Warm Up with Winter Spices and Herbs
By Maggie Keating, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator of Moonflower Community Cooperative
Long nights and cold temperatures make winter a great time to experiment more in the kitchen. Explore some new foods, including warming herbs and spices found in traditional seasonal foods and beverages. Spices not only add diverse flavors to our food, they have a wide range of health benefits. The stimulating effect of warming spices generally aids in digestion and brings more awareness to our eating by activating our senses. Many spices have been revered and used in international trade, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and even folklore for millennia. Try incorporating these spices in your dishes and drinks this winter.
Ginger – Ginger has been widely used around the world for thousands of years, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda (known as the “universal medicine”), and as a zesty flavoring for food, candies, and beverages in many types of cuisines. It stimulates circulation, promotes healthy digestion, and can ease an upset stomach. Fresh ginger root can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer or even planted in a small pot on the windowsill for an ongoing, on-demand supply. When you need fresh ginger, simply lift the plant, cut off a piece of the root, and place it back in the pot (and keep it watered)!
Cardamom – Essential in Indian, Scandinavian, and Middle Eastern cuisine in everything from baked goods to meats and curries, this spice comes from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. Green cardamom is the most commonly found variety. It has a strong, sweet, pungent flavor and exotic, floral aroma with hints of lemon and mint. Medicinally, cardamom supports healthy digestion by combating bloating, gas, and indigestion. Add the powder to oatmeal, sweet potatoes, sweet sauces, rice pudding, or on top of fresh fruit. Combine with cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon for chai and garam masala. Chew on whole cardamom seeds to support fresh breath.
Clove – Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds from an evergreen tree native to Indonesia. They have been used extensively for thousands of years, highly prized since ancient times in Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, and Chinese (in their “5 spice powder”) cuisine, folklore remedies, and in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This spice supports healthy digestion, appetite, immune system, reproductive health, and lung health and can offer relief for occasional gas and indigestion. Grind whole cloves fresh in oatmeal, curries, rice, sweet dishes, and pudding. Flavor rice with cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and black pepper. The essential oil can also be used to promote a calm, positive energy. Combine with blood orange essential oil for a comforting, refreshing, and festive room spray.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon has been a popular and important spice within international trade for thousands of years. It comes from the inner bark of various species of trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum, native to China and Indonesia. Cassia is the most commonly consumed cinnamon. Its deep, sweet, rich flavor makes an excellent addition to savory dishes such as meats and soups. “True” cinnamon has a more subtle, delicate, and sweet flavor than cassia cinnamon and is lighter in color and softer in texture. It’s the preferred type of cinnamon for desserts. Vietnamese (aka Saigon) cinnamon has a distinctly sweet, powerful, spicy flavor profile and high volatile oil content. It adds bold flavor to baked goods as well as curries, sauces, and soups like pho. Use cinnamon to flavor oatmeal, sweet dishes, baked goods, pudding, rice, soup, and vegetables. Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder and ¼ teaspoon of dried ginger to a teaspoon of honey to soothe the respiratory tract and clear excess mucus.
Nutmeg – Nutmeg is an aromatic spice from the fruits of the nutmeg tree, native to the same Indonesian islands as the clove tree (historically known as the “Spice Islands”). Two spices are actually derived from this tree: nutmeg from the kernel of the fruit and mace from its protective covering. Nutmeg’s unique, warming flavor is added to teas, beverages, baked goods, soups, and rice. Though more commonly found as a powder, try grinding whole nutmeg fresh into recipes. Try adding some to warm almond milk before bed to promote relaxation.
Turmeric – Turmeric is a common spice in Indian and Asian cuisine, with an earthy, somewhat bitter flavor. Grown in tropical regions, the fleshy rhizomatous “root” is more commonly dried and ground into a powder for culinary use. It has a wide range of beneficial properties, notably potent anti-inflammatory properties. It also supports overall immune system wellness, promotes clear, healthy skin, and strengthens digestion. Use the ground powder to make golden milk or chai tea, season rice dishes and soups, and even as a natural dye. The fresh root is more potent but may only be available seasonally. Check out this article about the fresh turmeric root that we source at Moonflower Co-op.
Star Anise – Not to be confused with Spanish anise, star anise is the seed pod of the Illicium verum plant, an evergreen shrub native to southwest China. Though unrelated, both plants contain the compound anethole, which gives them their licorice-like flavor. Star anise has a very strong, distinct flavor that is sweet and spicy, similar to licorice, and should be used in small quantities. Although its flavor is generally considered sweet, it is commonly used in savory dishes; it pairs well with citrus, onions, poultry, beef, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Star anise is used whole to flavor soups and tea and ground in baked goods and other dishes. It is one of the main flavors of Chinese five spice powder and is used to season roast duck and other meats. It’s an ingredient in Vietnamese pho and commonly used in Indian cuisine, in the spice blend garam masala, biryani, and chai tea.
Black pepper – Black, white, and Tellicherry peppercorns are all the dried fruits of the same species of vine called Piper nigrum. Tellicherry peppercorns are just larger (4.25mm or larger). As the pepper fruits mature on the vine, they lose a little heat, giving them a more pungent, complex flavor with added citrus notes. This spice supports the circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems. The warming, stimulating quality brings blood to the intestines, helping the body absorb nutrients during digestion. Add two pinches to one teaspoon of honey to soothe the throat and lungs. The beneficial anti-inflammatory compound in turmeric, curcumin, is best absorbed when ingested with black pepper.
You can find these spices in various forms in the bulk department at the co-op, or use them in tincture or aromatherapeutic essential oil form. Either way, enhance your winter wellness this season by adding some spice to your life!