We at Angel Mixes use over 50 different herbs and spices to produce our rubs and seasonings.  Below are a few of the spices we use and a little education about them. 

Allspice:   Allspice takes its name from its aroma, which smells like a combination of spices, especially cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  Dried allspice berries resemble large brown peppercorns. Unripe berries are harvested and sun dried until the seeds in them rattle. They vary in size and are dark brown with wrinkled skins. The outer case contains two dark, hard kidney-shaped seeds. Allspice is available whole or ground. Sometimes the whole berry will be called ‘pimento’.  Angel Mixes uses only quality Jamaican Allspice.

Anise:    Anise bears a strong family resemblance to the members of the carrot family that includes dill, fennel, coriander, cumin and caraway. Many of these relatives have been described as having a licorice flavor, to some extent, but anise is the true taste of licorice— its oils are distilled into the flavoring for licorice candy (not from the herb licorice, which has a different taste). Anise is native to the eastern Mediterranean region, the Levant, and Egypt.

Caraway:     Caraway is a native to Northern Africa, the Mediterranean and much of Europe. It falls into both categories of herb and spice, as it is the seeds that are used primarily.  Caraway has been found in food dating back to 3000 BC making it one of the oldest cultivated spices. It resembles cumin and the two are often confused.

Cardamom:   Cardamom is one of the world’s very ancient spices. It is native to the East originating in the forests of the Western Ghats in southern India, where it grows wild. Today it also grows in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indo China and Tanzania.  Cardamom is an expensive spice, second in price only to saffron.  Cardamom comes from the seeds of a ginger-like plant.  Cardamom has a unique flavor described as a mix of ginger and anise.

Cayenne Pepper:  Cayenne pepper takes its name from its supposed centre of origin - the Cayenne region of French Guiana.  Cayenne is made from the ripened fruit, varying from red to yellow. The powder is red or red-brown in color. Some cayenne’s include the ground seeds and are hotter than those, which exclude them. Cayenne pepper is well known and easily available.

Cinnamon:      Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree.  Cinnamon comes in “quills”, strips of bark rolled one in another. The pale brown to tan bar strips are generally thin, the spongy outer bark having been scraped off. The best varieties are pale and parchment-like in appearance.

Cloves:    Cloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a tropical tree. When fresh, they are pink, dried, they turn to a rust-brown color.  Cloves are sweetly pungent, astringent and strongly aromatic.

Coriander:  Coriander seeds are warm, mild and sweetish. There is a citrus undertone similar to orange peel. The leaves combine well with many pungent dishes from India, Mexico and the Middle East. 

Cumin:   Cumin is especially associated with Moroccan and Mexican food.  Cumin has a pungent, powerful, sharp and slightly bitter taste and has a strong, heavy and warm fragrance.

Dill:   The leaves and stalks are aromatic and are used fresh or for pickling.  Dill has a aromatic and slightly bitter taste similar to caraway.

Fennel:   Fennel yields both a herb and a spice. All plant parts are edible: roots, stalks and leaves, with the spice coming from the dried seeds.  It has a flavor similar to Anise.

Fenugreek:    Fenugreek is the small stony seeds from the pod of a bean-like plant. They are available whole and dried, or as a dull yellow powder, ground from the roasted seeds.  Fenugreek has a powerful, aromatic and bittersweet taste like burnt sugar. There is a bitter aftertaste, similar to celery.

Ginger:   Is used in pickles, chutneys and curry pastes and the ground-dried root is a constituent of many curry powders. Tender young ginger can be sliced and eaten as a salad.  Ginger has a bitter yet slightly sweet flavor.

Mace:   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.  Mace has a warm, sharp and aromatic flavor, more intense and slightly sweeter than nutmeg.

Nutmeg:   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 a  nutty, warm and slightly sweet flavor.

Paprika:      Paprika is a fine powder ground from certain varieties of Capsicum annuum (red peppers), which vary in size and shape.   They are larger and milder than chili peppers. Paprika is produces from peppers ripened to redness, sometimes called ‘pimento’, the same as used to stuff olives. The powder can vary in color from bright red to rusty brown.  Paprika’s flavor ranges from sweet and mild to pungent and fiery and smoked.

Rosemary:   Rosemary has a distinctive, strong flavor.  It has a scent similar to pine needles.

Sage:  While some people may find the pungency of sage overpowering, its astringent, 'grease-cutting' attributes make it a perfect accompaniment to fatty foods such as pork, goose and duck.  Sage has a unique flavor and is commonly used in making breakfast sausage.

Savory:    Savory is an herb that has a very bold and peppery flavor.

Szechwan Pepper:     Szechwan pepper is native to the Szechwan province of China. Though they bear some resemblance to black peppercorns, they are not actually of the pepper family, but the dried berry of a tree of the rue family.  The berries are mildly peppery, woodsy and acrid. The leaves are milder more citrus.

Tarragon:    This herb is popularly associated with vinegar and fish. Its anise like character is particularly suited to both.  Tarragon can be dominating and overshadow or fight with other flavors so don’t use with a “heavy” hand.

Turmeric:     Turmeric is the rhizome or underground stem of a ginger-like plant. It is usually available ground, as a bright yellow, fine powder.  It has a warm and aromatic flavor with a bitter undertone.