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Christmas spices

christmas-spices Christmas spices

Christmas is fast approaching and delicious scents are already wafting from the kitchen: gingerbread, Christmas shortbread, mulled wine… During the end-of-year celebrations, spices make their mark on the plate as well as in the decoration, but do you know what Christmas spices are? Where does this gourmet tradition come from? 🤔 Close-up on Christmas spices from yesterday and today.

Christmas spices: where do they come from?

Already widespread in Europe since Roman times, spices took on their full glory during the Middle Ages, when they were brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusaders. It is indeed in the Middle East that the Silk Road and the maritime spice route meet to bring together all spices from the Orient and India. Pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves... Failing to bring back the Holy Grail, the Crusaders will bring back the spices!

At that time, the monks were already using spices for their medicinal, even magical virtues ✨. After the Crusades, they constitute a currency which is exchanged at a golden price (the word cash 💸 comes from the word spices) and they become a precious delicacy that every lord must have at his table... But as it was a sign of great wealth, we tended to abuse it to impress our friends, hence a certain "cacophony of taste"...

It was only at the end of the Middle Ages in Germany and the countries of the North that spices finally find their gourmet use at Christmas. The monks (again them!) used them to prepare a gingerbread during Advent, as well as the famous stollen, this spiced bread with dried and candied fruits that will reach France via Alsace. They will be accompanied by a string of German and Scandinavian sweets consumed at the Nativity: cinnamon stars, bredele, speculoos… The tradition of spicy dishes at Christmas was born.

5 spices that smell like Christmas

Among these gourmet spices, some are particularly associated with the holiday season and traditional Christmas specialities: gingerbread and mulled wine.

Cinnamon

It's the queen of Christmas spices! The best comes from Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Its warm and sweet flavor dominates mulled wine, gingerbread and delicious Christmas stars that hang on the tree 🎄. Essential of hot chocolate that we taste by the fire, we use it in the kitchen as well as to decorate and perfume the house.

star anise

Also called star anise or green anise, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful of spices, hence its frequent use in Christmas decorations. Its characteristic flavor flavors Christmas cookies in the Nordic countries. It goes wonderfully with and decorates fish and shellfish.

The Nutmeg

A powerful spice with a warm and resinous flavor, it is also part of the four-spice mixture which decorates gingerbread and hot wine. Indispensable in bechamel sauce, it is used more in savory dishes: gratin dauphinois, mashed potatoes and of course Christmas poultry.

Clove

This spice with a very powerful taste is used in small doses to spice up speculoos, foie gras and other holiday poultry. Ideal in winter casseroles, it is inseparable from apples of amber, those oranges studded with cloves that embalm the house at Christmas.

Ginger

Its lemony and slightly peppery taste is a great holiday classic. If we use it more in savory dishes such as seafood, guinea fowl or duck, it is the traditional spice of Eastern European delicacies, especially Christmas shortbread.

Other Christmas spices

Other spices, more or less unusual, are part of Christmas spices. Some even take up tradition with panache!

Vanilla

Just like cinnamon, vanilla is a must during the holidays. Its intoxicating flavor turns any dish into a delight. It sublimates Christmas shortbread and hot chocolates, and deliciously seasons seafood, especially scallops 👌.

Cardamom

Fresh and lemony, cardamom is the flagship spice of Scandinavian desserts (biscuits, muffins, ice cream). It also enters into the composition of the stollen German. Its subtle notes of mint and resin warm up hot chocolates ☕ as well as meats and curries.

The tonka bean

Disconcerting, the tonka bean is particularly intense and can be used in very small doses. Its warm and captivating notes blend bitter almond, vanilla, chocolate and tobacco with subtlety. It will replace vanilla for original Christmas desserts.

Sichuan pepper

This fake pepper has an unexpected citrus flavor that is particularly suitable for festive dishes. Delicious with duck breast, fish or scallops, it will also sublimate a chocolate Christmas log or an exotic fruit mousse.

Espelette pepper

If it seems unusual among Christmas spices, Espelette pepper works wonders with festive dishes. Fruity, smoky, hot without being spicy, this sweet pepper enhances everything it seasons, especially foie gras, game, pike dumplings and a delicious chocolate fondant with chestnut cream. 😋

Find all the flavors of the holidays in the Quai Sud Christmas box.

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