Asia and the Mediterranean have been reaping the health benefits of incorporating spices into their diets for generations. Turmeric’s capability of rivalling anti-inflammatory drugs to cumin’s ability to help people maintain their iron levels, it's no wonder they are so popular around the world. ...

You might be wrapping yourselves in a warm blanket with a nice cup of hot chocolate right about now and, with the Christmas festivities coming in close around the corner I wouldn’t blame you! With the anticipation of gifts and roast dinners, winter is also an excuse to order Starbuck’s ...

Nigella seeds or black cumin (Nigella sativa) are an anciently known, old spice, they were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the Old Testament Bible mentioned them too! Nigella seeds come from the Ranunculaceae plant family and is native to South and Southwest Asia. These black seeds have a peppery, ...

Spices are often the food stuffs that get tucked away at the back of your cupboard primed and ready for that rare day when you are preparing a curry from scratch. Cumin is one of those amazing little ingredients that people just forget about but there is a lot of surprising goodness in eating a ...

Lion's mane mushroom, or the bearded hedgehog, is a medicinal, parasitic fungus found in North America, China, Japan and Europe. With the most common species being Hericium erinaceus, this mushroom comes under the 'nootropic' (i.e., smart drug and cognitive accelerator) group of foods having been ...

Perilla (aka, shiso, beefsteak plant, Chinese basil and purple mint) originally came from China until migrating to Japan in the 8th century, Perilla quickly became one of the essential spices to the Asian palate. Before being used in cooking, it was originally used as fuel for oil lamps, but this ...

Native to the Mediterranean region and one of the most commonly found herbs on the spice rack, Rosemary is probably one of the most popular herbs on the planet. It has a welcoming, homely aroma and provides a lovely, subtle taste to almost any dish. But, did you know that it can also be used to ...

The often forgotten half of the classic salt and pepper pairing, black pepper has some impressive health benefits. Originating in India, a peppercorn is actually a dried fruit from the black pepper plant, and is sold either in peppercorn form or ground down into a powder. As the world’s most traded ...

Cumin is a small seed, ridged and yellow-brown in colour and has been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes throughout the world.  Although it is a seed native to Egypt, it has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Middle East, India, China and Mediterranean countries. Its unique ...

Saffron, otherwise known as ‘Kesar’ in Hindi is a prized condiment and by far the most  expensive spice in the world.  It is native to Southern Europe's Crocus sativus plant and renowned globally for its culinary and medicinal characteristics. Its distinct flavour comes from its innate chemical ...