Spice mixes are blended spices or

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt, and other seasoned salts are traditionally sold pre-made by grocers, and sometimes baking blends such as pumpkin pie spice are also available. These spice mixes are also easily made by the home cook for later use.

Masala

Masala (from Hindi/ Urdu ''masalah'', based on Arabic ''masalih''). is a term from the Indian subcontinent for a spice mix. A masala can be either a combination of dried (and usually dry-roasted) spices, or a paste (such as vindaloo masala) made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions, chilli paste and tomato. Masalas are used extensively in Indian cuisine to add spice and flavour, most familiarly to Western cuisine in chicken tikka masala and chicken curry, or in masala chai. Other South Asian cuisines including

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

, Pakistani and Sri Lankan, Southeast Asian cuisine such as

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (hor ...

and the Caribbean regularly use spice mixes.

Notable spice mixes by region

Americas

* Jerk, a spicy Jamaican dry-rub for meat primarily made with allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers * Montreal steak spice, a seasoning mix for steaks and grilled meats * Old Bay Seasoning, a seasoning mix of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and

paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

originally created in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

and regionally popular in Maryland as well as Mid-Atlantic and

Southern States Southern States may refer to: *The independent states of the Southern hemisphere United States * Southern United States, or the American South * Southern States Cooperative, an American farmer-owned agricultural supply cooperative * Southern Stat ...

, parts of New England, and the Gulf Coast * Pumpkin pie spice, a North American blend of cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice *

Italian seasoning Italian seasoning is a blend of ground herbs that commonly includes some combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, sage, or coriander. The blend varies by brand, with many having vague, nonspecific ingredient lists. Despit ...

, a blend of rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano * Tajín, a Mexican blend of chili powder, salt, and dehydrated lime juice

East and Southeast Asian

* Five-spice powder, a blend of cassia (Chinese cinnamon), star anise, cloves, and two other spices * , a Vietnamese blend * Shichimi, a mix of ground red chili pepper, Japanese pepper, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seed, hemp seed, ground ginger and nori

European

* Adobo, a mix of spices used in Spain and Latin America * Fines herbes, a French blend of

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

, chives, tarragon, and chervil for seasoning delicate dishes * Beau monde seasoning, salt, onion powder and celery powder - sometimes other ingredients * Garlic salt, a mixture of dried

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

and table salt * Herbes de Provence, a Provençal blend of thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil, bay leaf, and sometimes lavender * Khmeli suneli, a blend used in Georgia and the Caucasus region *

Lemon pepper Lemon pepper (also called lemon pepper seasoning) is a seasoning made from granulated lemon zest and cracked black peppercorns. The lemon zest is mashed with the pepper to allow the citrus oil to infuse into the pepper. This mix is then baked an ...

lemon zest Zest is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the rind of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor to foods. In terms of fruit anatomy, the zest is obtained from the fl ...

, cracked

black peppercorn Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diamet ...

s, salt, and spices * Mixed spice or pudding spice, a British blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and other spices *

Mulling spices Mulling spices is a spice mixture used in drink recipes. The spices are usually used to spice hot apple cider, mulled wine, glögg, wassail, hippocras and other drinks (such as juices) during autumn or winter. A "mulled" drink is a drink which has ...

, a European spice mixture of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and dried fruit *

Quatre épices Quatre épices is a spice mix used mainly in French cuisine, but can also be found in some Middle Eastern kitchens. Its name is French for "four spices"; it is considered the French allspice. The spice mix contains ground pepper (white, black, ...

, a French blend of ground pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger * Seasoned salt, a blend of table salt, herbs, spices, other flavourings * Sharena sol, a Bulgarian mixture of summer savoury, paprika and salt, with other optional ingredients * Vadouvan, French version of an Indian masala

Middle East and Africa

* Advieh, a spice mixture used in

Iranian cuisine Iranian cuisine () refers to the culinary practices of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 ( ...

and Mesopotamian cuisine * Afrinj, an Ethiopian blend that is milder than berbere or mitmita *

Baharat ( ar, بَهَارَات; 'spices') is a spice mixture or blend used in Middle Eastern cuisines. The mixture of finely ground spices is often used to season lamb and mutton, fish, chicken, beef, and soups, and may also be used as a condiment. ...

, used throughout the Middle East *

Berbere Berbere ( Oromo: ''Barbaree'', am, በርበሬ ''bärbäre'', ti, በርበረ ''bärbärä'') is a spice mixture whose constituent elements usually include chili peppers, coriander, garlic, ginger, Ethiopian holy basil (besobela) seeds, ''kora ...

, an Eritrean and Ethiopian blend * Hawaij, Yemenite ground spice mixtures used primarily for soups and coffee * Mitmita, an Ethiopian blend of African birdseye chili peppers, cardamom, cloves and salt * Ras el hanout, a Maghrebi blend that includes cinnamon and cumin among other spices * Yaji, a Hausa spice mix for traditional

suya Suya or tsire is traditional smoked spiced meat skewer which originates from Northern Nigeria, Hausa Land and is a popular food item across West Africa. Suya (also pronounced Soya) is a big part of Hausa culture and food and is historically prep ...

and

chichinga ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety ''T. cucumerina'' var. ''anguina'' raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the redd ...

kebabs in

sahelian The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...

West Africa. Made from cayenne, ginger, ground peanuts, dried onion, and chili * Za'atar, a Middle Eastern mix which is both an individual herb and a blend of that herb with sesame seeds and sometimes dried sumac

South Asian

* Bafat, used in Mangalorean cuisine * Chaat masala, ground spices used for flavouring chaat * Curry powder, A blend of spices like

coriander Coriander (;

, turmeric,

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

, and chili peppers popular in India with many variations * Garam masala, spice blend used in the Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent * Kaala masala, black spice blend used in the Indian subcontinent * Panch phoron, a five-spice blend of whole fenugreek, nigella, fennel, cumin, and mustard or radhuni seeds originating from the Indian subcontinent * Tandoori masala, spice blend originating from the Indian subcontinent for tandoor-cooked meats * Thunapaha, a spice blend of coriander, cumin and fennel seed used in Sri Lankan traditional cuisine

References

External links

* {{Authority control