Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Slashfood has a new home! Huffpost Food.

Click here to visit the new home of Slashfood!

Hot on HuffPost Food:

See More Stories
Tell us what you think for a chance at $1000!

"cinnamon" news and stories

Spice ID Quiz

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Sep 1st 2009 @ 1:33PM

Know your fennel from fenugreek? Coriander from cardamom? It's the spiciest quiz ever from Slashfood.

Spice ID Quiz

Both leaves and seeds of this plant are employed as seasoning in Indian food, and the seeds are used to flavor artificial maple syrup.

  • Sarsaparilla
  • Nigella
  • Fenugreek
  • Carom

It just wouldn't be real rye bread without...

  • Caraway
  • Fennel Seed
  • Poppy
  • Cumin

The signature herb overtone of gin is...

  • Galangal
  • Fennel
  • Pimento
  • Juniper Berries

The leaves of this plant are snipped and used as the herb cilantro, but the seeds are a seasoning known as...

  • Cumin
  • Coriander
  • Cardamom
  • Curry

This spice is the inside part of the Myristica tree seed -- not to mention darned tasty in baked goods and sprinkled on winter beverages.

  • Mace
  • Cumin
  • Nutmeg
  • Ground Allspice

This wee, nutty spice is smashing on a roll or paired with a tart lemon pastry

  • Allspice
  • Poppy Seeds
  • Cardamom
  • Mustard Seed

These long, cured pods, often used to flavor desserts, are members of the orchid family.

  • Vanilla Beans
  • Cardamom
  • Saffron
  • Galangal

This strikingly-shaped fruit is a core element in Chinese five-spice.

  • Sumac
  • Galangal
  • Telicherry
  • Star Anise

This spice, made by grinding dried berries, adds a lemony taste to juice and Middle Eastern cuisine.

  • Mahlab
  • Fenugreek
  • Rue
  • Sumac

This Indian spice is valued as much for its vibrant hue as it is for its flavoring properties.

  • Turmeric
  • Ras al Hanout
  • Ginger
  • Asafoetida

This spice is often cited as the most expensive on the market, due to the difficulty of harvesting it.

  • Grains of Paradise
  • Sassafras
  • Mahlab
  • Saffron

These dried berries are, monetarily speaking, the most traded spice on the planet.

  • Mustard
  • Cardamom
  • Black Pepper
  • Cumin

Remember the previously mentioned Myristica tree seed? This is the outside seed casing, all ground up.

  • Mace
  • Galangal
  • Ginger
  • Camphor

We're awfully sorry that we can't present this quiz in Smell-O-Vision, but still we must ask -- can you identify this common ground-bark spice by sight alone?

  • Mace
  • Nutmeg
  • Cinnamon
  • Allspice

The green version of this pod is an essential flavor component in Chai tea.

  • Ginger
  • Cardamom
  • Tonka Bean
  • Cumin

From left to right, these are...

  • Cumin, Anise
  • Celery Seed, Dill
  • Fennel, Cumin
  • Dill, Anise

This Thai cuisine staple is also purported to possess aphrodisiac qualities.

  • Ginger
  • Galangal
  • Horseradish
  • Asafoetida

This pungent, earthy seed is valued for both culinary and medicinal use.

  • Black Cumin
  • Fennel
  • Black Cardamom
  • Grains of Selim

Chewing this spice is said to improve and sweeten the breath.

  • Dill
  • Anise
  • Fennel
  • Celery Seed

Dried peppers are ground to make this spice, which is widely used in Hungarian and Spanish cuisine.

  • Telicherry
  • Wasabi
  • Ras al Hanout
  • Paprika

Filed under: Quizzes, Ingredients

Cinnamon - Is it Ceylon or Cassia?

COMMENTS 7

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Nov 25th 2008 @ 9:03AM

ceylon
The two flavors might be very similar, but just like the tricky properties of fennel/anise/licorice root make one mistaken for another, not all cinnamon boasts the same bark.

First, there's cassia. These are the super-hard sticks we find in the grocery store under the label "cinnamon." While a close plant relative to ceylon, it's not the same thing. Cassia is much harder than its counterpart, has a stronger flavor, and it contains a toxic component called coumarin (which shows up only in negligible amounts in ceylon).

Ceylon, or the real stuff, is softer both in taste and texture. This isn't like the stick that could break your spice grinder. You can easily crumble ceylon in your fingers and make powder. It's gentle, yet distinct. Unfortunately, since it's a weaker flavor, it either gets added to cassia, or replaced by it, in the bottled powders we all buy.

If you get a chance, pick up some ceylon and see the difference for yourself!

Filed under: Ingredients

Sponsored Links

Common herbs with medicinal properties

COMMENTS 4

by Shayna Glick, Posted Jun 28th 2008 @ 10:00AM

Mint plants.
I know we're hearing a lot about this kind of thing lately. I, for one, think that isn't a bad thing. This post from Remedicated about 20 common cooking herbs with medicinal properties collects a lot of disparate information and puts it in one place.

Some of the herbs are well known to have medicinal uses, like turmeric and cloves, but did you know that onions (and other vegetables related to onions) have been used for centuries as medicines? Apparently they have anti-inflammatory properties. Also, rosemary, cinnamon, and parsley (great for detoxifying carcinogens from cigarette smoke) are just some of the surprising (to me) herbs on the list.

There is no way this list can be complete, though. If you study a natural product long enough, you're sure to find lots of healthy qualities. Does anyone have any herbs they'd like to add? If you disagree with this list, I'd love to read about that, too.

Filed under: On the Blogs, Lists, Health & Medical

Butternut squash and carrot soup

COMMENTS 0

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Mar 7th 2008 @ 10:01AM

butternut squash and carrot soup
I haven't been posting many recipes lately, mostly because I've been in something of dry spell when it comes to cooking. However, I haven't been staying totally out of the kitchen. Last weekend I made a pot of butternut and carrot soup that ended up being really tasty and the perfect thing to eat for lunch all week long (one of the wonderful things about this new job of mine is that it's only a block and a half from my apartment, so I can run home for lunch).

I admit that when it comes to this soup, I "cheat" a little bit. What I mean by that is that I use a pack of pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash from Trader Joe's (I've also seen it at Whole Foods). Then all I have to do is roughly chop an onion, saute it quickly in a little olive oil, toss in three or four chunks carrots, pile in the prepared squash and cover it with water or stock (I typically use one box of stock and then make up the difference with water). Then it just gently simmers until the veggies are tender. I recently acquired a far more powerful immersion blender, and it has made my blended soup far smoother than they used to be.

You might be wondering about seasoning with this soup. I actually change it up each time I make it. Sometimes I'll grate a little ginger in, or go with a spoonful of curry. This last time I used a bit of fresh thyme and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It might sound a little untraditional, but it was delicious. I also happened to have about a quarter cup of cream in my fridge and I added that in as well for a little extra smoothness. But you should feel free to make this soup your own.

Filed under: Ingredients

Baked Grapefruit

COMMENTS 6

by Bob Sassone, Posted Mar 6th 2008 @ 1:00PM

grapefruit

In the mood for grapefruit today? Turn on your toaster oven.

I got this recipe from the really cool book Munchies by Kevin Telles Roberts. He suggests you try it as a snack at 1:30 in the morning, but I don't see any reason why you can't have it as an ordinary breakfast treat.

Set your toaster oven to 450 degrees. Cut and section a grapefruit. Put a pat of butter in the center of each half and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and sugar. Bake for about 10 minutes, until cinnamon/sugar is melted.

We've all had grapefruit sprinkled with sugar, of course, but I wonder how the baking changes the taste. I've been wanting to eat more grapefruit anyway, so I'm going to try it this Sunday morning.

Filed under: Ingredients, Books

Most Popular Stories

  • FDA Still Struggling to Define

    FDA Still Struggling to Define "Gluten-Free"Read More

  • This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg Itself

    This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg ItselfRead More

  • Why Jewish Food Disappoints

    Why Jewish Food DisappointsRead More

Latest Flickr Feed

Join the Slashfood flickr Group

Sponsored Links