Editorial ChefThe sunflower seed is the fruit of the sunflower plant. Botanically speaking, the fruit is a cypsela. The plant is commonly cultivated for the seed which is eaten as a snack or for extracting the sunflower oil. The three …
It’s Saffron, Spice Full of Color and Flavor
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the bulbous saffron crocus plant also known as Crocus sativus. This spice is used primarily as a flavoring and coloring agent in food. The spice is extracted from the …
Pumpkin Seeds, Savory or Sweet, the Taste you Need
Pumpkin seeds are also known as pepita. The name is from Mexican Spanish: pepita de calabaza, meaning “little seed of squash“. They are the edible seeds of the pumpkin or certain varieties of squash. The seeds are found in the fruit which …
Horseradish, a Pungent but Rich Addition to Your Food
Horseradish of the Brassicaceae family is a perennial crop native to Southeastern Europe and Western Asia and is a pungent root vegetable used as a spice. It belongs to the same family of vegetables which includes broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard, radish, and wasabi. …
Tamarind, The Sweet and Sour Pod of the Tropics
Tamarind is an edible pod-like fruit harvested from a leguminous tree of the same name. it belongs to the family Fabaceae which is indigenous to tropical Africa. The fruit pulp is edible with other parts of the …
Wasabi, the Green Pungent Japanese Condiment
Wasabi, also known as Japanese horseradish, botanically, is a plant that is related to the Brassicaceae family. This puts it in the same family as cabbages, horseradish, and mustard. In Japan, this crop grows naturally along wetlands in …
Moringa Oleifera, Secrets of the Drumstick Tree
Moringa oleifera goes by an assortment of other names, most notably drumstick tree. This is because of its long triangular seed pods. From afar these pods resemble those of French beans. It is also commonly …
Mustard Seed the Star of the Parables
The mustard seed comes from a plant bearing the same name. For centuries it cherished for its flavorful and delicate oils making it an important spice for culinary purposes. The three main culinary varieties are black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown Indian …
It’s Mace Crimson in Color, and This is What it Is
Mace Spice is the dried lacy reddish covering, or aril, which envelops the nutmeg kernel. It comes from the nutmeg tree and is harvested hand in hand with the nutmeg kernel. Mace and nutmeg are distinctively different spices from …
Nutmeg, Getting up Close, Aromatic and Candid
Nutmeg is an aromatic spice from the seed of a variety of trees in the genus Myristica. It can be differentiated from the mace, which is a similar-tasting spice. The difference is that mace is made from the …