Spice, seasoning and flavour intelligence
Structured answers about spices, with the evidence attached. Every claim carries its grade — established fact, traditional practice, or our own judgement — and where we do not know something, we say so rather than filling the gap.
Spice profiles
“What is cumin, and what do I do with it?”
85 profiles covering botany, production, flavour, storage, buying, history and safety — each claim graded and sourced.
Pairings
“What spices go with pork?”
Ranked, explained pairings across 38 foods, with the cooking context and the caveats attached.
Substitutes
“What can I use instead of cumin?”
Ratios where they are defensible, and an explicit statement of where each swap fails — which is the part most sources leave out.
Blends
“What is actually in garam masala?”
36 blends recorded as attributed regional and commercial versions, because most of them have no single correct recipe.
Spices people confuse
Direct comparisons where the difference genuinely changes what you cook.
- Cinnamon (Ceylon) vs Cassia
- Nutmeg vs Mace
- Paprika vs Cayenne pepper
- Cumin vs Coriander seed
- Chilli flakes vs Chilli powder
- Jalapeño vs Chipotle
- Chilli powder vs Cayenne pepper
- Paprika vs Chilli powder
- Black pepper vs White pepper
- Cumin vs Caraway
- Aniseed vs Star anise
- Fennel seed vs Aniseed
- Sichuan pepper vs Black pepper
- Gochugaru vs Chilli flakes
- Taco seasoning vs Fajita seasoning
- Sumac vs Za'atar
- Cajun seasoning vs Creole seasoning
- Mixed spice vs Pumpkin spice
- Habanero vs Scotch bonnet
- Chipotle vs Ancho
- Kashmiri chilli vs Paprika
- Italian seasoning vs Herbes de Provence
- Ginger vs Galangal
- Nigella vs Black cumin
- Saffron vs Turmeric
- Ginger vs Turmeric
- Allspice vs Cloves
- Ancho vs Poblano
- Jalapeño vs Poblano
- Allspice vs Black pepper
- Habanero vs Jalapeño
- Cumin vs Fennel seed
- Gochugaru vs Paprika
- Cayenne pepper vs Chilli flakes
- Caraway vs Nigella
- Fennel seed vs Star anise
- Galangal vs Turmeric
- Allspice vs Juniper
- Mustard seed vs Nigella
- Aleppo pepper vs Paprika
- Black pepper vs Juniper
- Annatto vs Turmeric
- Chilli powder vs Kashmiri chilli
- Safflower vs Turmeric
- Annatto vs Saffron
- Safflower vs Saffron
- Pink peppercorn vs Sumac
- Sumac vs Za'atar herb
- Amchoor vs Sumac
- Ajwain vs Caraway
- Amchoor vs Tamarind
- Black pepper vs Pink peppercorn
- Juniper vs Pink peppercorn
- Black cumin vs Cumin
- Aleppo pepper vs Chilli flakes
- Black cardamom vs Green cardamom
- Pink peppercorn vs Sichuan pepper
- Celery seed vs Poppy seed
- Dried lime vs Sumac
- Black cumin vs Caraway
- Black pepper vs Long pepper
- Black pepper vs Grains of paradise
- Green cardamom vs Grains of paradise
- Garlic vs Onion
- Wasabi vs Horseradish
- Curry leaf vs Curry powder
- Wasabi vs Mustard seed
- Horseradish vs Mustard seed
- Carolina Reaper vs Habanero
- Carolina Reaper vs Ghost pepper
- Mastic vs Mahleb
- Green peppercorn vs Pink peppercorn
- Green peppercorn vs White pepper
- Dill seed vs Fennel seed
- Makrut lime leaf vs Lemongrass
- Green peppercorn vs Black pepper
- Dill seed vs Caraway
- Makrut lime leaf vs Curry leaf
- Ghost pepper vs Habanero
- Pasilla vs Ancho
- Pasilla vs Guajillo
- Bird's eye chilli vs Serrano
- MSG vs Salt
- Salt vs Black salt
- Serrano vs Jalapeño
- Guajillo vs Ancho
- Anardana vs Amchoor
- Anardana vs Sumac
- Kokum vs Tamarind
- Pandan vs Curry leaf
- Piment d'Espelette vs Paprika
- Piment d'Espelette vs Aleppo pepper
- Calabrian chilli vs Chilli flakes
- Liquorice root vs Star anise
- Tonka bean vs Vanilla
- Mulato vs Ancho
- Chile de árbol vs Guajillo
Tools
Spice quantity converter
Convert between teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, grams and ounces using a density figure specific to the spice and its form — because a teaspoon of saffron and a teaspoon of turmeric are not the same weight.
Blend scaler
Scale any recorded blend version from proportional parts to a target batch weight, keeping the proportions intact and saying plainly which ingredients have no recorded proportion.
Storage and freshness adviser
Check whether a spice is still worth using, from its form, its age and how it has been kept — with the mechanisms behind the answer and an explicit refusal to turn staleness into a safety verdict.
Chilli heat comparison
Compare chilli heat as overlapping bands rather than single numbers, with the reason each range is as wide as it is — and an explicit refusal to say one chilli is twice as hot as another.
How we handle evidence
Most of what is written about spices mixes botany, food chemistry, cultural tradition and personal preference without distinguishing them. SpiceHQ keeps them apart. A pairing recorded as culinary convention is labelled as convention; a coumarin intake figure is labelled as evidence and cites the opinion it comes from; a disputed historical claim stays disputed rather than being resolved for tidiness.