Spice Blends: Around the World Again

I wrote my post Spice Blends: Around the World in 7 Days to inspire people to use a range of different spices in their food to help improve their health. Afterwards I realised that I had a whole lot more spice blends from different countries written in my little notebook so I decided to share these too – to go around the world again with spices.

One thing I learnt in my research around different spice blends is that, whilst they may be called names that are region-specific, they are usually much more personalised than that with every family having a slightly different version to suit their own tastes or what they have available. So don’t feel you have to stick slavishly to spice blend recipes, feel free to adjust them to suit your preferences and pantry supplies. If you want to use spice blends without making your own there are lots of great spice traders you can get them from too, such as Spice n Easy.

Quantities are given in parts so you can easily make as much or as little as you want – just use the same measure for each spice e.g. a tablespoon. You can start with whole spices and grind them (will be fresher and more flavourful) or use ground spices and blend them together well.

Old Bay Seasoning

Old Bay Seasoning was created in Maryland USA and is named after the Old Bay Line, a passenger ship line that plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in the early 1900s. It is primarily used to season crab and shrimp but can be used on anything you like. The actual recipe is proprietary but there are lots of substitute versions used.

3 parts Celery Seed
2 parts Paprika
2 parts Salt (reduce to taste)
1 part Mustard Powder
1 part Ginger
1/2 part Smoked Paprika
1/2 part Black Pepper
1/2 part White Pepper
1/4 part Chilli flakes
1/8 part Nutmeg
1/8 part Cinnamon
1/8 part Cardamom
1/8 part Allspice
1/16 part Cloves

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun cuisine is a blend of Native American, West African, Caribbean and French cooking styles.

8 parts Paprika
5 parts Salt (reduce to taste)
4 parts Garlic powder
2 parts Black Pepper
2 parts Onion powder
1 part Cayenne pepper (optional but won’t be spicy without it)
1 part Oregano
1 part Thyme

Creole Seasoning

Creole cuisine is a mixture of African, Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish cooking styles. It typically includes more herbs than Cajun seasoning.

5 parts Paprika
3 parts Salt (reduce to taste)
2 parts Onion powder
2 parts Garlic powder
2 parts Oregano
2 parts Basil
1 part Thyme
1 part Black Pepper
1 part White Pepper
1 part Cayenne Pepper

Jamaican Jerk Spice

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica, in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice.

6 parts Onion powder
3 parts Thyme
2 parts Allspice
2 parts Black Pepper
1/2 part Cinnamon
1/2 part Cayenne Pepper
1/2 part Salt
(Mix with 2 parts Vegetable Oil then rub onto meat)

Adobo Filipino Seasoning (Philippines)

Adobo is an indigenous Filipino stew that includes vinegar, garlic, salt/soy sauce, and spices. It has occasionally been considered the unofficial national dish in the Philippines.

3 parts Paprika
2 parts Black Pepper
1.5 parts Onion powder
1.5 parts Oregano
1.5 parts Cumin
1 part Garlic powder
1 part Chilli powder
Salt to taste

Advieh Seasoning (Iran)

Advieh means spice in the Persian language and it is a spice mixture used in Iranian cuisine. It is used in rice dishes, as well as in chicken and bean dishes. Great with rice pilaf or lentil soup. Try it on toast or porridge.

24 parts Cinnamon
6 parts Black Pepper
2 parts Nutmeg
2 parts Rose Petals
1 part Cumin
1 part Cardamom
1 part Ginger or Coriander

Harissa Powder (North Africa)

Harissa is a hot chilli pepper paste native to Northern Africa. UNESCO lists it as part of Tunisia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Harissa powder can be used as dry rub on meats or in tacos, tagines, curries etc.

Dried smoked chilli peppers of choice (recipe called for 10 peppers when parts were teaspoons)
6 parts Cumin Seeds
6 parts Coriander Seeds
6 parts Caraway Seeds
6 parts Smoked Paprika
1.5 parts Garlic powder
1 part Smoked Salt
1 part dried Parsley
1 part dried Oregano
0.5 part Peppercorns