Prairie Fare: Add some spice to your menus

“How long can you keep spices?” a woman asked me.

I was presenting a workshop about food safety.

“Spices do not become unsafe, but they lose their flavor. How long have you had your spices?” I asked.

“I received them for our wedding,” she responded.

I noted a bit of a grin on her face, so I asked the next obvious question.

“How long have you been married?” I asked.

“It’s been over 40 years.”

That response got a big laugh from the audience.

Most of us have spices beyond their prime. To retain their quality, store them in a cool, dry and dark place. Most sources say to use them within two to three years, but label them with the date you opened them. Whole spices such as cloves last longer than ground spices.

As spices age, the essential oils and other compounds degrade. Do the “sniff test” with your spices. If the aroma is weak, add more. If you do not smell anything, you may want to refresh your spice cabinet and buy a smaller amount next time.

The use of spices dates back thousands of years. They were widely used in Egypt, China and India in food preparation, preservation, religious and medicinal purposes.

Early explorers were sent throughout the world to find spices for the spice trade. Spice traders became very wealthy because the cargo was almost as valuable as precious metals.

Early people did not have refrigerators and freezers, so spices became a way of disguising the flavor of food beyond its prime.

Spices can be from seeds, stems, leaves, bark, flowers and roots of plants, while herbs are from non-woody plants. Spices can be mild or hot.

Can you name a spice derived from a seed? If you are thinking of pepper, cardamom, coriander (the seed form of cilantro), cumin, dill, mustard or vanilla, you are correct. Many more seed-based spices are available.

Can you name a spice derived from the dried inner bark of a tree? Flavor-enhancing cinnamon is derived from an evergreen tree. If you have a sweet tooth, try putting a pinch of cinnamon in your coffee or tea.

Cloves, by the way, are a flower bud from a type of evergreen tree.

Spices can enhance the nutritional value of food, because have almost no calories. Spices allow us to reduce the amount of added salt, sugar and fat in some recipes.

Having a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder can release the pungent aromas from whole spices. Black pepper is the most popular spice. Consider investing in a pepper grinder or try the spices with the built-in grinder.

What if you have a lot of spices in your cupboard but are not sure how to use them? Cuisine throughout the world uses different spices.

Explore some recipes in the coming year or make your own spice blends. Check out NDSU Extension’s “This article was originally published by Julie Garden-Robinson at NDSU Extension Service.