🌶️ Spices Vocab
Spice names can come from seeds, bark, berries, roots, and dried leaves. Some bring warmth and sweetness to cakes, while others add depth to stews, heat to savory dishes, or a bright, tangy bite. A few are especially surprising, like spices that create a tingling sensation or develop an onion-like aroma only when cooked. The names below are the ones you’ll find in spice jars and recipes.
⚫ Peppers
⚫ Black Pepper
pungent spice from dried unripe peppercorns
Example: Freshly cracked black pepper is louder than the pre-ground dust.
🇫🇷 French: Poivre noir
🇩🇪 German: Schwarzer Pfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe nero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-preta
💡 Nuance: Unripe berry, dried with the skin on. White pepper is the same plant, ripe, skin off.
pungent spice from dried unripe peppercorns
Example: Freshly cracked black pepper is louder than the pre-ground dust.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimienta negra🇫🇷 French: Poivre noir
🇩🇪 German: Schwarzer Pfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe nero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-preta
💡 Nuance: Unripe berry, dried with the skin on. White pepper is the same plant, ripe, skin off.
⚪ White Pepper
milder, earthier pepper from ripe peppercorns with the outer layer removed
Example: White pepper keeps a cream sauce pale. Black pepper would speckle it.
🇫🇷 French: Poivre blanc
🇩🇪 German: Weißer Pfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe bianco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-branca
💡 Nuance: Same vine. Different processing. Heat is a little rounder and more barnyard than black.
milder, earthier pepper from ripe peppercorns with the outer layer removed
Example: White pepper keeps a cream sauce pale. Black pepper would speckle it.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimienta blanca🇫🇷 French: Poivre blanc
🇩🇪 German: Weißer Pfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe bianco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-branca
💡 Nuance: Same vine. Different processing. Heat is a little rounder and more barnyard than black.
🌸 Sichuan Pepper
citrusy spice that numbs and tingles more than it burns
Example: Mapo tofu wants Sichuan pepper for the tingle, not black pepper for the heat.
🇫🇷 French: Poivre du Sichuan
🇩🇪 German: Szechuanpfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe del Sichuan
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-de-Sichuan
💡 Nuance: Not a true peppercorn. The buzz is the point. Black pepper cannot stand in.
citrusy spice that numbs and tingles more than it burns
Example: Mapo tofu wants Sichuan pepper for the tingle, not black pepper for the heat.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimienta de Sichuan🇫🇷 French: Poivre du Sichuan
🇩🇪 German: Szechuanpfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pepe del Sichuan
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-de-Sichuan
💡 Nuance: Not a true peppercorn. The buzz is the point. Black pepper cannot stand in.
🍪 Warm & Sweet
🪵 Cinnamon
warm sweet spice from dried inner bark
Example: Cinnamon sticks steep. Ground cinnamon disappears into dough.
🇫🇷 French: Cannelle
🇩🇪 German: Zimt
🇮🇹 Italian: Cannella
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Canela
💡 Nuance: Cassia is the common supermarket bark and tastes louder. True cinnamon is thinner and sweeter.
warm sweet spice from dried inner bark
Example: Cinnamon sticks steep. Ground cinnamon disappears into dough.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Canela🇫🇷 French: Cannelle
🇩🇪 German: Zimt
🇮🇹 Italian: Cannella
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Canela
💡 Nuance: Cassia is the common supermarket bark and tastes louder. True cinnamon is thinner and sweeter.
🌸 Cloves
strong dried flower buds - sweet, hot, and medicinal if you overdo them
Example: Two cloves in the stew. Ten cloves would taste like a dentist.
🇫🇷 French: Clou de girofle
🇩🇪 German: Nelke
🇮🇹 Italian: Chiodo di garofano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cravo
💡 Nuance: Tiny and loud. Allspice pretends to be clove plus cinnamon plus nutmeg in one berry.
strong dried flower buds - sweet, hot, and medicinal if you overdo them
Example: Two cloves in the stew. Ten cloves would taste like a dentist.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Clavo🇫🇷 French: Clou de girofle
🇩🇪 German: Nelke
🇮🇹 Italian: Chiodo di garofano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cravo
💡 Nuance: Tiny and loud. Allspice pretends to be clove plus cinnamon plus nutmeg in one berry.
🌰 Nutmeg
warm, sweet, slightly nutty spice from a seed
Example: Grate nutmeg over béchamel. Pre-ground nutmeg fades in the jar.
🇫🇷 French: Muscade
🇩🇪 German: Muskatnuss
🇮🇹 Italian: Noce moscata
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Noz-moscada
💡 Nuance: The seed. Mace is the red lace that wrapped it.
warm, sweet, slightly nutty spice from a seed
Example: Grate nutmeg over béchamel. Pre-ground nutmeg fades in the jar.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Nuez moscada🇫🇷 French: Muscade
🇩🇪 German: Muskatnuss
🇮🇹 Italian: Noce moscata
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Noz-moscada
💡 Nuance: The seed. Mace is the red lace that wrapped it.
🧡 Mace
delicate warm spice from the covering around the nutmeg seed
Example: Mace in a pale sauce where nutmeg might look speckled.
🇫🇷 French: Macis
🇩🇪 German: Macis / Muskatblüte
🇮🇹 Italian: Macis
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Macis
💡 Nuance: Same fruit as nutmeg, different part. Lighter and a little sharper.
delicate warm spice from the covering around the nutmeg seed
Example: Mace in a pale sauce where nutmeg might look speckled.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Macis🇫🇷 French: Macis
🇩🇪 German: Macis / Muskatblüte
🇮🇹 Italian: Macis
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Macis
💡 Nuance: Same fruit as nutmeg, different part. Lighter and a little sharper.
🫐 Allspice
dried berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg together
Example: Jamaican jerk leans on allspice, not on a spoon of five separate jars.
🇫🇷 French: Piment de la Jamaïque
🇩🇪 German: Piment / Nelkenpfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pimento
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-da-Jamaica
💡 Nuance: One berry. Not a blend mixed in a factory, even if the flavor feels like one.
dried berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg together
Example: Jamaican jerk leans on allspice, not on a spoon of five separate jars.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimienta de Jamaica🇫🇷 French: Piment de la Jamaïque
🇩🇪 German: Piment / Nelkenpfeffer
🇮🇹 Italian: Pimento
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pimenta-da-Jamaica
💡 Nuance: One berry. Not a blend mixed in a factory, even if the flavor feels like one.
💚 Cardamom
fragrant pods - sweet, floral, a little camphor
Example: Green cardamom in coffee or kheer. Black cardamom is smokier and better in savory pots.
🇫🇷 French: Cardamome
🇩🇪 German: Kardamom
🇮🇹 Italian: Cardamomo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cardamomo
💡 Nuance: Crush the pod or grind the seeds. Whole pods perfume a pot and can be fished out.
fragrant pods - sweet, floral, a little camphor
Example: Green cardamom in coffee or kheer. Black cardamom is smokier and better in savory pots.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Cardamomo🇫🇷 French: Cardamome
🇩🇪 German: Kardamom
🇮🇹 Italian: Cardamomo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cardamomo
💡 Nuance: Crush the pod or grind the seeds. Whole pods perfume a pot and can be fished out.
🌍 Earthy & Savory
🟤 Cumin
warm earthy seed used across Mexico, the Middle East, India, and North Africa
Example: Toasted cumin smells like a taco truck and a dal pot at once.
🇫🇷 French: Cumin
🇩🇪 German: Kreuzkümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Cumino
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cominho
💡 Nuance: Not caraway, though they look related. Cumin is earthier. Caraway leans anise.
warm earthy seed used across Mexico, the Middle East, India, and North Africa
Example: Toasted cumin smells like a taco truck and a dal pot at once.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Comino🇫🇷 French: Cumin
🇩🇪 German: Kreuzkümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Cumino
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cominho
💡 Nuance: Not caraway, though they look related. Cumin is earthier. Caraway leans anise.
🟡 Coriander Seed
mildly sweet, citrusy dried seed of the coriander plant
Example: Coriander seed is warm and lemony. The fresh leaves are cilantro and taste different.
🇫🇷 French: Graine de coriandre
🇩🇪 German: Koriandersamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di coriandolo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de coentro
💡 Nuance: Same plant as cilantro. The seed is a spice. The leaf is an herb.
mildly sweet, citrusy dried seed of the coriander plant
Example: Coriander seed is warm and lemony. The fresh leaves are cilantro and taste different.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Semilla de cilantro / coriandro🇫🇷 French: Graine de coriandre
🇩🇪 German: Koriandersamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di coriandolo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de coentro
💡 Nuance: Same plant as cilantro. The seed is a spice. The leaf is an herb.
🟡 Turmeric
bright yellow-orange ground rhizome - earthy and a little bitter
Example: Turmeric stains the rice and the wooden spoon.
🇫🇷 French: Curcuma
🇩🇪 German: Kurkuma
🇮🇹 Italian: Curcuma
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Açafrão-da-terra / cúrcuma
💡 Nuance: Color first. Saffron is the expensive floral stigma, not this cheap yellow powder.
bright yellow-orange ground rhizome - earthy and a little bitter
Example: Turmeric stains the rice and the wooden spoon.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Cúrcuma🇫🇷 French: Curcuma
🇩🇪 German: Kurkuma
🇮🇹 Italian: Curcuma
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Açafrão-da-terra / cúrcuma
💡 Nuance: Color first. Saffron is the expensive floral stigma, not this cheap yellow powder.
🔴 Paprika
ground dried pepper - sweet and mild, or smoked, or hot
Example: Sweet paprika colors a stew. Hot paprika bites. Smoked paprika tastes like a firepit.
🇫🇷 French: Paprika
🇩🇪 German: Paprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Paprika
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Páprica / colorau
💡 Nuance: Read the tin. Sweet, hot, and smoked are different jobs wearing the same name.
ground dried pepper - sweet and mild, or smoked, or hot
Example: Sweet paprika colors a stew. Hot paprika bites. Smoked paprika tastes like a firepit.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Pimentón🇫🇷 French: Paprika
🇩🇪 German: Paprika
🇮🇹 Italian: Paprika
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Páprica / colorau
💡 Nuance: Read the tin. Sweet, hot, and smoked are different jobs wearing the same name.
🫚 Ginger
warm, spicy rhizome - fresh, dried, or ground
Example: Ground ginger in a cookie. Fresh ginger in a stir-fry. They are not twins.
🇫🇷 French: Gingembre
🇩🇪 German: Ingwer
🇮🇹 Italian: Zenzero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Gengibre
💡 Nuance: Dried ginger is hotter and woodier. Fresh ginger is brighter and juicier.
warm, spicy rhizome - fresh, dried, or ground
Example: Ground ginger in a cookie. Fresh ginger in a stir-fry. They are not twins.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Jengibre🇫🇷 French: Gingembre
🇩🇪 German: Ingwer
🇮🇹 Italian: Zenzero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Gengibre
💡 Nuance: Dried ginger is hotter and woodier. Fresh ginger is brighter and juicier.
🍁 Fenugreek
slightly bitter seed with a maple-like smell
Example: A pinch of fenugreek in curry. A handful tastes like bitter syrup.
🇫🇷 French: Fenugrec
🇩🇪 German: Bockshornklee
🇮🇹 Italian: Fieno greco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Feno-grego
💡 Nuance: Maple note is the giveaway. Leaves (methi) are a different kitchen form of the same plant.
slightly bitter seed with a maple-like smell
Example: A pinch of fenugreek in curry. A handful tastes like bitter syrup.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Fenogreco / alholva🇫🇷 French: Fenugrec
🇩🇪 German: Bockshornklee
🇮🇹 Italian: Fieno greco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Feno-grego
💡 Nuance: Maple note is the giveaway. Leaves (methi) are a different kitchen form of the same plant.
🟡 Mustard Seed
small sharp seeds, used whole or ground
Example: Mustard seeds pop in hot oil before the vegetables go in.
🇫🇷 French: Graine de moutarde
🇩🇪 German: Senfsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di senape
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de mostarda
💡 Nuance: Yellow, brown, and black seeds climb in heat. The prepared yellow jar is a condiment, not this whole seed.
small sharp seeds, used whole or ground
Example: Mustard seeds pop in hot oil before the vegetables go in.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Semilla de mostaza🇫🇷 French: Graine de moutarde
🇩🇪 German: Senfsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di senape
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de mostarda
💡 Nuance: Yellow, brown, and black seeds climb in heat. The prepared yellow jar is a condiment, not this whole seed.
💨 Asafoetida
strong raw smell that cooks down toward onion and garlic
Example: A pinch of asafoetida in hot ghee stands in for onion in some Indian pots.
🇫🇷 French: Asafoetida
🇩🇪 German: Asafetida / Stinkasant
🇮🇹 Italian: Assafetida
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Assafétida
💡 Nuance: Also called hing. Raw it is harsh. Cooked it is savory. A pinch, never a spoon.
strong raw smell that cooks down toward onion and garlic
Example: A pinch of asafoetida in hot ghee stands in for onion in some Indian pots.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Asafétida🇫🇷 French: Asafoetida
🇩🇪 German: Asafetida / Stinkasant
🇮🇹 Italian: Assafetida
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Assafétida
💡 Nuance: Also called hing. Raw it is harsh. Cooked it is savory. A pinch, never a spoon.
🌱 Seeds & Licorice Notes
🌿 Fennel Seed
sweet licorice seed for breads, sausages, and curries
Example: Italian sausage leans on fennel seed. Anise seed would be sweeter and sharper.
🇫🇷 French: Graine de fenouil
🇩🇪 German: Fenchelsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di finocchio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de funcho
💡 Nuance: Same family feeling as anise and star anise. Fennel is the gentler sausage seed.
sweet licorice seed for breads, sausages, and curries
Example: Italian sausage leans on fennel seed. Anise seed would be sweeter and sharper.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Semilla de hinojo🇫🇷 French: Graine de fenouil
🇩🇪 German: Fenchelsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di finocchio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de funcho
💡 Nuance: Same family feeling as anise and star anise. Fennel is the gentler sausage seed.
🍞 Caraway Seed
earthy, slightly sweet seed with a strong anise edge
Example: Rye bread and goulash both call for caraway.
🇫🇷 French: Carvi
🇩🇪 German: Kümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Carvi
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Alcaravia
💡 Nuance: Looks a little like cumin. Tastes more like rye and anise than like taco earth.
earthy, slightly sweet seed with a strong anise edge
Example: Rye bread and goulash both call for caraway.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Alcaravea🇫🇷 French: Carvi
🇩🇪 German: Kümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Carvi
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Alcaravia
💡 Nuance: Looks a little like cumin. Tastes more like rye and anise than like taco earth.
🌿 Dill Seed
the plant's seed - like dill leaf, stronger and warmer
Example: Dill seed in a pickle brine. Fresh dill on the finished fish.
🇫🇷 French: Graine d’aneth
🇩🇪 German: Dillsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di aneto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de endro
💡 Nuance: Seed vs. herb. Same plant, two pantry jobs.
the plant's seed - like dill leaf, stronger and warmer
Example: Dill seed in a pickle brine. Fresh dill on the finished fish.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Semilla de eneldo🇫🇷 French: Graine d’aneth
🇩🇪 German: Dillsamen
🇮🇹 Italian: Semi di aneto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semente de endro
💡 Nuance: Seed vs. herb. Same plant, two pantry jobs.
⭐ Star Anise
star-shaped pod with a strong licorice flavor
Example: One star anise in pho. The whole star comes back out.
🇫🇷 French: Anis étoilé / badiane
🇩🇪 German: Sternanis
🇮🇹 Italian: Anice stellato
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Anis-estrelado
💡 Nuance: Louder than anise seed. Shape is the giveaway. Not fennel.
star-shaped pod with a strong licorice flavor
Example: One star anise in pho. The whole star comes back out.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Anís estrellado🇫🇷 French: Anis étoilé / badiane
🇩🇪 German: Sternanis
🇮🇹 Italian: Anice stellato
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Anis-estrelado
💡 Nuance: Louder than anise seed. Shape is the giveaway. Not fennel.
⚪ Anise Seed
small seed with a sweet licorice flavor
Example: Anise seed in cookies and in some sausages. Star anise is the bigger cousin in broth.
🇫🇷 French: Anis
🇩🇪 German: Anis
🇮🇹 Italian: Anice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Anis
💡 Nuance: Same flavor family as fennel and star anise. Different plant, smaller seed.
small seed with a sweet licorice flavor
Example: Anise seed in cookies and in some sausages. Star anise is the bigger cousin in broth.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Anís🇫🇷 French: Anis
🇩🇪 German: Anis
🇮🇹 Italian: Anice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Anis
💡 Nuance: Same flavor family as fennel and star anise. Different plant, smaller seed.
🖤 Nigella Seeds
small black seeds - peppery, nutty, a little onion
Example: Nigella on naan looks like burned onion seed and tastes milder than that.
🇫🇷 French: Nigelle
🇩🇪 German: Schwarzkümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Nigella
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nigela
💡 Nuance: Also called kalonji. Not black sesame and not onion seed, even when menus say that.
small black seeds - peppery, nutty, a little onion
Example: Nigella on naan looks like burned onion seed and tastes milder than that.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Nigela / ajenuz🇫🇷 French: Nigelle
🇩🇪 German: Schwarzkümmel
🇮🇹 Italian: Nigella
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nigela
💡 Nuance: Also called kalonji. Not black sesame and not onion seed, even when menus say that.
🔥 Ajwain
tiny seed that smells like thyme and hits harder
Example: Ajwain in paratha dough is thyme's louder cousin.
🇫🇷 French: Ajwain
🇩🇪 German: Ajwain
🇮🇹 Italian: Ajwain
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ajwain
💡 Nuance: Also called carom. Looks a bit like celery seed. Flavor is thyme-oregano, not cumin.
tiny seed that smells like thyme and hits harder
Example: Ajwain in paratha dough is thyme's louder cousin.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Ajwain / alcaravea india🇫🇷 French: Ajwain
🇩🇪 German: Ajwain
🇮🇹 Italian: Ajwain
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ajwain
💡 Nuance: Also called carom. Looks a bit like celery seed. Flavor is thyme-oregano, not cumin.
🍃 Leaves, Tart & Rare
🍃 Curry Leaf
fragrant South Asian leaf, fried in oil at the start of a dish
Example: Curry leaves in hot oil. Curry powder in a tin is a different product.
🇫🇷 French: Feuille de curry
🇩🇪 German: Curryblatt
🇮🇹 Italian: Foglia di curry
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Folha de caril
💡 Nuance: A leaf, not a blend. Bay leaf is the European stew leaf with a quieter perfume.
fragrant South Asian leaf, fried in oil at the start of a dish
Example: Curry leaves in hot oil. Curry powder in a tin is a different product.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Hoja de curry🇫🇷 French: Feuille de curry
🇩🇪 German: Curryblatt
🇮🇹 Italian: Foglia di curry
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Folha de caril
💡 Nuance: A leaf, not a blend. Bay leaf is the European stew leaf with a quieter perfume.
🍂 Bay Leaf
dried leaf - herbal, floral, slightly bitter - pulled out before serving
Example: One bay leaf in the beans. Nobody eats the leaf.
🇫🇷 French: Laurier
🇩🇪 German: Lorbeerblatt
🇮🇹 Italian: Alloro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Louro
💡 Nuance: Background perfume. Curry leaf is fried and often left in the pan.
dried leaf - herbal, floral, slightly bitter - pulled out before serving
Example: One bay leaf in the beans. Nobody eats the leaf.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Laurel🇫🇷 French: Laurier
🇩🇪 German: Lorbeerblatt
🇮🇹 Italian: Alloro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Louro
💡 Nuance: Background perfume. Curry leaf is fried and often left in the pan.
🍋 Sumac
tart, lemony powder from dried sumac berries
Example: Sumac on hummus when there is no lemon left.
🇫🇷 French: Sumac
🇩🇪 German: Sumach
🇮🇹 Italian: Sommacco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sumagre
💡 Nuance: Sour, not hot. Tamarind is the sticky sour pulp from a pod.
tart, lemony powder from dried sumac berries
Example: Sumac on hummus when there is no lemon left.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Zumaque🇫🇷 French: Sumac
🇩🇪 German: Sumach
🇮🇹 Italian: Sommacco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sumagre
💡 Nuance: Sour, not hot. Tamarind is the sticky sour pulp from a pod.
🌲 Juniper Berry
piney, resinous berry with a little citrus
Example: Juniper in sauerbraten and in gin. Crush it first.
🇫🇷 French: Genièvre
🇩🇪 German: Wacholderbeere
🇮🇹 Italian: Ginepro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Zimbro
💡 Nuance: A conifer berry, not a sweet baking spice. Allspice is the warm kitchen berry.
piney, resinous berry with a little citrus
Example: Juniper in sauerbraten and in gin. Crush it first.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Enebro🇫🇷 French: Genièvre
🇩🇪 German: Wacholderbeere
🇮🇹 Italian: Ginepro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Zimbro
💡 Nuance: A conifer berry, not a sweet baking spice. Allspice is the warm kitchen berry.
🌼 Saffron
dried crocus stigmas - floral, honeyed, expensive, and yellow-orange in liquid
Example: A pinch of saffron steeped in warm water. Turmeric cannot fake the smell.
🇫🇷 French: Safran
🇩🇪 German: Safran
🇮🇹 Italian: Zafferano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Açafrão
💡 Nuance: Threads, not powder if you can help it. Color plus perfume. Turmeric is only the color cousin.
dried crocus stigmas - floral, honeyed, expensive, and yellow-orange in liquid
Example: A pinch of saffron steeped in warm water. Turmeric cannot fake the smell.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Azafrán🇫🇷 French: Safran
🇩🇪 German: Safran
🇮🇹 Italian: Zafferano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Açafrão
💡 Nuance: Threads, not powder if you can help it. Color plus perfume. Turmeric is only the color cousin.
🟤 Tamarind
sour-sweet pulp from tamarind pods, used as a souring spice
Example: Tamarind in pad thai and in Worcestershire. Lemon is brighter. This is darker sour.
🇫🇷 French: Tamarin
🇩🇪 German: Tamarinde
🇮🇹 Italian: Tamarindo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tamarindo
💡 Nuance: Fruit on the tropical page, souring agent here. Sumac is the dry lemony powder.
sour-sweet pulp from tamarind pods, used as a souring spice
Example: Tamarind in pad thai and in Worcestershire. Lemon is brighter. This is darker sour.
Show translations
🇪🇸 Spanish: Tamarindo🇫🇷 French: Tamarin
🇩🇪 German: Tamarinde
🇮🇹 Italian: Tamarindo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tamarindo
💡 Nuance: Fruit on the tropical page, souring agent here. Sumac is the dry lemony powder.
🧠 Useful Distinctions
⚫ Black vs. ⚪ White vs. 🌸 Sichuan pepper
Black and white are the same vine, different processing. Sichuan pepper is a different plant that tingles.
Black and white are the same vine, different processing. Sichuan pepper is a different plant that tingles.
🌰 Nutmeg vs. 🧡 Mace
One fruit. Nutmeg is the seed. Mace is the red wrapping.
One fruit. Nutmeg is the seed. Mace is the red wrapping.
🫐 Allspice vs. a baking blend
Allspice is one berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. It is not mixed in a factory.
Allspice is one berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. It is not mixed in a factory.
🟡 Coriander seed vs. cilantro
Same plant. The seed is citrus-warm. The leaf is the fresh herb some people call soapy.
Same plant. The seed is citrus-warm. The leaf is the fresh herb some people call soapy.
🟡 Turmeric vs. 🌼 Saffron
Both color food yellow. Saffron is floral and costly. Turmeric is earthy and cheap.
Both color food yellow. Saffron is floral and costly. Turmeric is earthy and cheap.
🌿 Fennel vs. ⚪ Anise vs. ⭐ Star anise vs. 🍞 Caraway
Licorice family. Fennel is gentle. Anise seed is sweeter. Star anise is louder in broth. Caraway is rye-and-anise.
Licorice family. Fennel is gentle. Anise seed is sweeter. Star anise is louder in broth. Caraway is rye-and-anise.
🍃 Curry leaf vs. curry powder
Curry leaf is a fried leaf. Curry powder is a ground blend. They are not substitutes.
Curry leaf is a fried leaf. Curry powder is a ground blend. They are not substitutes.
🍋 Sumac vs. 🟤 Tamarind
Both sour. Sumac is dry and lemony. Tamarind is sticky and darker.
Both sour. Sumac is dry and lemony. Tamarind is sticky and darker.
💬 Everyday Spice Phrases
🌸 I want the tingle, not more heat.
Sichuan pepper vs. black pepper
🇫🇷 Je veux le picotement, pas plus de piquant.
🇩🇪 Ich will das Kribbeln, nicht mehr Schärfe.
🇮🇹 Voglio il formicolio, non più piccante.
🇵🇹 Quero o formigamento, não mais ardência.
Sichuan pepper vs. black pepper
Show translations
🇪🇸 Quiero el hormigueo, no más picante.🇫🇷 Je veux le picotement, pas plus de piquant.
🇩🇪 Ich will das Kribbeln, nicht mehr Schärfe.
🇮🇹 Voglio il formicolio, non più piccante.
🇵🇹 Quero o formigamento, não mais ardência.
🌼 Turmeric will color it. Saffron will perfume it.
cheap yellow vs. expensive floral
🇫🇷 Le curcuma le colore. Le safran le parfume.
🇩🇪 Kurkuma färbt. Safran parfümiert.
🇮🇹 La curcuma colora. Lo zafferano profuma.
🇵🇹 A cúrcuma colore. O açafrão perfuma.
cheap yellow vs. expensive floral
Show translations
🇪🇸 La cúrcuma lo colorea. El azafrán lo perfuma.🇫🇷 Le curcuma le colore. Le safran le parfume.
🇩🇪 Kurkuma färbt. Safran parfümiert.
🇮🇹 La curcuma colora. Lo zafferano profuma.
🇵🇹 A cúrcuma colore. O açafrão perfuma.
🍃 Curry leaves, not curry powder.
leaf vs. blend
🇫🇷 Des feuilles de curry, pas de curry en poudre.
🇩🇪 Curryblätter, kein Currypulver.
🇮🇹 Foglie di curry, non curry in polvere.
🇵🇹 Folhas de caril, não caril em pó.
leaf vs. blend
Show translations
🇪🇸 Hojas de curry, no polvo de curry.🇫🇷 Des feuilles de curry, pas de curry en poudre.
🇩🇪 Curryblätter, kein Currypulver.
🇮🇹 Foglie di curry, non curry in polvere.
🇵🇹 Folhas de caril, não caril em pó.
💨 A pinch of hing. It smells loud until it cooks.
asafoetida
🇫🇷 Une pincée d’asafoetida. Ça sent fort tant que ce n’est pas cuit.
🇩🇪 Eine Prise Asafetida. Es stinkt, bis es kocht.
🇮🇹 Un pizzico di assafetida. Odora forte finché non cuoce.
🇵🇹 Uma pitada de assafétida. Cheira forte até cozinhar.
asafoetida
Show translations
🇪🇸 Una pizca de asafétida. Huele fuerte hasta que se cocina.🇫🇷 Une pincée d’asafoetida. Ça sent fort tant que ce n’est pas cuit.
🇩🇪 Eine Prise Asafetida. Es stinkt, bis es kocht.
🇮🇹 Un pizzico di assafetida. Odora forte finché non cuoce.
🇵🇹 Uma pitada de assafétida. Cheira forte até cozinhar.
🏆 Final Practice
English in the Real World:
Read the situation. Choose the more precise spice word.
Read the situation. Choose the more precise spice word.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%