Spices and Flavourings

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There are few native British spices, although spices themselves have been used by the British since very early times — coriander seeds, from a Mediterranean plant, were found at a Bronze Age site. The Romans introduced many spices vital to their cooking, as they did herbs, among them pepper, ginger and mustard.

After the Norman Conquest, more spicing ideas were introduced, both French and Arab, and the returning Crusaders, too, would have brought back many of the spices they encountered in the East. These included cinnamon, cassia (Chinese cinnamon), cardamom, nutmeg, mace and cloves, and all were incorporated, in sometimes alarming amounts, into medieval cooking, along with other imports such as almonds, almond milk and dried fruits. So you can see that foods from all those years ago were not as basic as their image has led us to believe. But these spices and herbs were not just used in cooking, they played a very big part in medicinal products too.

It has been claimed that this early British passion for spices developed because of the need to disguise too salty or off flavours, creating very pungent tastes. However, those that could afford to buy spices – for they were very expensive for a long time – would have been frequently able to eat fresh meat and fish. It is more likely that they simply enjoyed the taste the spices could give, or that it was fashionable (I like to think it was the former). The quality of the spices would not have been of the best, either, after long travel from their countries of origin — their ‘noses’ and strength in flavour would have diminished. It is likely that many medieval dishes that would be very hot today using fresh spices, would have been merely piquant or tasty then.

London was the centre of the spice trade in Britain, and very early on – around 1180 – the trade was organized by the Guild of Pepperers. In the fourteenth century this, one of the first London guilds, became the guild of Grossers or Grocers (from grossarii, dealers who buy and sell in the gross).

Wealthy people all over the country used spices in the majority of their cooking — in soups, pies, sauces, meat and fish dishes, and in puddings, both sweet and savoury In Food and Drink in Britain, C. Anne Wilson describes a typical recipe for stewed beef: it ‘recommends the addition of cinnamon, cloves, maces, grains of paradise, cubebs, minced onions, parsley, sage and saffron. The stew was thickened with bread steeped in broth and vinegar, with extra salt and vinegar added at the last for good measure. The final instruction, “and look that it be poignant enough”, seems redundant.’ I’d certainly agree with that – you wouldn’t need to be searching for flavours.

Imported spices remained expensive for a very long time, although pepper and ginger were quite common (perhaps one reason why dried ginger is used in many regional British cakes and biscuits). Mustard was cheap and popular, because it could be cultivated in this country – primarily in East Anglia, where, much later, a Norwich mustard company was founded by one Jeremiah Colman (thank you, Jeremiah, it’s delicious).

It was used in many sauces, and served with fresh and salted fish and meat, and brawn. Saffron, too, was planted in East Anglia, where it gave its name to a town, Saffron Walden, and is the one thing that hasn’t changed its price — just as expensive then as it is now The discovery of the New World in the sixteenth century brought chillies, vanilla and allspice to Europe and eventually to Britain, and they too were incorporated into much British cooking. Some spices were now sold as mixtures — hot or mild, as you might buy curry powder – and a type of pre-prepared curry powder was in fact available in the late eighteenth century, although curries were not to become a British passion until after the days of the Raj. A number of spices were used whole – cinnamon and nutmegs, for instance — and the clove—pierced onion so vital for our bread sauce was in use by the 1660s, a borrowing from the French, one which we have continued for many years.

As spices diminished in price after the seventeenth century — mainly due to the wider cultivation and availability — it seems that spices began to lose their importance in the cooking of northern Europe. Pickles, preserves, desserts/puddings, cakes and biscuits still relied on them to a certain extent, but they were not added automatically to every meat or fish dish. That sugar was now cheap, too, may well have played a part in this. In fact, the spiced liquid from pickles was often used instead of the spices themselves and, at the end of the eighteenth century, the first bottled sauces were sold commercially, the origin perhaps of our British passion for tomato ketchup, brown sauce and, the most famous of all, Worcestershire sauce.

In these last few years of the twentieth century, we British actually seem to have returned to our medieval tastes, and we are now familiar with and cooking with a huge choice of spices. Many of these we know from Indian recipes and restaurants, a reminder of the years the British spent on the subcontinent. But we are also playing host to many other nationalities and their particular spices and flavours – Thai lemongrass, for instance – and a number of these are being enthusiastically incorporated into a new style of ‘Great British’ cooking. But whenever cooking with spices, it’s important to take a note from the early lessons. For me, spices should be used to lend a flavour, helping the main ingredients, but never used to mask and spoil a natural taste.

Curry Powder

Mixtures of ground spices were able to be bought as long ago as the eighteenth century, although they were expensive. Nowadays there are many good-quality curry powders and pastes available, all carrying different strengths to suit the curry of your choice. But this is one that I use quite a lot. As I’ve said about cooking generally, there’s nothing like making it yourself. This will give you a well-flavoured medium-hot curry.

MAKES ABOUT 25 G (1 OZ)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons cardamom pods or seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika E
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

The cumin, cardamom and coriander can all be ‘roasted’, as for Garam Masala. Simply place in a dry frying-pan over a medium heat and roast until they colour and become aromatic. Leave to cool. They can now be ground to a powder in a coffee grinder or blender. Shake through a fine sieve or tea-strainer and mix with all of the remaining spices. This powder will keep well in an airtight container in a dark place.

Garam Masala

Garam masala was a mixture of spices put together originally to ‘spice’ people up. This lifted the body and prepared you for a hard winter and work. It was quite a hot spice and helped set people’s appetites in India for hot dishes. It has since become a very varied mixture of spices for different dishes, some hotter than others.

The spice mixture does not have to be used just in Indian curry dishes, but will liven up vegetarian
risottos, pancakes, ratatouille, lentils and most tomato-based dishes, as well as cream and yoghurt sauces.

This recipe is a combination that should suit all of these. Once made, keep in an airtight container in a dark place and use when wanted. Of course, you can buy garam masala ready-made, but the aromatic smell and flavour when you’ve made it yourself is wonderful.

MAKES ABOUT 50 G (2 OZ)

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Dry-roast all the ingredients, except the nutmeg, mace and ginger, in a dry pan over a medium heat until they darken slightly and become aromatic. Leave to cool, then add the remaining spices and grind to a powder in a coffee grinder or blender. Store in an airtight jar.

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