Top Five Spices For Fall Cooking

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Jackets aren’t your only defense against the chilly autumn air – seasonal foods and beverages can also offer warmth and comfort.

Familiar scents can evoke strong feelings.

The part of our brain that processes smells, also stores memories and emotions.

The scent and taste of fall spices can help you feel connected to past seasons, people, and events that you cherish.

Here are the Top Five Spices for Fall Cooking

1. Cinnamon.  It’s a classic spice that adds a bit of sharpness with its sweetness.  It’s popular in dessert dishes, and has many health benefits. Cinnamon contains antioxidants, helps to reduce inflammation, and can help less the risk of potentially serious issues like heart disease. Try my Apple Quesadillas or Oranges With Spiced Raisins.
2. Nutmeg.  This spice delivers warmth, fragrance, and slightly sweet flavors that works well in both sweet and savory dishes. While many spices work best in tandem with others, nutmeg’s flavor can be strong and complex enough to work well alone. Try my Pumpkin Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing.
3. Cloves pack a punch with a pungent flavor that offers sweetness and some bitter qualities. This spice gives a rewarding jolt of flavor to popular holiday dishes, including ham, gingerbread, and it’s a key spice in pumpkin pie.
4. Allspice is used in many Jamaican jerk seasonings, soups, and stews. And it can serve you well when you prepare lovely fall dishes. Many people think allspice is a blend of spices.  It’s not.  It’s the dried unripe berry of a tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America. Try my Apple Salad.
5. Ginger delivers a spicy kick to whatever you’re serving.  In it’s powered form, it’s great for baked goods.  Give fresh ginger a try in your savory dishes. Try my Gingerbread.

Using Familiar Spices In Exotic Dishes

Remember, these spices aren’t only for fall cooking.

They have long histories and can appear in dishes made around the world.

While you have these spices on hand, use them to try out recipes you’d like to add to your cooking repertoire!