Herbs and Spices
Cardamom
Native to the south of India, cardamom has a culinary footprint that spans a wide region, from India to the Middle East to Scandinavia. Often called the "Queen of Spices," cardamom can be found in curries and chai, in breads and pastries, lending them its sweet nutty aroma and flavor.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon in its many forms has been in use for millennia, with earliest records of its imports to Egypt around 2000 BCE. A prized spice, it was seen as worthy to be gifted to royalty and even to the gods. For centuries, spice traders would not disclose the source of the cinnamon, to protect their monopoly. In one of Sappho’s poems, she speaks of cinnamon as a fragrance for a wedding.
True cinnamon, or Ceylon cinnamon, is native in and near the Indian subcontinent. Much of what we call cinnamon today is more accurately called cassia, with varieties from Indonesia, China, and Vietnam.
Cloves
Tiny flower buds from an Indonesian evergreen, cloves have become popular for their bold flavor, warm tones, and sweet, spicy aroma. They can add depth and flavor to foods from around the world, working in baked goods, meat rubs, and hot drinks to give them a unique culinary note.
Coffee Beans
When Kaldi the goat herder noticed his goats acting strangely, dancing and frolicking, he watched them and saw them eating from a particular bush. After waiting to be sure there were no ill effects, he tried some of the red berries to see if it would give him the same happy feeling. When it did, he brought the cherries to a monastery and shared them with the local priest.
The Ethiopian legend may be embellished, but for centuries people have brewed coffee from those berries for that same happy feeling. While coffee originated in Ethiopia and moved with the Sufi monks into Yemen, it is now drunk the whole world over.
Coriander
Coriander, whose leaves are the herb cilantro, has a wide native range, growing over a huge area of Western Asia and Southern Europe. Desiccated coriander was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen, and in the archeological site Atlit Lam in Israel which has been radiocarbon dated to around 6000 BCE. The entire plant is edible, but it is the leaves and seeds which are most often used.
In India, coriander seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten as a snack. They are a major component of garam masala, and used in many curries. Outside of Asia, perhaps the most recognizable use of coriander seeds is in pickling. They are sometimes found in sausages, and are an important botanical in many gins.
Cumin
Cumin has been used as a spice for thousands of years, and each place has its own uses for it. The Egyptians used it as a preservative for mummification. Wild cumin seeds were found in the submerged city of Atlit-Yam, from eight or nine thousand years ago. It was part of palace stores in the Minoan period, and the ancient Greeks kept it tableside the way modern tables might keep pepper.
It is a major component of Indian, Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Latin American culinary traditions. Its earthy flavor gives a warming, aromatic note to food.