Cook's Thesaurus: European Spices

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European Spices

caraway seed Notes: These are widely used in Eastern Europe, especially for flavoring rye bread, cheeses, and sauerkraut. Toast them first over low heat in a frying pan for a few minutes to bring out the aroma. Substitutes: dill seed (milder) OR anise seed OR cumin seed

celery seed Notes:   Celery seed is used to impart a celery flavor to stews, pickles, and other dishes. Use it sparingly--a little goes a long way. Ground celery seed is sometimes called celery powder.   Substitutes: celery (One teaspoon = 2 tablespoons minced celery tops) OR dill seed OR celery salt (reduce the salt elsewhere in the recipe)

ginger = ground ginger = powdered ginger Notes: Recipes for baked goods often call for ground ginger. Don't confuse this with fresh ginger root, which is used mostly in Asian dishes. Substitutes: crystallized ginger (Substitute 1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger for every 1 teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. Rinse sugar off ginger first. This is an excellent substitution in many baked goods.) OR ginger root (Substitute 2 tablespoons grated ginger root for every teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. For best results, substitute only half the ground ginger in recipe with fresh ginger.) OR cardamom OR allspice OR cinnamon OR mace OR nutmeg

ground ginger See ginger.

Hungarian pepper See paprika.

juniper berries Pronunciation:   JEW-nih-per BEHR-eez   Notes:   This dark blue spice is used to make gin, and to flavor game and sauerkraut. Crush the berries before using. Substitutes: gin (This substitution works well in sauces that accompany game. Substitute one teaspoon gin for every two berries called for in the recipe.) OR equal parts crushed bay leaves and caraway seeds

lemon peel, dried To make your own: Take a lemon peel, scrape off and discard as much of the bitter white pith as possible, and dry what's left in the sun until hard. Substitutes: lemon zest (Fresh zest is often better than dried peel since it has more aromatic oil.)

nutmeg Notes:   Freshly grated whole nutmeg tastes far better than packaged ground nutmeg, and has a much longer shelf life. Substitutes: mace OR allspice OR cinnamon OR ginger

orange peel, dried To make your own: Take an orange peel, scrape off and discard as much of the bitter white pith as possible, and dry what's left in the sun until hard. Substitutes: orange zest (Fresh zest is often better than dried peel since it has more aromatic oil.)

paprika Notes:   Paprika is made from special kinds of sweet red peppers, which are dried and ground. Varieties include the highly regarded and sweet Hungarian paprika = rose paprika = sweet paprika = Hungarian pepper and the cheaper and more pungent Spanish paprika = Spanish pepper = pimentón = pimenton. Cookbooks that call for paprika are usually referring to Hungarian paprika. Substitutes: cayenne pepper (much hotter)

pimenton See paprika.

powdered ginger See ginger.

Spanish pepper See paprika.

Copyright © 1996-2005 Lori Alden

	caraway seed *Notes:* These are widely used in Eastern Europe, especially for flavoring rye bread, cheeses, and sauerkraut. Toast them first over low heat in a frying pan for a few minutes to bring out the aroma. Substitutes: dill seed (milder) OR anise seed OR cumin seed
	celery seed *Notes:* Celery seed is used to impart a celery flavor to stews, pickles, and other dishes. Use it sparingly--a little goes a long way. Ground celery seed is sometimes called celery powder. Substitutes: celery (One teaspoon = 2 tablespoons minced celery tops) OR dill seed OR celery salt (reduce the salt elsewhere in the recipe)
	ginger = ground ginger = powdered ginger Notes: Recipes for baked goods often call for ground ginger. Don't confuse this with fresh ginger root, which is used mostly in Asian dishes. Substitutes: crystallized ginger (Substitute 1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger for every 1 teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. Rinse sugar off ginger first. This is an excellent substitution in many baked goods.) OR ginger root (Substitute 2 tablespoons grated ginger root for every teaspoon ground ginger called for in recipe. For best results, substitute only half the ground ginger in recipe with fresh ginger.) OR cardamom OR allspice OR cinnamon OR mace OR nutmeg

	juniper berries Pronunciation: JEW-nih-per BEHR-eez Notes: This dark blue spice is used to make gin, and to flavor game and sauerkraut. Crush the berries before using. Substitutes: gin (This substitution works well in sauces that accompany game. Substitute one teaspoon gin for every two berries called for in the recipe.) OR equal parts crushed bay leaves and caraway seeds
	*lemon peel, dried To make your own:* Take a lemon peel, scrape off and discard as much of the bitter white pith as possible, and dry what's left in the sun until hard. *Substitutes:* lemon zest (Fresh zest is often better than dried peel since it has more aromatic oil.)

	nutmeg *Notes:* Freshly grated whole nutmeg tastes far better than packaged ground nutmeg, and has a much longer shelf life. *Substitutes:* mace OR allspice OR cinnamon OR ginger
	*orange peel, dried To make your own:* Take an orange peel, scrape off and discard as much of the bitter white pith as possible, and dry what's left in the sun until hard. *Substitutes:* orange zest (Fresh zest is often better than dried peel since it has more aromatic oil.)
	paprika Notes: Paprika is made from special kinds of sweet red peppers, which are dried and ground. Varieties include the highly regarded and sweet Hungarian paprika = rose paprika = sweet paprika = Hungarian pepper and the cheaper and more pungent Spanish paprika = Spanish pepper = pimentón = pimenton. Cookbooks that call for paprika are usually referring to Hungarian paprika. *Substitutes:* cayenne pepper (much hotter)