Cinnamon

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, Burma and the southern coastal strip of India. It comes from the bark of bushy evergreen trees and has long been associated with ancient rituals of sacrifice or pleasure. The ancient Egyptians used the spice in embalming and throughout the Old Testament in the bible, there are references that cinnamon was more precious than gold!

Colour: Reddish brown.

Aroma: The bouquet of cinnamon is sweet, exotic and fragrant.

Flavour: It has a sweet and warm flavour.

Culinary use: Cinnamon is used in either quill shaped sticks or more commonly ground. It is appreciated in a multitude of dishes and can be added to casseroles, rice dishes, puddings, mince pies or for making mulled wine. It is ideal with cakes, pastries, biscuits, coffee, chocolate & fruit. Good also in meat and game stews especially with lamb and in stuffings.

Storage: Cinnamon should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Cinnamon Bananas Flambe

Peel and slice bananas in half length wise, allowing two bananas for each person. Place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar and Goodall’s ground cinnamon.

Did you know??? Cinnamon is a stimulant and can be used as an antidote to stomach upsets. It is also given to women in labour as a sedative!

Caraway Seed

Caraway Seed: Caraway Seed is native to Holland. It is the fruit of a biennial herb in the parsley family, known as Carum carvi. It is an aromatic herb with white flowers. It has a pungent aroma and a distinctly sweet but tangy flavour.

Colour: Light to dark brown.

Aroma: Slightly peppery, warm & sweet.

Flavour: Hint of fennel or aniseed. Distinct with eucalyptus like tang.

Culinary use: Caraway seed is a common flavouring for many kinds of rye bread, it is also used to flavour sauerkraut, sausages, meats, soups, vegetables – especially potatoes, cabbage and carrots. It is also great in bread and cheese based dishes.

Storage: Caraway Seeds should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain best flavour.

Serving Suggestion: Mix ¼ cup melted butter with 1 or 2 teaspoons of Goodall’s Caraway Seed and spread on French bread or pour over green beans.

Did you know??? Caraway Seed Cake was a firm favourite in Ireland for years. It was traditionally baked by farmers wives to celebrate the end of planting and distributed among the farm workers.

Whole and Ground Cloves

Cloves: Cloves are a native to the East African coast and other tropical maritime climates. They are the dried flower buds of an aromatic evergreen tree native to the Moluccase. Whole cloves are used for toothaches, as a flavouring for preserves, in mulled wine, hot toddies and stewed fruits, studded into an onion for stews, pushed into the core of apples before baking.

Colour: Whole cloves are dark brown buds while ground cloves are dark brown powder.

Aroma: Strong pungent aroma.

Flavour: Warm, slightly astringent sweet aromatic flavour.

Culinary use: Ground cloves are ideal with cakes, biscuits, gingerbread and puddings. Cloves have a close association with apples and are added to apple sauces, tarts and pies. Whole cloves are used to flavour fish, poultry or game. They are also used in baked hams and apple tarts.

Storage: Cloves should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Baked Apples
Allow one large Bramley apple per person. Remove cores, but leave the skin on. Place in a buttered baking dish and fill cores with a mixture of brown sugar, sultanas, cinnamon and mixed peel, adding a clove to each. Bake covered with foil in a moderate oven 40-50 minutes until the skins begin to split. Serve hot with cream.

Did you know??? Whole cloves are often used as an antidote to toothache (by placing on the gum beside the sore tooth), because of their slightly anaesthetic quality.

Curry Powder

Curry Powder: Curry Powder is a native to India. It is a blend of many spices and is used widely in savoury dishes throughout India and Southeast Asia. It is also known as a preparation of turmeric and other spices for making curry.

Colour: Yellow in colour but can differ regarding the blend of spices.

Aroma: Bouquet of coriander, cumin, peppercorn, mustard and ginger.

Flavour: It is hot and spicy.

Culinary use: Curry Powder can be used to create a distinctive lamb, meat or poultry curry. It is also delicious in dips, sauces, marinades and chutneys.

Storage: Curry Powder should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: For a quick dish to complement fruit and vegetable sticks, blend sour cream or yoghurt with Goodall’s Curry Powder, marmalade , and Goodall’s Thyme.

Did you know??? Curry Powder is a blend of different spices to indicate seasonings used in different regions. It ranges from mild to very hot, depending on the blend. Goodall’s blend is medium.

Ginger

Ginger: Ginger is native to India and China. The dried root of a tropical plant, the root is also used crystallised, candied and fresh. The plant from which this comes is light reddish and yellow. It can be found in curries, Chinese food, ginger snaps, spice cakes and ginger beer.

Colour: Pale sand coloured spice.

Aroma: Ginger has a hint of lemon, refreshingly sharp.

Flavour: It has a fiery and pungent flavour.

Culinary use: Ginger is ideally used in stir-fried dishes, curries, fish, poultry, meat, cakes and biscuits.

Storage: Ginger should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Ginger Chicken Teriyaki
Cut chicken breasts into 2cm pieces and marinade for 1 hour in 150ml of Goodall’s Soy Sauce mixed with 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of Goodall’s ground ginger and a splash of sherry. Thread on skewers and grill, turning and basting with the marinade until they begin to crisp. Serve with plain rice and a simple salad.

Did you know??? Ginger is also important in chutneys, pickles, jams and sweet preserves.

Mixed Spice

Mixed Spice: Mixed Spice is native to various different countries. It is precisely what it sounds like – a ready blended mixture of favourite spices for cooks who like to play safe.

Colour: A blend of all your favourite spices.

Aroma: Bouquet of nutmeg, paprika and ginger.

Flavour: Mixed Spice has a sweet flavour.

Culinary use: Mixed Spice can be used with virtually anything. Ideal with cakes, biscuits, meat, poultry and fish.

Storage: Mixed Spice should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving Suggestion: Mixed Spice is an excellent ingredient to add to gingerbread and gingercakes. Check out our Autumn Winter Booklet for Brenda Costigans Gingerbread House Recipe.

Did you know??? Long ago a cupboard full of spices was a sign of wealth and spice mixtures were an even more lavish mark of prestige.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg: Nutmeg is native to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas. It is the dried fruit of a 30-foot tropical tree, covered by a lacy skin which, when dried is called mace, with a similar flavour.

Colour: Seed kernel inside the fruit off the nutmeg tree.

Aroma: Nutmeg is sweet & citrus.

Flavour: It has a nutty, warm and slightly sweet flavour.

Culinary use: Nutmeg is ideal with pasta, tomato and cheese sauces, potatoes, puddings, fruit, biscuits & cakes. Preferably add towards the end of cooking time for the best flavour. Nutmeg is often used in rich food like egg noggs.

Storage: Nutmeg should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Orange Nutmeg
For a refreshing end to a meal, try sprinkling a little grated Nutmeg and sugar onto slices of well chilled orange.

Did you know??? Nutmeg is a warming tradition to hot milk drinks and mulled alcoholic drinks. Nutmeg is an aid to digestion.

Allspice

Allspice: Allspice originates from Jamaica. Allspice is not a mixture of spices, as the name suggests, but small berries that taste like a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is not the same as Mixed Spice which is a combination of other spices.

Colour: Brown berries from the allspice tree are crushed to give a dark brown spice.

Aroma: Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon with a hint of mace and peppercorn.

Flavour: Warm and sweetly pungent with peppery overtones.

Culinary use: Allspice is used as a flavouring for soups, meats, cakes, milk puddings and vegetables, in pickles and chutneys and in pot-pourri.

Storage: Allspice should be stored in a cool dry dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Hot Allspiced Grapefruit
Mix 2oz / 50g soft brown sugar with half a teaspoon of Goodall’s Allspice and a tablespoon each of butter and dark rum and cream to a smooth paste. Spread the paste evenly over the cut surfaces of four grapefruit halves and place them, paste side up, under a very hot grill for 6-8 minutes. Serve hot as a starter.

Did you know??? Allspice can be used for making spiced beef, pates, pickles and soups. When the allspice tree is flowering, the air is filled with perfume from the bark, leaves and the flowers.

Coriander

Coriander: Coriander originates from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Coriander is a seed of the coriandrum sativum, a plant in the parsley family. Coriander has a mild, distinctive taste similar to a blend of lemon and sage.

Colour: Pale creamy brown colour.

Aroma: Burnt orange aroma.

Flavour: Pleasing mild and sweet taste with a hint of orange peel.

Culinary use: Ideal with curries, chicken and pork casseroles, chutneys and tomato or bechemal sauces. It is also used in gin, American cigarettes and sausages.

Storage: Coriander should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Add it to stews and marinades for a Mediterranean flavour. Or add to savoury bread dough with sundried tomatoes or olives.

Did you know??? Before toothpaste was commonly used Coriander seeds were used as a breath sweetner.

Cumin Seed

Cumin Seed: Cumin Seed originates from Turkey, India, China and the Americas. Cumin is the pale green seed of Cuminum cyminum, a small herb in the parsley family. It has a distinctive, slightly bitter yet warm flavour.

Colour: Pale green.

Aroma: Strong spicy sweet aroma.

Flavour: A lovely earthy and spicy flavour. Bitter, pungent spicy taste.

Culinary use: It is frequently used in highly spiced cuisines such as Mexican dishes like Chili con carne and hot tamales. It also complements chicken, lamb, cheese, vegetables, rice, lentils, currys, pickles, sausages tomato sauce and bread. Use sparingly as it can dominate other flavours.

Storage: Cumin Seed should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Did you know??? Cumin is regarded as an appetite stimulant and is widely used to ease stomach disorders.

Paprika

Paprika: Paprika originates from Hungary, and is a fine powder made from especially mild varieties of pepper.

Colour: Rich red colour.

Aroma: Mild and slightly sweet.

Flavour: Sweet and smokey with a hint of bitterness.

Culinary use: Ideal with stews, goulashes, chicken dishes, lamb and in cream and tomato sauces. It is also good mixed into rice, on baked potatoes and in casseroles, giving Goulash (Gulyas) its characteristic colour and taste.

Storage: Paprika should be stored in a cool dark cupboard to maintain the best flavour.

Serving suggestion: Hungarian Gulyas
Brown 2lb/1kg cubed beef on all sides. Remove and add 1lb/500g onions, fry until soft, add a crushed clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of Goodall’s paprika, salt and pepper, 150ml water and a Goodall’s bay leaf. Toss beef in sauce, simmer for 1 hour, add 1lb/500g sliced potatoes and simmer for another hour. Serve in bowls topped with sour cream.

Did you know??? Paprika is great as a garnish on mayonnaise dips and pastry.