“This Lamb Is On Fire” Kefta

Slightly savory, floral and woodsy, with a delicate quality. Its subtle flavor brings added authenticity to Mexican, Indian, and Southeast Asian dishes.

The source of cinnamon was kept secret until the 1500s, though folks had their guesses. Aristotle believed it was brought to the known world by giant birds, who used the spice to build their nests.

Warm and earthy, with a bit of sweetness and bitterness. Cumin has been used for millennia and forms the base of many spice blends (especially Indian!).

Similar to how the Western world keeps salt and pepper handy in shakers, cumin was a tabletop staple in ancient Greece—and still is in modern-day Morocco.

Made from pungent white onions, the flavor of this onion powder is more onion-y than actual onions, and adds a savory, sweet-and-sharp quality to otherwise ordinary dishes.

It’s not actually the onion itself that makes us cry when we get to chopping a fresh one—onions contain a high level of sulfurous oils that are only released when the flesh is cut.

A very bold mint that’s bright and sweet. Air dried by the Euphrates river in Turkey, this mint is far more crisp and fragrant than other dried varieties.

This mint is a variety of spearmint, or Mentha spicata. The other culinary mint, peppermint, is known to be mintier than spearmint, but not quite as cool.

This tangy, tart flavor has a lemon-like essence that lends a citrusy taste without the acidic bite. In some cultures, it’s used in place of vinegar or lemon juice.

There are more than 30 varieties of sumac throughout the world, including a strain that grows in Southern California known as “Lemonade Berry Sumac.” We’ll let you guess what they make with it.

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.