Spice Pairings

This matrix  provides you a quick glance at spices, recommended pairings, sample recipes, and health benefits.
Click the spice image in the first column for 101 introduction about the spice.

Spice 101	Pair well with	Complement with	Recipes	Health Benefits
Allspice	Bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, ginger, juniper, mustard seed, paprika, turmeric	Root vegetables, spinach, meat and vegetable soups, roast meats, gravies, marinades and sauces, seafood, especially shellfish, pickles, relishes and preserves, cakes, pies and biscuits	Allspice recipes	High blood pressure Menopause
Cardamom	Allspice, chili, cinnamon, coriander seed, cumin, ginger, green cardamom, mustard, paprika, pepper, star anise, turmeric	Marinades for roast meats, butter chicken, Chinese master stocks, Asian soups	Cardamom recipes	Asthma Blood clots Colon cancer Blood pressure Indigestion Ulcer
Cinnamon	Allspice, Cardamom, Chili, Clove, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Nutmeg, Star anise, Tamarind, Turmeric	Apple, Bananas, Oranges, Baked or stewed fruits Curries, Califlower, Preserved lemons, Pickles Chicken, Lamb Cakes, Pastries Hot drinks such as chai tea, Cocoa	Cinnamon recipes	Manage Diabetes Type 2 Balance blood sugar Lower Cholesterol Improve metabolic syndrome Insulin Resistance Relieve yeast infection
Clove	Allspice, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Nutmeg, Star anise, Tamarind, Turmeric	Apples, Oranges, Lemon Beets, Red cabbage, Onions, Pumpkin, Pickles Ham, Pork, Game Chocolate, Mulled wine	Clove recipes	Relieve Toothache Treat gum disease Fight ulcers and herpes Slow blood clotting
Coriander Seed	Allspice, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, pepper.	Apples, citrus fruit, potatoes, mushrooms, pepper, vegetables, lentils, poultry, pork, fish, stew, curries, harissa, tabil, dukka, masalas.	Coriander seed recipes	Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Indigestion Liver Function Cholesterol Yeast Infection
Cumin	Allspice, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seed, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, ginger, mustard, paprika, tamarind, turmeric	Indian curries and practically all Asian red curries, chicken and seafood dishes, rice and vegetable dishes, breads, Mexican sauces	Cumin recipes	Cancer Type 2 Diabetes Epilepsy Osteoporosis
Garlic	Ajowan, bay leaves, caraway, chives, coriander, fennel seeds, mustard, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, mint	Practically every savory dish	Garlic recipes	Aging Hair loss Blood clots Cancer High total cholesterol, high triglycerides Diabetes, type 2 Heart disease High blood pressure Stroke
Ginger	Allspice, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, lemongrass, paprika, star anise, turmeric	Cakes, pastries and biscuits, pumpkin scones, baked pumpkin, curries, Asian stir-fries, red meats, seafood	Ginger recipes	Arthritis Asthma Cancer Cholesterol problems Heart attack Heartburn Indigestion Migraine Stroke
Mustard Seed	Allspice, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek seed, ginger, nigella, paprika, pepper, star anise, tamarind, turmeric	Pickles, Indian curries, salad dressings, spiced vinegars, curry powders, pickling spices, meat seasonings	Mustard Seed recipes	Prostate Cancer Cholesterol problems Diabetes, type 2 Heart disease Insulin resistance
Nutmeg	Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger	Pumpkin, potato, spinach, cheese sauce, milk and rice puddings, sweet spicy cakes, biscuits	Nutmeg recipes	Anxiety, Depression Cancer Cholesterol Epilepsy Memory loss
Sesame Seed	Allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, sumac, thyme	Breads, biscuits, salads	Sesame Seed recipes	Alzheimer's disease Cancer Cholesterol Heart disease High blood pressure
Turmeric	Allspice, caraway, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mustard, paprika, parsley, tamarind, mint	Asian and Indian curries, Moroccan tagines, stir-fried chicken, seafood and vegetables, pickles, sauces, rich dishes	Turmeric recipes	Skin – Acne, eczema, psoriasis, Alzheimer’s disease Arthritis Asthma Cancer Cholesterol problems Depression Diabetes, type 2 Gout Gum disease Heart disease High blood pressure Liver disease Overweight Parkinson’s disease Stroke