The "C" Spices

Cayenne (Red) Pepper

(China, India, Mexico, Pakistan)
Unlike black or white pepper, Cayenne (or Red)
Pepper comes from chile peppers, or capsicums.
Prepared from one of the hottest chile pods, it is
always a ground product. Its ancestral home was
Cayenne, in South America, but the hottest
cayenne peppers are now grown in Africa and Asia.
Use in Italian and Mexican dishes, curries,
deviled eggs, seafood, cottage and cream cheeses,
cooked green vegetables, Welsh rarebit, cheese
soufflés, many meats and sauces. In Cajun cooking,
it is frequently blended with black and white
pepper to make an “all-purpose pepper.”

Celery Seed

(France, India, United States)
The dried seed of a member of the parsley family
called smallage or wild celery; produces a more
pronounced flavor than fresh celery.
Use in stews, egg dishes, sandwich spreads,
cooked vegetables, grilled tomatoes, oyster and
fish stews, hot and cold cream soups, sauces,
gravies, salad dressings, marinades, stuffings,
tomato juice, potato salad.

Chili Powder

(blend)
Although many associate this product with Mexican
cooking, chili powder originated in Texas for use in
chile con carne. A salt-free, balanced blend of ground
mild chile peppers, cumin, garlic and oregano.
Use in chili, Mexican dishes, eggs, omelets,
sauces, soups, cottage cheese, rice, meat, fish,
cocktail sauce, gravies, stews, vegetables.

Cilantro

(Mexico, California)
The leaves of the coriander plant, cilantro is also
known as “Mexican parsley” or “Chinese parsley.”
Its flavor is totally different from the seeds, which
are used as a spice, mostly in curry powders.
Cilantro is a popular flavoring herb and garnish
essential to salsas, Latin, Indian, Middle Eastern
and Asian dishes; great in vegetable dishes, with
meats and fish, and most tomato dishes.

Cinnamon (Korintje)

(Indonesia)
Cinnamomum cassia, grown primarily in China
and southeast Asia, has a characteristically intense
aroma and much more flavor than Ceylon cinnamon,
which is why it is greatly preferred here.
The best cassia available today is Korintje, from
the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Use in all types of baked goods, such as pies,
cakes, rolls and cookies. Excellent with fruit
desserts, especially apples and peaches. Use sparingly
in meat, poultry and game dishes, lamb or
beef stew, Mexican dishes and mashed sweet potatoes.
Also excellent in many savory foods, such as
tomato sauce, beef stew, chili and Mexican dishes,
and curries.

Cinnamon (Saigon)

(Vietnam)
From the jungles of Vietnam comes a rare and
powerful variety of cassia cinnamon. Vietnamese
cassia, otherwise known as Saigon cinnamon
(Cinnamomum lourerii), was unavailable for many
years because of war and trade restrictions. Now
that relations have been re-established with
Vietnam, Saigon cinnamon is once again available.
Whereas our famous Korintje cinnamon gives
you the outstanding flavor you’ve come to expect
in your favorite baked goods, this intense spice
seems best at home in exotic, spicy foods. Saigon
cinnamon, which is considered stronger, sweeter
and more aromatic than Korintje, should be used
more sparingly or when a very prominent
cinnamon flavor is desired; it will overpower
other spices like ginger or allspice when used
in place of Korintje cassia.

Cloves (Ground)

Cloves (Whole)

(Madagascar, Zanzibar, Indonesia)
The name for this spice comes from the Latin
clavus, meaning “nail,” which is what the whole
spice resembles. One of the world’s most aromatic
and important spices, cloves originated in the
Moluccas, or Spice Islands, and now grow in many
tropical maritime locations.
Use in baked goods, confections, liqueurs, pickles,
chili sauce, catsup, meats, vegetables, mincemeat,
beverages, sauces, marinades, pork roast, green or
yellow vegetables, jams, jellies, fruit cakes, pumpkin
or fruit pies, marmalades, chutney, and puddings.
Whole cloves add flavor and visual appeal when
stuck in a whole ham for roasting; they are also
excellent stuck in an onion half for simmering in
a pot of soup.

Cumin

(Mexico, Turkey, India)
Known in Mexico as comino, cumin is indispensable
to Mexican and Southwestern cooking, and is
widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and North
African cuisines. It is a primary ingredient of chili
powder and curry powder.Excellent in cheese dishes, with rice and corn
dishes such as curries or tamales; use in soups,
stews, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, ground
meat dishes; also good with sauerkraut, lentils,
potatoes, cabbage, and dried beans of all kinds.

Curry Powder

(blend)
A ground blend of as many as 20 spices, Curry
Powder is one of the world’s oldest spice blends.
It originated in England and was designed to give
the characteristic flavor of Indian curry cookery,
which became popular during the British colonization
of India. It has grown to be used as a single
spice in Western kitchens, and is very popular in
the Caribbean as well.
Use generously in Indian and Caribbean curries,
and sparingly in Western dishes such as eggs, deviled
eggs, fish, shrimp, parsley, meats, vegetables,
rice, French dressing, white sauce, fish chowders,
soups, salted nuts, and sweet pickles.