Mediterranean Spices

Elevate your meals with vibrant Mediterranean flavors and stock your pantry with these essential spices. Here, you'll find a comprehensive list of the Mediterranean's most beloved seasonings.

Mediterranean spices is one of the best ways to make healthy and flavorful meals and a staple in a well stocked kitchen. Even if you are just starting out eating Mediterranean, starting with a handful of spices will lead to some delicious meals.

The beautiful thing about Mediterranean cooking, is the emphasis on fresh produce, healthy fats, bright flavors and the beautiful use of spices!

Most of these spices can be found at your local grocer and the more hard to find ones, usually easily ordered online.

Mediterranean Spices

Below is a list of the most used Mediterranean spices and what to expect with each one. Have fun trying new spices and experimenting with them in your recipes.

Allspice: Many people think it is a mixture of “all the spices”, but contrary, it is just one spice made from dried berries from the Pimenta dioica plant. Allspice produces a beautiful warm note to both sweet and savory dishes and compliments other warm spices, such as cinnamon

Cardamom: Cardamom has an alluring fragrant note and is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Cardamom comes from the ginger family and is known to aid in digestion and is used to freshen breath and overall oral health.

Add a sprinkle of cardamom to this easy apple cake.

To use the dried green cardamom pods, gently smash them and use the pods to steep a syrup or other liquid. You can also use a mortar and pestle to make freshly ground cardamom. However, ground cardamom is used in most recipes

Cinnamon: Cinnamon pairs very well with fall produce, such as apples, figs and root vegetables, as well as savory dishes with meat or chicken. Though, a little goes a long way and you’ll never want to use more than a teaspoon in most savory recipes. Cinnamon sticks are perfect for steeping in both sweet and savory dishes.

Cumin: Cumin is one of the most popular spices in the world. Used in cuisines all over the globe, it’s just as versatile to sprinkle on meats, such as chicken shawarma skewers, rubbed on vegetables and perfect to use in creative spice blends

Dried Mint: Potent and bright, you can find dried mint online and in Internaltional grocery stores. Add dried mint to Turkish lentil soup or as a substitute for fresh mint in tzatziki.

Herbes de Provence: The blend of herbes usually includes a combination of dried rosemary, thyme, tarragon, marjoram and oregano.

Garlic Powder: Garlic powder has a strong dried garlic flavor and is perfect to use in soups, stews and sprinkled over roasted vegetables.

Paprika: Paprika is a ground spice coming from capcicum peppers. Paprika ranges in flavor profile as well as heat, coming in both a sweet and my ultimate favorite, smoky paprika. Paprika has a warm flavor and beautiful deep red color.

Saffron: One of the most expensive spies in the world, Saffron is harvested from the crocus flower making it incredibly rare and unique. To use saffron in dishes, you can do a number of things.

Take a small pinch and allow saffrom to bloom in a few tablespoons of warm water, then use that as your flavor agent. You can also take the saffron threads and grind them into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle

Sumac: A sour tart and citrusy spice, sumac is one of the distinctive ingredients in za'atar. Coming from the sumac bush which is native to the Middle East, the berries that are produced, are then dried and ground creating sumac spice.

Sumac is a great option if you dont have fresh citrus. Add a sprinkle to vinaigrettes or on top of salads.

Turmeric: Also known as the “poor man's saffron”, turmeric has been dated back nearly 4000 years. Used to color clothing, makeup and of course food. Turmeric has an earthy flavor and can be added to just about any recipe including soups, as a spice rub for proteins and vegetables and even added to drinks.

Za'atar: A blend of spices including thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds, though there are different varieties available. za'atar has an addictive and earthy flavor and is versatile enough to garnish dishes,  sprinkle on breads, marinated meats, roasted potatoes and added to salad dressings.