Although in Europe and the U.S. cinnamon is most often associated with sweet dishes, it has broad culinary uses. For example, in India, cinnamon is never used with desserts, but is the main ingredient in curries. In North Africa, not only is cinnamon an ingredient in Raz-el-Hanout, the flavoring of couscous and tagines, but appears also in Berber spices. In Greece, it appears in lamb dishes. And it is an essential spice in Chinese cuisine. Ground, it is one of the constituents of five-spice powder; whole, it is frequently added to flavor braised dishes. In the Caribbean, it is in Jerk seasoning. In Mexico, it appears with chocolate and chili powder in Mole sauces. In the U.S., it is used in barbecue rubs and sauces.

Cinnamon is the bark of three bushy evergreen trees of the laurel (Lauraceae) family. The most fragrant and delicate cinnamon is obtained from the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree native to Sri Lanka (which used to be called 'Ceylon'), the western coast of India (known as the Malabar coast), and Burma. Zeylanicum cinnamon is sometimes called 'true cinnamon' and 'old fashioned cinnamon.' But the "true" part was just advertising copy for the Dutch East India Companyıs 17th century monopoly.

Cinnamon is also derived from the Cinnamonum loureirii tree native to Indonesia and the Cinnamonum cassia tree native to China, Vietnam, and Sumatra. The cinnamon from the loureirii and cassia trees is darker and more pungent and aromatic than cinnamon from the zeylanicum tree.

Cassia cinnamon is what most Americans are used to and is the preferred cinnamon in Southern Europe. So do not let the term 'true cinnamon' confuse you; cassia cinnamon is just as true as zeylancium.

Cassia cinnamon has a more intense and less fragrant aroma than zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon. It is sweet, warm, pungent, and slightly astringent. Zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon is pale in color, and more delicate, more fragrant, not as pungent, and not as sweet. It has a slight citrus flavor. Zeylanicum (Ceylon) cinnamon is more expensive than cassia, and better to use in sweet dishes and cakes. Cassia nips the tongue and is more suited to spiced meats, stews, rice dishes, curries, pancake and waffle batters, cinnamon rolls, and flavored drinks. Cassia cinnamon sticks are reddish brown, thick, and coarse in texture. They are the sticks Americans are accustomed to and use in mulled cider and wine. Zeylanicum cinnamon sticks are pale in color, thin, and look like a roll of dried paper; they are delicate and crumble easily.

Cassia cinnamon, depending on its origin or strain, is also known as Chinese, Saigon, and Korintje (Sumatran) cinnamon. Each has its own distinctive taste.

Cloves are the small, reddish-brown flower bud of the tropical evergreen tree Syzygium aromaticum, believed indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia. During the late Middle Ages, cloves were used in Europe to preserve, flavour, and garnish food. Cloves, by weight, exceeded the value of precious metal in the early spice trade. Strong of aroma and hot and pungent in taste, cloves are used to flavour meats and bakery products. In Europe and the United States the spice is a characteristic flavouring in Christmas holiday fare, such as wassail and mincemeat. As early as 200 BC, envoys from Java to the Han-dynasty court of China brought cloves that were customarily held in the mouth to perfume the breath during audiences with the emperor.

Fragrant and tasty nutmeg is essential in any number of recipes. What would eggnog be without the nutmeg? It is mildly hallucinogenic, which may also contribute to the Christmas cheer. It is also used in perfumes and ointments. The brown, wrinkled, oval fruit contains a kernel which is covered by a bright red membrane. The membrane provides the spice mace, and the kernel the spice nutmeg. In small quantities, nutmeg acts on the stomach to improve appetite and digestion. Nutmeg oil is sometimes used to dispel flatulence. It helps prevent gas and fermentation in the intestinal tract.

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': Both nutmeg and mace are used for flatulence and to correct the nausea arising from other drugs, also to allay nausea and vomiting. Nutmeg is an agreeable addition to drinks for convalescents.

Tropical evergreen tree (Pimenta diocia, formerly P. officinalis) of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to the West Indies and Central America and valued for its berries, the source of a highly aromatic spice. Early Spanish explorers, mistaking it for a type of pepper, called it pimenta, hence its botanical name and such terms as pimento and Jamaica pepper. Allspice was so named because the flavor of the dried berry resembles a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is widely used in baking and is usually present in mincemeat and mixed pickling spice.

Mace is essential in innumerable cake, beverage, meat and fish recipes. Nutmeg is a tropical evergreen tree native to Indonesia and cultivated throughout the tropics. The brown, wrinkled, oval fruit contains a kernel which is covered by a bright red membrane. The membrane provides the spice mace, and the kernel the spice nutmeg.

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': Both nutmeg and mace are used for flatulence and to correct the nausea arising from other drugs, also to allay nausea and vomiting. Nutmeg is an agreeable addition to drinks for convalescents.

Also called Cilantro. Native to the Mediterranean and Middle East regions, the herb is cultivated in Europe, Morocco, and the United States. Corianderıs delicate young leaves are widely used to flavour salads, sausages, curries, pastries, liqueurs, and confectionery. Records of the use of coriander date to 5000 BC. The Romans used it to flavour bread.

Anise is cultivated chiefly for its fruits, called aniseed, the flavour of which resembles that of licorice. Aniseed is widely used to flavour pastries; it is the characteristic ingredient of a German bread called Anisbrod. In the Mediterranean region and in Asia, aniseed is commonly used in meat and vegetable dishes. It makes a soothing herbal tea and has been used medicinally from prehistoric times. The essential oil content is about 2.5 percent, and its principal component is anethole. The essential oil is used to flavour absinthe, anisette, and Pernod liqueurs.

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': Anise enjoys considerable reputation as a medicine in coughs and pectoral affections. In hard, dry coughs where expectoration is difficult, it is of much value. It is greatly used in the form of lozenges and the seeds have also been used for smoking, to promote expectoration.

Fennel seeds are a common cooking spice worldwide, popular with fish and curries. The herb is traditional in Chinese, Arab, Indian and Western cuisines and pharmacopoeias. After meals, fennel seeds are used in several cultures to prevent gas and upset stomach. The fennel seed is actually not a seed but the dried, seed-like fruit of the Foeniculum vulgare plant. The main active constituents, which include the terpenoid anethole, are found in the volatile oil. Anethole and other terpenoids may have mild estrogen-like activity, and inhibit spasms in smooth muscles, such as those in the intestinal tract. Recent studies have found fennel to possess diuretic, choleretic (increase in production of bile), pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and antimicrobial actions. Fennel was formerly an official drug in the United States and was listed as being used for indigestion and possibly for stimulating milk flow in women. Whole seeds may be chewed or used in tea. The German Commission E recommends 5ı7 grams of seeds daily.

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': On account of its aromatic and carminative properties, Fennel fruit is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their tendency to griping and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known compound Liquorice Powder. Fennel water has properties similar to those of anise and dill water: mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup, these waters constitute the domestic 'Gripe Water,' used to correct the flatulence of infants. Volatile oil of Fennel has these properties in concentration. Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a carminative, is made by pouring half a pint of boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds. Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs.

Fennel seeds are a common cooking spice worldwide, popular with fish and curries. The herb is traditional in Chinese, Arab, Indian and Western cuisines and pharmacopoeias. After meals, fennel seeds are used in several cultures to prevent gas and upset stomach. The fennel seed is actually not a seed but the dried, seed-like fruit of the Foeniculum vulgare plant. The main active constituents, which include the terpenoid anethole, are found in the volatile oil. Anethole and other terpenoids may have mild estrogen-like activity, and inhibit spasms in smooth muscles, such as those in the intestinal tract. Recent studies have found fennel to possess diuretic, choleretic (increase in production of bile), pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and antimicrobial actions. Fennel was formerly an official drug in the United States and was listed as being used for indigestion and possibly for stimulating milk flow in women. Whole seeds may be chewed or used in tea. The German Commission E recommends 5ı7 grams of seeds daily.

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': On account of its aromatic and carminative properties, Fennel fruit is chiefly used medicinally with purgatives to allay their tendency to griping and for this purpose forms one of the ingredients of the well-known compound Liquorice Powder. Fennel water has properties similar to those of anise and dill water: mixed with sodium bicarbonate and syrup, these waters constitute the domestic 'Gripe Water,' used to correct the flatulence of infants. Volatile oil of Fennel has these properties in concentration. Fennel tea, formerly also employed as a carminative, is made by pouring half a pint of boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds. Syrup prepared from Fennel juice was formerly given for chronic coughs.

The unique spice is used, usually dried and ground, to flavour breads, sauces, curry dishes, confections, pickles, and ginger ale. The peeled root may be preserved by boiling in syrup. In Japan and elsewhere, slices of ginger are eaten between dishes to clear the palate.

Ginger is used medically to help expel gas from the intestines and treat nausea from morning sickness, upset stomach, seasickness, and motion sickness. It is also used to help reduce fevers and lessen the symptoms of colds. Its ability to prevent vomiting has been verified by clinical trial, and it has been shown to stimulate the intestines and promote production of saliva, digestive juices, and bile. It also tends to boost the pumping action of the heart.

Gieve: Stimulant, carminative, given in dyspepsia and flatulent colic excellent to add to bitter infusions; specially valuable in alcoholic gastritis; of use for diarrhoea from relaxed bowel where there is no inflammation. Ginger Tea is a hot infusion very useful for stoppage of the menses due to cold, externally it is a rubefacient.