Inexpensive Spices

• Adding spices to your dishes can liven up the dish. Martin Child/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Spices have helped shape world history since man began to eat cooked foods. Spices were typically a part of a growing region's cuisine, a method to make the same food into a variety of dishes. Spices, along with silk, were one of the main reasons that trade between Europe and the Far East developed. Today, spices serve the same purpose they always have - bringing flavor and variety to the foods we eat.

Caraway

• Caraway seeds are native to North Africa, where they were used by the ancient Egyptians. Use of the seeds as a spice spread from there throughout most of Europe, where they remain a popular spice. The flavor of the seed is similar to fennel or anise. Caraway is used widely as a flavoring agent. Caraway is frequently used in rye bread as well as sauerkraut. The strong flavor makes a good counterpoint to fattier meats, as it can overwhelm those with less flavor.

Cinnamon

• While most spices come from the leaves or seeds of a plant, cinnamon is actually the inner bark of a group of trees, typically rolled into strips and dried after harvesting. The spice has a strong, pungent flavor and aroma, so it is best used in moderation. It is an ideal flavor agent in many types of hot drinks, candies and desserts.

Cumin

• The seeds of the cumin plant are traditionally used in Middle Eastern cooking, since that is the region where the plant is a native species. The use of the spice spread throughout much of southern Europe and into India, and became a part of many cuisines. Today, many people are familiar with the taste of cumin, as it is the most distinct flavor in many American chilis and Indian curries.

Ginger

• This root has been in use for so long in China and India that its flavor is one of the building blocks of the cuisine of both countries. The clean, spicy taste is a good complement to most other spices, as it provides a counterpoint for heavier flavors. It can be used with most meats and vegetables, and adds spice to cakes and cookies when used in moderation.

Clove

• Clove, the small black knobs with points, are traditionally found inserted sharp end first into Christmas hams. Cloves are partially formed flower buds from a tropical tree, and are native to Indonesia. Buy cloves whole if possible, as the essential oils that give the spice its strong flavor evaporate quickly after they are ground. Since the flavor is so strong, use only a few buds whole or ground up in the dish. It works well with ham and pork, since the strong flavor tends to overpower foods with more subtle flavor.

Paprika

• Paprika is the dried, ground form of a pepper native to South America. The pepper is also frequently pickled and cut as a stuffing for green olives. Although not native to Europe, the spice is most common in European cooking. It is the spice that gives most Hungarian goulash its flavor and color. Paprika comes in two main types, Hungarian, which is hotter, and Spanish, which has a very mild taste. The milder forms are used to give food color, and also work well in salad dressing to hold oil and vinegar together.

Mustard

• Originally called senvy, mustard was actually renamed to reflect its use as the main flavoring agent of the condiment. The seeds of the plant are the parts mainly used for spice; the plant is part of the same family as broccoli and cauliflower. The powdered seeds are mostly tasteless; when mixed with cool water the powder starts to develop a sharp, hot flavor, although a bit of vinegar mixed into the paste stops the reaction when the desired amount of spice is attained. Mustard can be obtained in a wide variety of prepared forms, and can give nearly any meat or vegetable a bit of kick for little money, since so little of the spice is required to give a lot of flavor.