Altes Gewurzamt - Ingo Holland - Individual spices

Ingo Holland

If possible, buy individual spices unground and purchase mills and mortars.

Take a close look at your spice retailer. If you have gained trust, then stay with him. He will thank you with good advice and excellent quality.

Whether you buy spices at markets is up to you. However, the spices there are usually sold loose and are packed and unpacked every day. And: You are a customer who is here today and gone again tomorrow. So there is no reason to offer the best quality.

Check out the ingredients list for the spice blends. Does it contain salt? Which one, how much? Salt has no place in a curry, just like in all other classics. Salt is often used as an extender because it is cheap and allows the flavor to linger on the palate longer.

No industrially produced cheap spices. Quality also has to do with quantity. A product produced in large quantities can never achieve the same quality as one produced in small quantities. The time factor also plays a role: slow drying is much better for color and aroma, but also more complex and therefore more expensive.

Never buy spices in clear packaging. Even if it looks beautiful, you won`t be able to enjoy the bright colors for long because light destroys the color pigments in the spices.


Excerpt from the book Spices by Ingo Holland.