Middle Eastern Flavours

The signature spice of the famous chai tea, cardamom is sweet and aromatic with camphoric tones. This bright, complex flavour brings sophistication to cakes, biscuits, puddings, scrolls and French toast; curries and stews; rice dishes; stewed and preserved fruits; red meats; and drinks. This ground cardamom is milled from mature pods into a fine powder, offering a more concentrated flavour than the whole pod and ready to use straight from the jar.

The signature spice of the famous chai tea, cardamom is sweet and aromatic with camphoric tones. This bright, complex flavour brings sophistication to cakes, biscuits, puddings and scrolls; curries and stews; rice dishes; stewed and preserved fruits; red meats and milky beverages. This whole pod is picked while still immature, ideal for infusing whole into simmering curries and rice, or splitting open to release the seeds and their aromatic oils.

The signature spice of the famous chai tea, cardamom is sweet and aromatic with camphoric tones. This bright, complex flavour brings sophistication to cakes, biscuits, puddings and scrolls; curries and stews; rice dishes; stewed and preserved fruits; red meats; and milky beverages. These are the loose seeds removed from the pod, ready to add whole for a slow infusion or crush fresh for a more concentrated flavour.

Open a jar of our Cinnamon and once you smell the difference, you’ll realise that not all cinnamon is the same.
Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum - literally 'true cinnamon') is grown in Sri Lanka and has a sweeter, more floral and delicate character than anything you've likely used before. Our A Grade is the finest tier available, with a high essential oil content and an exceptional fragrance straight from the jar.
Subtly sweet and woody, cinnamon imparts a delicate warmth that melds and harmonises other flavours. It is beautiful used in baking, porridge and warm drinks, or added to savoury Moroccan and Indian dishes such as tagines and curries for a subtle, aromatic sweetness.

This wild and weedy perennial originated in Eastern Europe, where it still grows rampantly on road sides and in ditches. With anise-like characteristics, dill leaf is used to flavour pickles and preserves; garnish seafood, especially smoked salmon; and pep up white sauces.

While chillies are mostly used for their flavour and heat, paprika is used for its vibrant colour and full-bodied flavour. Also from the capsicum family, paprika is the name given to only slightly hot members. This paprika (also known as 'pimentón ahumado') is strongly smoked and neither sweet nor hot.

Sumac comes from the outer flesh of a berry that is harvested when crimson, from trees grown wild in the Mediterranean region. It is often found in southern Italy and much of the Middle East, and commonly used in Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. When used in cooking, sumac adds a tangy, lemony taste to salads, rice dishes and kebab meats.

By the time Marco Polo came across turmeric fingers in China, they had already spread throughout the world from their home in southern India. This batch is ground from the mature rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, grown in the Madras region. Earthy, warm and faintly bitter, turmeric lends its vivid orange golden to Indian curries, rice dishes and Middle Eastern cooking. Also known as: Alleppey Turmeric, Indian Saffron, Madras Turmeric.

The world's most expensive spice, saffron is the stigma plucked from the purple-flowered crocus. Each flower has only three stigmas, and a five-acre plot yields between 500 and 750g of this hand picked spice.

The world's most expensive spice, saffron is the stigma plucked from the purple-flowered crocus. Each flower has only three stigmas, and a five-acre plot yields between 500 and 750g of this hand-picked spice. This B-Grade saffron includes a touch more of the natural yellow style alongside the red stigma, giving it a slightly milder colour and flavour than A-Grade, at a more accessible price.

All parts of the coriander plant are edible, with the seeds releasing a lemony citrus flavour when ground. Coriander seeds complement both sweet and savoury foods and are often dry roasted to enhance and alter the aroma. Found in many different cuisines around the globe, the uses are plenty, from curries to pickling, and sausages to cakes. These whole seeds are best toasted and ground fresh, or left whole for pickling or infusing into slow-cooked dishes.

Rose petal powder is used extensively in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Persian and Turkish flavours. Used for its floral aroma, symbolism and decorativeness, rose petal powder was made popular in Australia by chef Yotam Ottolenghi with his beautiful rose harissa.

All parts of the coriander plant are edible, with the seeds releasing a lemony citrus flavour when ground. Coriander seeds complement both sweet and savoury foods and are often dry roasted to enhance and alter the aroma. Found in many different cuisines around the globe, the uses are plenty, from curries to pickling, and sausages to cakes.

Stick your nose into a sack of cloves and you will understand why ancient mariners claimed to smell the approach of the clove islands while still far out to sea. A terrific and much-used pungent addition to Christmas ham and baked goods, stewed and pickled fruit and vegetables, cakes, pastries and biscuits, German Glühwein (also known as mulled wine), and many North African spice blends. Also known as: Nelke, ting-hiang.

Use these nutty, crunchy and striking coloured seeds to lift Asian dishes and modern desserts. Coat meat or fish in sesame seeds before cooking for flavour, colour and crunch. Popping up in desserts like tuiles and macarons, ice creams and eclairs, cakes, panna cottas and doughnuts, black sesame is the new poppy seed!

Nigella or kalonji is the botanical name of the plant evocatively known as 'love-in-a-mist'. These small black seeds do not have a strong aroma; the taste is nutty, earthy and slightly bitter, with a crunchy texture. In India, whole seeds are dry roasted or fried and spread over vegetarian dishes and salads.