rich stock as it pairs with the chosen meat of the gumbo. For seafood gumbo use a well prepared seafood stock, for chicken gumbo a flavorful chicken stock. Don’t skimp on this step as it is the key to a flavorful gumbo. The best stocks are made from scratch.

The base of the best Cajun gumbos is the roux which is a mixture of oil and flour. Some believe the ideal mix is 1 to 1 and others ¾ cup oil to 1 cup flour. You’ll have to experiment to get your perfect roux.  The roux is mixed and cooked in a cast iron pot until brown (the color and texture is like a creamy peanut butter). Some prefer their roux to be a bit lighter in color and some a bit darker. Roux needs to be cooked slow and easy and should take 25 to 40 minutes with frequent stirring.

Creole gumbo tends to use file powder as its thickener while African style gumbo uses okra as the thickener. A traditional Louisiana gumbo would never mix any of the three thickening agents.

All versions use the holy trinity of New Orleans vegetables. Arguably the two most popular meat combinations for gumbo are chicken and andouille sausage or a seafood gumbo with shrimp, crabmeat and andouille sausage. With the exception of sausage and occasionally ham you’ll never find pork or beef used in a gumbo.

So which one is better? That really depends on the judge (that would be you). Both have their fans and as you can see both Jambalaya and Gumbo have their own subtle differences as well. What I can guarantee is that the possibilities are practically endless.

With apologies to Bobby Flay for the throwdown reference, we get asked quite a bit about the difference between Mediterranean (a.k.a. Greek) Oregano and Mexican Oregano. This isn’t really a one is better than the other argument. Oregano has been popular in this country since the 1940’s when GIs returning home craved its flavor (along with basil) in pizza they had eaten while stationed in Italy.

As we expanded our cuisine horizons with the rising popularity of South of the Border food in the 70’s and 80’s Mexican Oregano has became increasingly more common. In most kitchens both of these oreganos are used –  Origanum vulgare, which is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family and is commonly known as Mediterranean oregano, true oregano, or Greek oregano. The other is Lippia graveolens , or Mexican oregano, a member of the Labiatae family.

What are the differences and when should you use each?

Greek Oregano
In Italian and Mediterranean cooking this style of oregano is a key ingredient and when partnered with Basil form an almost unbeatable combination when used in pasta sauces, with roasted vegetables and most definitely with pizza.

Use with cream sauces, vinegars, salad dressings, soups, and herb butters. Greek Oregano is also outstanding in egg and cheese dishes (such as omelets, frittatas, and quiche). Mix into olive oil and brush on foods for the grill.

Mediterranean oregano is somewhat milder in taste than Mexican oregano. Works well in combination with basil, garlic, thyme, and parsley.

Mexican Oregano
Mexican Oregano”””’’s taste is a bit more citrusy with subtle hints of lime and it really enhances the flavor of chiles and paprikas. It is frequently called for in chili powders, chili con carne, and various spicy/hot dishes especially the traditional Mexican and Central American moles and rojos.

Mexican Oregano is outstanding in flavoring beans, burritos, enchiladas, fish, pork, salsas, soups, stews, tacos, tomato based sauces and as an ingredient in seasoning blends.

It partners well with cumin, chili powder, dried Mexican chiles, garlic and pepper.

If I had to choose only one it would be Mexican but that’s because I am biased towards this style of cuisine.

What’s your favorite use of Oregano?

We have our Sunday routine which entails getting our recipes lined up for the upcoming week, putting together our grocery shopping list and then hitting the local supermarket. Our upcoming recipes at times tie into upcoming emails and other times something that has caught our eye.

For the last couple of days I had been working on the new copy for one of our new products Organic Sichuan Peppercorns and as typical when pulling all the information together from various sources I come across a recipe or two that I want to try. On of the recent episodes of the TV show Heat Seekers (I love those guys) that Penny and I watched they were talking about Sichuan style cuisine. So after learning even more about Sichuan peppercorns than I knew before I was in the mood for a Sichuan style stir fry.

Penny always asks on Sunday mornings was their anything in particular I had in mind for the upcoming week and I immediately went in this direction – a Sichuan style stir fry with flat iron steak, some fresh vegetables, sesame oil, Tien Tsin chiles and Sichuan Peppercorns. We didn’t have to be super strict on following an authentic recipe this time.

We roasted the Sichuan peppercorns in a skillet before grinding them in the mortar and pestle. We were careful not to add to much of the Sichuan to the dish as they can easily overpower but the dinner was spectacular with the intriguing layer of numbing and heat was very pleasing and out of the ordinary from our usual stir fries.

Maybe the best part was even after dinner was done you could still smell the aroma of it as it lingered in the kitchen like a new friend that you didn’t want to leave yet.

I see both of these making another appearance in a Kung Pao Chicken dish in the near future.

How do you decide on new recipes?

I love this time of year. It is the perfect time to break out all of our favorite chili recipes and of course be on the lookout for new ones to try. Want to start a good food fight – ask several close friends from different parts of the country if they prefer their chili with or without beans. Then step back and watch the sparks fly.

I grew up in Michigan so my indoctrination into chili included lots of beans (usually kidney). Penny grew up in Texas – beans? Those don’t belong in chili. Luckily we love to experiment and are willing to try just about anything at least once. Our chili adventures run the gamut:

With meat, without meat.

With beans, without beans.

No vegetables. Lots of vegetables.

I remember the first time we had Cincinnati style chili – what’s this? Looks like spaghetti. But it sure didn’t taste like spaghetti. It is now one of my favorites.

Running a spice company is without a doubt the greatest job in the world. Well maybe not the greatest but it sure ranks way up there in my book. We get to eat lots of interesting dishes in our quest give people better healthy food options. This means lots of experimentation. With us constantly adding new recipes to the site we have inadvertently developed some of the weirdest eating habits.

Getting ready for an upcoming chili email we get to eat 4 or 5 different kinds of chili in a one week period. It also means that we haven’t had the same dinner more than 3 or 4 times in the last year – boring same old same old does not reside at our dinner table!

It’s actually kind of fun to eat this way as it is a really interesting way to compare various recipes. Now the one challenge is once a meal is ready to eat it isn’t really ready to eat… yet. Penny shoots all the recipe photography for our web site. So once dinner is ready it goes into the makeshift studio before we get to eat. Gives a whole different meaning to shooting your dinner.

Chili is one of my favorites because the key to a really great chili is the seasoning (what else would I say). And we like lots of spicy goodness. As we’ve had the chance to test so many chili recipes we’ve found that you want to season early and often so that you get a great depth of flavor.

So what have we learned in the last couple of years from immersing ourselves in several weeks of wall-to-wall chili? There is no one best chili recipe but there are some general rules of thumb to follow if you want to eat as healthy as possible:

Lean Protein
If you aren’t into vegetarian chili pick your meat wisely. Choose chicken breasts, turkey breasts, turkey sausage, lean beef (preferably 90% and not ground) or any combination of these.

Beans
Sorry those from Texas. Try lots of different beans – in addition to kidney beans experiment with black, white, red or garbanzo (a.k.a. Chickpeas). These are loaded with fiber and good for you.

Vegetables
The problem with most chilis is they don’t fit a healthy well balanced meal approach so don’t be afraid to add plenty of vegetables. We’re especially fond of course of whole tomatoes, onions and garlic but you can also add some surprisingly good taste without overpowering the flavor. For this we love sweet potatoes and carrots (both add some great color as well), but one of my favorite vegetables for chili? Tomatillos. Love these.

Watch the sodium
Choose your canned tomato sauces, chunks and pastes wisely. Go with the no salt added variety. Be aware that canned beans also tend to be sky high in sodium. We like to make our beans fresh in the slow cooker a day in advance. Easy and way more flavorful, especially when you add some spices.

Drop some acid
No this isn’t a reference back to the 60’s or 70’s add a splash of some fresh squeezed lime or some apple cider vinegar. This adds some extra depths of flavor.

Don’t skimp on the spice
Experiment with adding spices. Add them early. Add them during and finish off the dish with them as well. This gives your chili bold flavor but it doesn’t have to be spicy hot (unless you want it to be).

Some of our favorite chili spices – cumin, Mexican oregano, coriander, allspice, clove, onion, garlic and of course lots of different dried chiles. My favorite dried chiles for chili are the holy trinity of Mexican chiles – ancho, mulato and pasilla (none of these are too hot) but any of the Mexican chiles do well here depending on your heat tolerance – chipotle, Serrano, habanero and pasilla de Oaxaca (these last four pack some more smokiness and some punch).

Looking for some great chili secret ingredients? Try these – beer (preferably dark), Saigon cinnamon and cacao powder (pure unsweetened chocolate). These competition chili secrets add even more depth and complexity.

Ah the wonderful world of cinnamon. Whenever we meet people and get the great opportunity to talk about spices the conversation always wanders toward cinnamon at some point. I absolutely love to open the various bags and jars and let the aroma of the various cinnamons sweep away their senses.

There are generally four types of cinnamon – Korintje, Chinese, Vietnamese and Ceylon. These four types come from two main varieties of cinnamon – Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum.

Cinnamon is the delicate inner skin of fragrant tree bark. Both cinnamon and cassia trees grow wild throughout Asia. While top chefs, spice merchants and experienced home cooks distinguish between cassia and Ceylon cinnamon, to the consumer, cassia is sold as cinnamon.

Cinnamon has a storied history where some of the earliest recordings have it being imported into Egypt in 2,000 BC. In medieval Europe, it was considered a staple ingredient in many recipes (along with ginger). Since most meals at that time were prepared in a large kettle (the original one pot meal), casseroles containing both meat and fruit were typical and cinnamon helped marry the flavors.

Ceylon
C. zeylanicum, from the source of its Latin name zeylanicum, is called Ceylon cinnamon and is also known as ‘true cinnamon’ or ‘old fashioned cinnamon’. Indigenous to Sri Lanka (until 1972 this island was called Ceylon) the best ‘true cinnamon’ grows along the western coast in the Colombo region.

Cinnamon and cassia are used similarly, but with its more nuanced flavor Ceylon is probably most recognized in dessert dishes. Ceylon has a much different flavor than cassia it is more complex, less sweet and has hints of citrus and honey flavor. The aroma is a bit woodsy. While milder, “true” cinnamon has a deeper cinnamon flavor that works very well in the background of savory dishes as well. Some who are not use to Ceylon cinnamon can be a bit disappointed if they’re expecting the spicier cassia flavor.

Bakers have it playing a starring role in cakes, chocolate dishes, fruit desserts (especially apples and pears) and in milk and rice puddings. True cinnamon does also play a supporting role in savory dishes in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine where it works well with tagines and stuffed aubergines. It is also popular in curries and spice blends such as Garam Masala. Sri Lanakan cinnamon is ideal in spicing mulled wines, creams and syrups.
Throughout Europe and Mexico Ceylon is also the preferred cinnamon. Mexico is the largest importer of Ceylon where it is known as “canela”.

Ceylon cinnamon balances well with vegetables and fruits such as carrots, onions, spinach, apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

Ceylon also partners well with the spices allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and ginger.

Cassia
In the U.S. we are practically oblivious to the exquisite nuances of the two cinnamons. We gravitate towards the bolder flavors of cassia in our spicy sweet cinnamon buns and gingerbread.

Harvested from the cassia tree, cassia cinnamon is native to Southeast Asia, with the best grades coming from northern Vietnam and southern China. In this country the “grocery store cinnamon” is usually Indonesian Korintje cassia. So even within the cassia cinnamon group there are varying degrees of quality and flavor.

Korintje cinnamon is from Indonesia, usually from Sumatra. This cassia is sold in three grades – A, B and C.  The B and C grades are most often regulated to supermarkets and the wholesale price clubs. This lesser quality has a more bitter taste. Grade A Korintje cinnamon is mellower and a bit sweet. The oil content of this cinnamon is in the 2-3% range.

Chinese cassia is also known as China Tung Hing and is sweeter and more aromatic than Indonesian cassia. This cassia has an oil content of 4%. We use this cinnamon in our Chinese Five Spice.

The most potent of the cassia cinnamons is harvested in Vietnam and is known as Vietnamese or Saigon Cinnamon. This is the sweetest and most flavorful of the cassia and has an oil content of 5-6%. Vietnamese Cinnamon enhances fruits like apricots, apples, cherries, blueberries and oranges.

Vegetables pair well with Saigon cinnamon’s subtle yet robust aroma, fragrance and warm taste, especially with carrots, onions and spinach.

Ceylon Cinnamon versus Cassia
The sticks of cassia and Ceylon are also very different. Cassia sticks are best recognized as the ones we use to stir in our hot cider. Cassia sticks, also called quills, has bark that is firm and thick. The bark of Ceylon cinnamon sticks is much more delicate, thin and flakes very easily.

So which one is better?

If I was in one of those “Chopped” cooking shows and could only choose one type of cinnamon what would I choose? Well without a doubt that would be Saigon Cinnamon it combines well with other spices such as allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. This bold flavor stands up nicely to chiles as well.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t have plenty of uses for Ceylon cinnamon in my kitchen. It’s lighter taste works best when it is not in competition with other flavors – especially with chocolate, citrus and vanilla. I also love to use it in some savory dishes such as moles or bean broths.

Chinese recipes calling for cinnamon are generally referring to cassia while Mexican and Southeastern Asia dishes are looking for Ceylon.

Bottom line – I kept all four cinnamons in my spice cabinet as I love using them each where they are best suited.

I absolutely love owning a spice company! I have the opportunity to talk to the most interesting people and always find it fascinating to hear how different people use their spices. What I especially enjoy are my opportunities in talking to other small business owners.

I’ve been reading about the explosion of micro breweries and the artistry of craft brewers throughout the US and I’ve had several conversations with numerous microbreweries about their search for top quality spices as key ingredients in their latest specialty brew.

For hundreds of years, beer masters and beer brewers  have searched for unique flavors to add to their signature mix of hops, barley (or sometimes wheat), yeast and water to produce their own classic style. While hops is the most common spicing agent used by most of today’s signature brews, that was not always the standard.  In regions where hops were not indigenous or readily available, they were often replaced by other bitter and/or mildly anti-septic plants, usually burdock, heather, juniper or marigold.

The history of spice usage in beer is wide and deep. The preservative and flavoring benefits of hops was substituted with spices during the Middle Ages with a blend of herbs and spices called “gruit”. During the Renaissance Age using spices in beer was also quite common. One of the most popular spices of that period was Grains of Paradise. Today this spice has made quite a comeback and even played a starring role in recent Sam Adams Beer commercials (ahhh the more things change the more they stay the same).

Today, craft brewers are using spices as delightful supporting actors and they”re typically called on for in special releases.

Fall and Winter Beers
As summer fades to autumn and the holidays begin to come into focus beer lovers begin to crave spicy, seasonal lagers and ales. These robust beers pair well with the heartier dishes that are most often served up during fall and early winter. Some of these full-bodied dark beers are heavily fused with chiles, fruits, herbs, spices and even chocolate. These filling beers can almost seem like a separate dish all by themselves!

Belgian brewers for hundreds of years have preferred using black pepper, coriander, grains of paradise and orange peel in their famous wheat beers. Not to be outdone Americans have their own fall beer making traditions dating back to colonial times with dark rich beers featuring the aromas of apples and pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin beers are typically spiced with the familiar spices used in baking pumpkin pies – cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.

New Kids on the Block
While the Belgians are the recognized leaders in using spices in their various beers American brewers are turning traditional beer making on its head with their growing fondness of experimenting with various spices, herbs and dried chiles.

Regional micro-breweries are using rosemary, chipotle chiles, juniper berries, chamomile, basil and crystallized ginger just to name a few not to be expected flavors in their beer crafting.

With the growing popularity of cooking channels and food related shows America is quickly transforming into a foodie nation. With our demand for not only better tasting food but more food experimentation (think of all those fusion dishes) cutting edge chefs are looking for ways to pair craft beers with their latest creations.

According to the BeerAdvocate.com (one of the leading authorities on beer – talk about a great job) there are over 100 recognized styles of beer. What’s a beer style? Our friends at the Beer Advocate say “a beer style is a label given to a beer that describes its overall character and often times its origin.”

My conversations with various brewers have found these to be some of the most popular of the “exotic beer spices”:

Exotic Beer Spices
Peppercorns provide flavor in the popular farmhouse ale/ Saison style. To get the best clean pepper flavor choose a single style of peppercorns (don’t mix) to use – black, white, green or pink.

Cinnamon is used for Holiday Ales. This spice partners well with other spices such as grains of paradise, orange peel and vanilla.
Orange Peel is frequently used in Belgian Witbiers and is typically partnered with coriander seed. The citrus flavor also works well in combination with chocolate or coffee in Porters and Stouts.

Coriander Seed’s flavor profile is warm and mildly sweet with a noticeable orange peel taste and when combined with dried orange peel the resulting citrusy flavor is ideal in brewing Belgian style wheat beer and lighter beer styles.

Cacao Nibs are preferred in porters, stouts and some Belgian ales. The resulting strong, dry chocolate flavor enhances the dark malted grains and provides the ideal bitterness these beers crave.

Grains of Paradise are used in holiday beers and special Belgian ales. The taste closely resembles pepper but is much more interesting. With a full, zesty flavor, grains of paradise is a mix of mild black pepper, cardamom, coriander and ginger and features a luscious citrus aroma.

Vanilla Bean provides heavenly vanilla notes in a wide range of beers from Imperial stouts to specialty IPAs. Using extra vanilla beans for stronger dark beers is not a problem. Vanilla is an ideal complimentary flavor and partners particularly well with dried orange peel.

Lime peel has a slightly sweet, bitter taste while the aroma is tart and sour.

Allspice is popular in holiday and fall beers especially in pumpkin flavored brews.

Cardamom Seed is used in Belgian and Holiday style beers and the taste is lemony and light while it’’s aroma is rugged, but gentle, biting and fruity.

Some of the other popular beer spices and herbs are ginger, star anise, juniper berries, cumin, wormwood, dried elderberries, dried elder flowers, rose hips, salt and sarsaparilla root.

Got a question about spices? Give me a call or drop me an email – talking about spices is my favorite thing to do.

There are lots of serious debates (some might call them crazy) going on in our country today – Should we raise the debt ceiling? Tax the rich or let them keep their tax cuts? Why are we investing in the war(s) in Muslim countries when China is investing in technology and kicking our butts? This is all some ridiculously serious stuff…

Well we at SpicesInc.com have been having our own internal struggle for a while as it relates to China and in particular “Garlic”.

Now Garlic, and onions for that matter, create their own controversy among spice lovers. One camp says that these shouldn’t even be considered a spice as you should only use fresh. While the “other side” says “I can’t live without my garlic (or onion) powder, flakes and granules as these save me when I only need a little or I am pressed for time”.

Well we’ll waffle a bit on this one (hey maybe I should run for office) – we use fresh whenever and wherever we can but also use powder, granules and flakes for various dishes as well.

Our debate here has stemmed once again from some great customer feedback. As you know from past posts that to me talking to customers about spices is absolutely as good as it gets. Lately it seems that we’ve had more asking us about California grown garlic vs. garlic imported from China.

An interesting fact – for every man, women and child in the US we consume more than 4 lbs of garlic a year. That is a lot of garlic!

While many think that California is the garlic capital of the world most of the garlic that we consume actually comes from China. Back in the early 90’s China only accounted for about 2% of the total amount of garlic imported into the US. In 2009 it was up to around 50% and this year it is expected to increase another 30%.

It isn’t just that imports are up on garlic it is the systemic way that China has been flooding our garlic markets and driving down the price of garlic. Naturally this has been eliminating the amount of acres dedicated to growing garlic in California over the last 10 years. Last year California planted a little over 17,000 acres of garlic while in 2001 it was over 29,000 acres.

Well China bashing has certainly been in vogue for numerous import imbalances for a while now and maybe we should consider the demise of the California garlic farms as well.

But can you tell the difference in flavor? There have been several studies (scientific taste tests) that have continuously shown that California garlic tastes better than imported garlic, with higher ratings on the Brix (flavor) scale. California’s Central Valley region has an ideal warm Mediterranean type of climate with fertile, rich fields that provides ideal growing conditions for garlic.

We at SpicesInc.com are driven more by flavor than price and heck we import spices and dried herbs for around the globe. So we are not saying that you should only buy “American spices”. But we are also big believers and supporters of the local food movement and supporting our local farmers as much for better flavor as for supporting our local community. Sometimes that means paying a little bit more than if we got our fruits and vegetables from the local supermarket.

So I’ve made the decision that from now on we will buy our garlic that has only been grown, harvested, peeled and processed in California. We have already begun to turn over our inventory and you will see this identified as “California grown garlic” on the specific product pages for our Roasted Garlic Flakes, Garlic Powder and Organic Garlic Powder. We are also working with our suppliers to get the rest of our organic and non-organic garlic products moved over to California grown before the 4^th quarter begins.

I just felt that this was the right thing to do at this time.

I enjoy cooking.  I am not a culinary genius by any means – but I love food.  Food and cooking mean something to me.  I can get really emotional about cooking.

Food means family and friends and holidays and special events.

Food is nourishment, as parents it is our responsibility to make sure our family has good, healthy food on the table.  It is also our responsibility to show our children (ours are grown now) how to cook and prepare meals for the families that they will one day have.  Our 21 year old daughter asked me to make a Frito Pie so she could take it to a friends house.  I explained to her that it was a very easy recipe and I was confident enough in her cooking skills to know that she could handle it without my help … and she did, proudly texting me pictures of enough Frito Pie to feed an army!  Our son has a group of friends that have weekly dinner parties, sometimes one person prepares all the food, while other nights it is more of a pot luck.  One recent evening was Italian and another was Taco night.  It is always fun to cook with and for other people and it comforts me to know that our son, who does not live at home, is eating real food on at least a weekly basis.

One of the best things about cooking is finding new recipes.  The internet is full of sites that share recipes on just about anything you can think of.  I, however, like to depend on my trusty cookbooks with the worn pages and handwritten notes on the recipes that I use often and probably modified somewhere along the way.  I just had to pack up the kitchen of someone very close to me that had recently passed away.  In the pantry was a cookbook, one that I had given him … and that he used.  A few dog eared pages showed me that he tried his hand at some of the dishes in the book.  I had a good feeling as I gently packed up the book, I will give it again, maybe to one of my own children and it will have meaning.

Recipes are meant to be shared, passed down, prepared and enjoyed.

When we started SpicesInc.com we knew we wanted to incorporate healthy recipes (well, at least for the most part) into our content.  We try to link recipes to the spices that are in them and also to other dishes that might compliment the dish.  It is important to not only offer our customers the highest quality herbs and spices, but to also help make suggestions on how to use those ingredients.  You will find that most of our product pages link to recipes that use that product.

After many comments from site visitors regarding our recipes we realized that we wanted to redesign the main recipe page to not only list some of our most popular recipes, but to showcase them.  It then became clear that the best way to represent a favorite dish was to photograph it in a way that translates to the reader just how good it is.  I have attempted many a recipe because of a great photographic presentation and have turned away from recipes that did not look as appealing.  For these reasons we set out to redesign our recipe page and have finally and proudly put it up to be used by our customers.

So while you can”t always see the handwritten notes of a favorite recipe in one of our trusted cookbooks we wanted to share some additional hints, thoughts and ramblings on the recipes that we are adding to our site. So unlike the various shared recipe sites you will be getting a little bit more on each recipe.

I am working my way through making and photographing more of the recipes, so you will see new recipes as well as new feature photography to accompany the dishes.  The photography is not super fancy – we eat what we shoot (is that a hunting pun?) no tricks with cotton balls and sharpie markers – what you see is how it was actually prepared.

Redesigning this page was not only functional but emotional, a labor of love.  We can feature recipes that may introduce our customers to an interesting spice they have not tried before, but also a way to pass on recipes that are good, and nutritious and may even become a favorite in your family.

Please let us know what you think.  Is the page easy to navigate? Do you find what you need? Is there anything else you would like to see?   Your feedback is valuable in helping us put together a page that is useful.  Click here to see the new and improved Recipe Page.

Also, coming soon is a new feature we are working on called One Spice/Five Ways where we hope to take a spice or seasoning and feature it with at least five different ways to use it.

Thanks and enjoy!