SPICE world
Gourmet Traveller|July 2022
Follow the history of spice's fragrant, heady journey aound the world in ELEANOR LORD's new book The Nutmeg Trail.
ELEANOR LORD
SPICE world

What is a spice?

At their simplest, spices are the parts of plants most densely rich in flavour, which can enliven and elevate food. They are the dried seeds, barks, roots, rhizomes, fruits, arils, flower buds and resins from plants that grow mostly in tropical climates.

Ask a cook and they will tell you about the aromas that have to be teased out through cooking and that spices are decidedly not herbs, the fresh and leafy parts of plants grown more locally. They will know that spices’ aromas and flavours are volatile and fat-soluble, the spices best freshly ground and their flavours extracted by sizzling in oil, and how they can be used to build layers of flavour to excite all the senses.

Ask a botanist and you’ll hear about the essential oils, oleoresins, terpenes and other compounds, which each bring specific aromas and tastes. These chemical stores in plants have functions to help them survive and reproduce. Often the very things humans are drawn to – the pungency, bitterness, heat or numbness – are actually defence mechanisms for the plants, their armour to repel predators. In the curious case of cinnamon, the resinous bark of the Cinnamomum tree, its warm, woody scent is created when the plant is being eaten to communicate to nearby trees to prepare their defensive chemicals.

This story is from the July 2022 edition of Gourmet Traveller.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2022 edition of Gourmet Traveller.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GOURMET TRAVELLERView All
Barossa Valley
Gourmet Traveller

Barossa Valley

We hit the road for a weekend escape, exploring the best regional Australia has to offer. This month we head to the Barossa Valley in South Australia.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
Legends of reinvention
Gourmet Traveller

Legends of reinvention

As ultra-luxe hotel group Rosewood takes on three benchmark New Zealand lodges, MICHAEL HARDEN gets the read on this next chapter.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2024
EVERYDAY
Gourmet Traveller

EVERYDAY

Easy entertaining, weeknight dinners and suppers to share, all made with speed, without sacrificing flavour.

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
Australia's most wanted
Gourmet Traveller

Australia's most wanted

For love or money, building a wine collection pays dividends. NED GOODWIN reveals the Australian fine wines to put away.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
MEET THE MAKER GREG LAMBRECHT
Gourmet Traveller

MEET THE MAKER GREG LAMBRECHT

When US-based engineer Greg Lambrecht invented wine preservation system Coravin a decade ago, he changed the way we drink premium wine.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
SANDALFORD
Gourmet Traveller

SANDALFORD

Following its recent reboot, this historic WA winery restaurant is ready to wine and dine a new generation of guests, writes MAX VEENHUYZEN.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
PITZI
Gourmet Traveller

PITZI

The team behind Fico trot out a chic new pasta bar which makes simplicity something special, writes ALIX DAVIS.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
BATHERS' PAVILION RESTAURANT
Gourmet Traveller

BATHERS' PAVILION RESTAURANT

A new era is dawning at a lower north shore landmark, writes MATTY HIRSCH, with an astute new recruit leading the way

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
VUE DE MONDE
Gourmet Traveller

VUE DE MONDE

A Melbourne icon emerges from a makeover refreshed and energised, writes MICHAEL HARDEN.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER
Gourmet Traveller

STEPHANIE ALEXANDER

Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we meet chef, author and original cook's companion, Stephanie Alexander AO.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2024