Spicing It Up

by Laura Donnelly — April 23, 2007

Whoever thought to pluck the stigma of the crocus flower, lightly roast it over a wood fire, and then use the tiny bright red threads to flavor paellas, bouillabaisse, and curries? Who knew that curing the raw green bean of an orchid would create one of the most seductive and fragrant spices of the world? Who discovered that drying peppercorns would bring out their aggressive and tasty nature?

The history of spices and their value in trading around the world is as complicated and colorful as the spices themselves. There have been times throughout world history when certain spices were considered more valuable than gold. Empires and economies have been built and collapsed based on their availability, control of the crops, and the difficulty of transporting this precious commodity. Even today, saffron, vanilla, and cardamom are considered rare, expensive, and exotic.

What is the definition of a spice? Generally speaking "herbs" are the herbaceous parts of aromatic plants, and spices are the dried seeds, roots, bark, fruit, or rhizome of the plant. Salt and ambergris are the exceptions to this rule.

The flavor components of spices (and herbs) range from fresh, to pine, citrus, floral, woody, warm-sweet, anise, penetrating, pungent, and distinctive. How you buy, store, and use spices is well worth paying attention to, considering the high cost of most of them. Buying already ground spices can be a mistake; they start to lose their oily pungency as soon as they are ground. Buy cloves, coriander seeds, and peppercorns whole and grind them yourself in a coffee-bean or a spice grinder made especially for this purpose. Store spices in airtight glass jars in a cool, dark place. (Not by the stove!) Some spices benefit from toasting (mustard, sesame seeds, and cumin), some from reconstitution (saffron), and some can be steeped in alcohol or oil (vanilla and hot peppers).

It's fun to make homemade spice rubs for barbecue and mulling spices for cider and to put your own personal spin on pumpkin pie spices. I like mine heavy on the ginger, light on the cloves. What are some good basic spices to have on hand? Peppercorns, and a variety of sea salts, paprika, cumin, coriander, dried garlic, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, chili powder, and curry powder. Dried herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, and thyme would round out a nice spice-pantry collection, but we'll talk about herbs next week.

Play around with the flavors and come up with your own signature mixtures. From allspice to zedoary, variety is the spice of life!

Sweet-Spiced Pork Tenderloin

This is a simple low-fat pork tenderloin that I like to serve with maple lemon applesauce, black-eyed peas, and cole slaw made with buttermilk dressing.

Serves 6

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 pork tenderloins (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of fat
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1. Combine first five ingredients and rub all over pork tenderloins. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush each tenderloin with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. Brush the loins with maple syrup and roast about 20-30 minutes more or until meat thermometer registers 155 in the center of the tenderloin. Baste occasionally while roasting. Serve sliced thin.