Herb and Spice Bible

Mexican chillies come in a range of varieties, from the mild to the spicy. Read on to find out more about the different types.

Incorporating various spices and herbs from around the world, Herbie created Balmain & Rozelle Spice Blend in honour of this diverse suburb.

PNG has a long history of growing chillies. We are proud to announce that two of these are now available, along with a very special ginger powder.

Want to learn more about spices, their history and how to use them? View Upcoming Events on our website to see where Ian ‘Herbie’ Hemphill is giving a Spice Appreciation Class or engaging audiences in Spice Conversations. If you are looking for a hands-on experience, this special Spice Essentials with Ian and Kate at The Essential Ingredient should not be missed. Some of the aspects Ian will cover in

Have you tried to find the botanical name of a herb or spice lately?   The Spice & Herb Bible 3rd Edition lists over 350 botanical names of various herbs and spices. To make it easy to find these, we have created a searchable PDF that shows: Every spice and herb in the Spice & Herb Bible 3rd Edition Botanical name/s as some plants

Herbie visited Pampore near Srinagar in Kashmir to see the first saffron flowers bloom in 2015 The famous Kashmiri Saffron is grown over many hectares in Pampore, not far from Srinagar in Kashmir. Click here to watch a video of Herbie's Experience Learn more about saffron and how to distinguish the real from the fake here.

Although exotically named, this wild harvested member of the cardamom family has enjoyed renewed awareness as followers of West African cuisine, and boutique gin producers, discover its true potential.   The economy of Sierra Leone, a major exporter of Grains of Paradise, was devastated during the last ebola epidemic. Therefore we were pleased to hear from our supplier who advised us: "We also out here are

Have you ever been confused by the variation between brands of cinnamon? When many consumers buy products labelled as cinnamon, they often seem to vary greatly. Why is this so?  The answer is that there are two different types of cinnamon, and many brands do not label them correctly. One is Sri Lankan or Ceylon Cinnamon and the other is Cassia (also known as Baker’s Cinnamon, Dutch Cinnamon or

Cardamom is featured in many recipes, however are you using the right one? Cardamom Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is the most common and we refer to it as your ‘default’ cardamom when a recipe simply calls for ‘cardamom’. Green cardamom is native to the mountain ranges of the south western Indian state of Kerala, known as the western ghats, (ghat being the name given to steep

These Australian grown dried herbs have to be experienced to be believed. There is a common misconception that dried herbs are inferior to fresh. The reality is that dried herbs are different to fresh. When a herb is dried correctly, the moisture content is greatly reduced, and the volatile oils that give these herbs their flavours are concentrated, and remain stable when exposed to

Confused already? You are not alone, as this particular spice (Pimenta dioica) has been causing confusion since the Spanish discovered it in the Americas around 500 years ago. Back in the 15th Century, pepper was a highly regarded and relatively valuable spice. When the Spanish bumped into the Americas, they were so desperate to find rare, sought-after spices, and the poor dears had been at sea

Sumac is one of the easiest to use and most agreeable of spices. Sumac trees (Rhus coriaria) grow wild in the Mediterranean region and are found in southern Italy and much of the Middle East, especially south-eastern Turkey and Iran. Sumac berries were used by the Romans, who referred to them as Syrian sumac. Lemons being unknown in Europe at that time, sumac was a

Saffron is the stigma (the female organ) of an autumn flowering crocus (Crocus sativus). The stamen is the male organ that holds pollen, and it has no use in cooking. Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, with a street value in excess of around A$20,000 per kilo. A double handful of saffron weighing about 1 kilo, will have been hand picked from 200,000 flowers