“The inside of the tent was full of smells. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Pepper, red and white and black. Almond milk and onions. Cloves and lemongrass and precious saffron, and stranger spices, rarer still…” -A Feast for Crows
I’ve discovered so many wonderful and quirky spices while researching the recipes for both book and blog. Many spices that were commonly used in the Middle Ages have fallen out of common use, although are still available today, if you know where to look.
In this series, I’ll be taking a look at the various spices that I’ve found particularly useful in GoT cooking. Some of them might be more familiar to you than others, but all of them are wonderful, and well worth trying!
Upcoming Spices:
- Long Pepper
- Cubeb
- Grains of Paradise
- Mahleb
- Mace
- Cardamom
- Cinnamons: Saigon, Vietnamese, Cassia
Mahleb is a wonderful. My mother-in-law uses it in mamoul, a type of cookie, which I made once. They take a long time to make but are so worth it. Even the best bakeries are not even close to as good as hers.
What type of grinder/mill is best for these spices?
I like the little brass style ones, personally. I’ve tried some modern versions, and not been happy!
TY! I guess I should have asked if I can grind Mahleb in a pepper mill as well. Maybe I should invest in mortar and pestle?
Hmmm… maybe in a big one. I’ve never ground the mahlep myself, and as they’re bigger than peppercorns, I’m not sure how the grinder would handle the seeds…
Re: cinnamon — there are four kinds, but only one is the real thing: C. verum, meaning Ceylon/Sri Lankan cinnamon. Most unidentified cinnamon sold in groceries is either the sweeter Chinese cassia (C. Cassia) or Korintje/Indonesian cinnamon (C. burmannii). The fourth is Saigon or Vietnamese cinnamon (C. loureiroi), which contains the highest level of the chemical cinnamaldehyde that gives that ‘cinnamony’ flavor but is also closer to cassia than to true cinnamon. that’s unfortunate, because cassia also contains unacceptable levels of coumarin, which you don’t want to ingest in quantity. Ceylon cinnamon has almost no coumarin. Korintje is the mellowest/blandest, has the lowest oil content, and is therefore the cheapest; it also has lower levels of coumarin than either cassia or Vietnamese and virtually no eugenol, another problematic chemical, but not much cinnamaldehyde, either, which is why it’s the least expensive. Vietnamese cinnamon is best used very sparingly for its oomph, in combination with Ceylon cinnamon — but medically speaking, you’re best off making Ceylon cinnamon your everyday choice.
And as for where to get all of the above. Penzeys is my favorite source (in the shops or online), but KingArthurFlour.com also sells it.