A small guide to holiday spices

When you think of Christmas, what tastes and smells come to mind? Aromas of cinnamon and cloves combined in mulled wine or perhaps the enticing smell of fresh gingerbread from the oven? We bring you a short overview of your favorite holiday spices that can be used in a variety of sweet and savory recipes.

Ginger

Originally from Southeast Asia, ginger was widely used in ancient cultures as a medicine to treat various diseases and ailments. In the 1st century, it began to be cultivated in several countries and was brought to Europe. Today, ginger is most often consumed in case of stomach problems, but it is still most often used as a food in cooking. Along with holiday treats like gingerbread, ginger is served everywhere from sushi bars as a pickled side dish to Indian curries.

Ginger has a spicy and lemony taste. Dried ginger root or ginger powder is most often used in the preparation of savory dishes, and it is also popular in the preparation of cakes and biscuits such as gingerbread, traditional gingerbread men and cute gingerbread men biscuits, which are increasingly prevalent on holiday tables.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon was considered even more valuable than gold in some ancient cultures. Cinnamon has a long history and has led to many traders and sailors, including Christopher Columbus, sailing around the world in search of the source of this spice.

It is made from the inner bark of Cinnamomum verum trees, and grows in countries such as Sri Lanka and India. In addition to its flavor being useful in cooking, cinnamon was used in ancient times as a food that prevents the growth of bacteria on meat and because of its properties as a preservative.

Ceylon cinnamon provides a warm, sweet and woody aroma that is delicate yet intense. The taste is fragrant and warm with hints of citrus and cloves – what gives Ceylon its clove note is the presence of eugenol essential oil. Ceylon cinnamon goes well in all kinds of desserts and spiced breads and cakes because of its fine taste. It combines particularly well with chocolate and apples, bananas and pears.

Unlike Ceylon, cassia cinnamon has a more intense aroma due to a higher concentration of essential oil. Cassia is most often used in its entirety to flavor stewed dishes and sauces for meat and poultry - it goes well with duck or pork.

Cardamom and allspice

Cardamom is a sweet and spicy seed. It is especially popular as a spice for Christmas punch or mulled gin, and a small pinch of ground cardamom turns hot chocolate into a festive treat for your taste buds.

Cardamom provides a strong, juicy, fruity and natural aroma that enhances sweet and spicy flavors in savory and sweet dishes. Cardamom is good in baked apples, poached pears and fruit salads.

It is good in combination with orange and coffee in desserts, but it is equally good with roast duck or poached chicken, in marinades or spiced wine.

Dried unripe allspice berries have a strong and spicy flavor and are an indispensable component of the ever-popular gingerbread or ginger cookies.

Allspice has a pleasant warm, fragrant aroma. The name refers to the spicy taste reminiscent of a mixture of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Most of the flavor is in the berry skin itself. Whole allspice is most often used in pickling, while ground allspice is added to cakes, desserts or fruit pies. Allspice enhances the aroma of pineapples, plums, apples and black currants.

Nutmeg and cloves

Nutmeg is the fruit of the nutmeg tree, which is primarily found in tropical countries. Grenada used to be the main exporter of nutmeg, but today they are Guatemala, Indonesia and India.

Nutmeg has a strong, slightly nutty flavor. It shares a very similar rich and warm aroma with mace. Europeans use nutmeg widely in sweet and spicy dishes. It is most often added to cookies with honey, rich fruit cakes, fruit desserts and punches. It is good in combinations and in most dishes with eggs and cheese.

Clove, these dried buds of the clove tree offer a completely unique, very intense flavor. Gingerbread, pies and holiday hot drinks would be nothing without cloves. But be careful: use cloves with care as they can easily take over other flavors. They go equally well in salty and sweet dishes.

__________

Favorite hot alcoholic drinks with holiday spices

With the winter chill that sets in around the Christmas holidays, hot alcoholic beverage recipes can help make this season warmer and brighter. These warm drinks will warm your insides while you enjoy the warmth and joy of the holidays:

Mulled wine

Traditional German mulled wine (glühwein) contains cloves, allspice, star anise, cinnamon, coriander seeds and fresh orange – there's nothing more Christmassy than that.

Our recipe is slightly different from the traditional German one, but we believe that you will enjoy every sip.

Recipe: in 750 ml of wine (by choice), add 20-30 g of spice blend for mulled wine, 2 tbsp of brown sugar (more or less as desired), and cook at 60-70°C until it barely boils (make sure the alcohol does not evaporate), and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm with a fresh slice of orange.

_____

Glögg

The Swedish version of mulled wine is a favorite winter drink for many, along with mulled wine and punch. Glögg is served during the Christmas holidays in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, as it is sweet and spicy enough to warm anyone who enjoys it. For a complete impression, serve the drink with raisins and almond flakes.

Recipe: Bring a bottle of red wine, 2 cinnamon sticks, 9 whole cloves and a third of an orange peel to a boil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar (1 cup, or as desired), rum (120 ml) and two and a half tablespoons of brandy. Cook until it barely boils, then turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Serve the glögg in glass or ceramic cups and add a teaspoon of the mixture of raisins and almond leaves.

Indispensable cookies for the holiday table

We can agree that cookies are pretty much the best part of Christmas, right? Whether you're making them for dessert after a holiday meal, as a gift to loved ones, or simply to enjoy on a cozy warm Christmas night, there's always a reason to make cookies during the Christmas holidays.

Gingerbread men

Traditional soft and fluffy cookies with cinnamon and honey are a favorite family recipe, perfect to enjoy with your favorite tea and made entirely with ingredients you surely have in your pantry! We bring you a recipe to make your home smell like these small and sweet cookies.

Recipe: 60 g of butter and 150 g of honey must be melted. Add a tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of gingerbread spice, 200 g of sugar, 4 eggs and melted butter and honey to 700 g of plain flour.

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth, wrap it in transparent film and leave it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and cut out the gingerbread men with a cookie cutter. Place the gingerbread cookies on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving a distance of about 1 cm between each one.

Heat the oven to 180°C and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Store the gingerbread in a container with a lid to preserve its softness.

Tips for the icing

Chocolate glaze: 100 g of chocolate, 3 tablespoons of oil, a tablespoon of honey, 50 g of butter and a tablespoon of water. Melt all the ingredients in a steamer or microwave oven. Cool the frosting before decorating the gingerbread.

Lemon glaze: 200 g of powdered sugar and 5 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix sugar and lemon juice until you get a uniform mixture. Gradually add the lemon juice to the sugar.

(Recipe: Lidija Žugčić, Lonac & Koohacha)

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without our favorite treats - from gingerbread to mulled wine to delicious cookies - these treats wouldn't be as appealing without the right spices.

Christmas spices can be found in many dishes and desserts, and they all have one thing in common: they get us into the Christmas mood with their seductive smell and refined taste!