Pho Spiced Beef Shish Kebab

Potent and robust, with a slightly peppery flavor that lends bite and depth to savory dishes. Key to pho’s characteristic warm spice blend, it works well when paired with other strong flavors.

In ancient Rome, cinnamon was burned in funeral pyres. Famously awful emperor Nero torched a year’s supply when his second wife died. He just felt that terrible about having had her killed.

Strong, bitter, and yet somehow sweet, pungent Clove is the foundation of common warming spice blends, like pumpkin pie spice and speculoos spice blends.

Cloves are so flavorful that they changed the course of human history. Native to a small band of islands in Indonesia, cloves were a driving force in fueling the expeditions that lead to colonization.

A citrusy crispness with slight notes of lemon and a pungent aftertaste, Coriander is bright and fresh and adds a vibrant aromatic quality to dishes.

Cilantro and coriander are different parts of the same plant, Coriandrum sativum. This happy marriage has delighted palates for centuries—there are ancient Sanskrit and biblical references to both!

Savory and nutty, with notes of licorice and ginger. It’s one of the most important spices in Kashmiri Pandit and Gujarati cooking, and a key ingredient in Chinese Five-Spice.

During the Middle Ages, fennel was hung over doorways to repel evil spirits. It’s also one of the main herbs used to make absinthe—an alcoholic beverage that some have considered an “evil” spirit.

Slightly peppery and sweet, with a kick. Commonly found in savory Southeast Asian dishes, it’s also a favorite ingredient in British and American sweet treats.

The ginger we know and love today was carefully cultivated by humans, meaning it doesn’t naturally exist in the wild. To the Austronesians who originally domesticated it, we are forever grateful.

Harvested along India’s famed Malabar coast, this is “classic” pepper—but better. Its freshness and quality make it uniquely bright and bold, with just a touch of fruitiness.

The delineation of “Tellicherry Pepper” doesn’t refer to the pepper’s origin, but rather the size of the peppercorn. When a peppercorn measures 4.25 mm or larger, it ascends to Tellicherry status.