by Catalogs.com Info Guru Terri Wallace

A culinary adventure is no farther away than your spice rack.

By adding a few simple spice blends to your repertoire, you can consume regional fare from around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your kitchen. Try adding some spice to your life with some of these herb blends.

10. Tandoori Masala

Tandoori seasoning is a type of curry style blend that is created by mixing coriander, cumin, smoked sweet paprika, turmeric, garlic, Guajillo chiles, ginger, charnushka, both black and green cardamom, black pepper, cloves, mace, cinnamon, and Turkish bay leaves. It is used in traditional north Indian and Pakistani cooking.

9. Tunisian Five Spices

Qâlat daqqa (also known as Tunisian Five Spices) is a spice blend that originates from the North African nation of Tunisia. Used to spice a variety of meat and vegetable dishes, it is comprised of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, peppercorns, and grains of paradise mixed and ground to a fine powder.

8. Panch phoron

Panch phoron is unique in that it uses whole seeds rather than ground spices. This blend is frequently found in cuisine from Bangladesh, Eastern India and Southern Nepal. The name literally means “five spices,” which refers to the equal parts of fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed used in the blend.

7. Garam masala

There are many different compositions of garam masala, depending on the region, and this India staple also varies according to personal taste. The various spices are toasted and then ground together. A typical version of this spice mix consists of black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, black and green cardamom pods, and bay leaf.

6. Mixed Spice

The British blend known as “mixed spice” is also called “pudding spice,” and it is similar to the pumpkin pie spice used in the United States. The dominate flavor of mixed spice is the warmth of ground cinnamon. Cloves, ginger, coriander, caraway, and cayenne pepper round out this warm and earthy blend.

5. Chili Powder Blend

Chili powder is made from dried and ground chili peppers and other spices, including cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. The potency of the added spices affects the spiciness of the chili powder blend, which can range from gentle warmth to overpowering heat.

4. Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs that heralds from the Provence region of France. These herb blends can contain a variety of herbs, but savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender leaves are common additions. However, the addition of lavender was not used in traditional southern French cooking, but is commonly added for the blends sold to the American consumer.

3. Italian Herb Mix

Italian Herb Mix or “Italian Seasoning” is a blend of ground spices that can be used to flavor many Italian recipes. The primary components of this blend are basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. However, garlic powder, sage, and cilantro are frequent additions to this popular herb blend.

2. Shichimi togarashi

Shichimi tōgarashi (often referred to simply as “shichimi”) is a common Japanese spice mixture. This blend often contains ground red chili pepper, ground sanshō, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, hemp seed, ground ginger, and nori. The blend can be used in soups and on noodles.

1. Seasoned Salt

Seasoned salt is a blend of table salt, herbs, spices, other flavorings. Some common ingredients added to table salt to create this popular spice blend are: black pepper, celery seed, chili powder, garlic powder, marjoram, mustard seed, onion powder, oregano, paprika, sugar, turmeric, thyme.