Spice is the Variety of Life.

What 5 spice jars do YOU choose most often?A couple of weeks ago I posed a question to some of my cooking friends.
I asked them which 5 spice jars they tended to grab most often when cooking at home, not including salt or pepper. I noticed there were a few dried seasonings that came up often.

Then I asked the same question on my facebook page, and noticed there were similarities.

I followed up by posing the question on the Discuss Cooking forum.
Once again, a certain group of spices kept bobbing their heads at the top, like the hungry Koi fish at my local nursery.

Before you read on, take a moment and think about which 5 jars you seem to gravitate toward most often, and see if your tastebuds match those in the survey.

Number 5: The Flavor of the Holidays: Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the harvested bark from the evergreen Chinese Cassia. It’s also one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese culture. However, in my world, it is that scent that reminds you the Autumn is around the corner, and Christmas isn’t far behind. What would Apple Pie be, without this amazing aromatic? The spicy-sweet taste is often paired with pork, especially holiday hams. It’s so perfect when brewed in a cup of coffee, and of course, it is what makes a Snickerdoodle…well, a Snickerdoodle!

Number 4: Give Me Some Thyme To Think About It

Thyme is one of those flavors that tends to go so well in soups, stews, and sauces.  It’s also a perfect choice when roasting chicken and turkey. I particularly like to use butter between the skin and the breast meat and then sprinkle in a good amount of thyme and lemon.  I also love sauteéing cubed root vegetables and throwing a few pinches of thyme into the extra virgin olive oil they’re cooking in. It makes the entire kitchen smell heavenly! Now if I could only figure out what to do with the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and…. oh nevermind…

Number 3: It’s Oregano…Now Fuggedaboutit

Close your eyes and think about a good New York Style Pizza. Now visualize the baked ziti, the manicotti, and of course, the lasagna. What is the common denominator in spice? Oregano. It’s a staple in my house, since I love italian food with all my heart.  Well, that, and my Chicken Scampi recipe calls for nearly ¼ cup of this spice. (*Remind me to give you that recipe – you will love it!) I recently heard that Oregano hasn’t always been a big favorite in America. It seems that our soldiers who were stationed in Italy during WWII got quite a taste of it when overseas and the love of this herb grew by leaps and bounds. I can just imagine them taking their first bite of real Italian food. Wow! Of course it’s also used often in Mexican food, but that one is coming up next…

Number 2:  The Staple of Mexican Cooking: Cumin

I’m going to be completely honest with you. I love all spices…exept cumin. That said, by this survey, most people adore this flavor! Best when it’s toasted in a dry pan, and then chopped a bit to release it’s aromatics, you’ll find cumin as the centerpiece to many a mexican dish. It’s often basking in the sauces of carnitas tacos, burritos, and it even shows up now and then in creamy guacamole. The flavors of India wouldn’t be complete without Cumin as well, especially curries. As a matter of fact, if you pick up a curry spice jar, you’re most likely to find Cumin as one of the headlining ingredients. If you love Cumin, please make sure to post your favorite way to savor the taste in the comments section at the bottom of this page. Perhaps you’ll change my mind and help me fall in love with the flavor.

Number 1: Say It With Me (and Emeril): Gaaahlic. Garlic Powder, That Is.

Garlic Powder won this survey by an absolute landslide. And why not? It is such an easy way to incorporate a deep, rich taste into so many different foods. Perhaps because it is a part of so many different cultures, we Americans tend to use it daily. Of course, it’s the powdered form of the Garlic clove, which is one of the greatest tastes on earth in my opinion =0)
A French dish with garlic and buttered, roasted chicken is hard to beat, as it a lemon-garlic Greek chicken with olives.

Since Garlic Powder won out, I’ve decided we also get to talk about its originator, the head of garlic: One of my favorite treats is to take a whole head of garlic, chop off just the top of it to expose a bit of the garlic between the papery skin, and then drizzle good extra virgin olive oil over it, and roast it until it’s completely soft. Once you take it out of the oven, you have the most delicious spreadable topping, perfect for a loaf of crusty french bread.

Whether they’re sweet, hot, bitter, mild, or intense, these tiny little specks have made it so easy for people to experiment in the kitchen.

Monkey Chatter:

I enjoyed quite a few of the comments that ensued from the survey.
Here are a few:

• “One of my favorites is an oregano/basil/sun-dried tomato blend that I don’t remember where I got, but will cry when I run out!” -Susan (from this post)
• “Have trouble grabbing paprika without thinking of Blues Clues” -David
• “It was easy for me to pick the top three or four as I just thought of which jar constantly needs refilled” -pacanis
• “Herbs de provence: Isn’t that a bit like sneaking in 6-8 of your favorite herbs, and getting to count them as just one?” 😉 -vituata
• And of course, there’s always one out there: Zagut, who had a write-in for Bacon.

Here again are the Spice Jar finalists. Would you agree?

I would love to hear your opinion: What are YOUR top five?