Spices

We are proud to offer the complete line of spices from Vanns Spices Ltd. “Hands down, Vanns is the best spice company in the U.S.A.”, says Jesse Sartain, Nutritional Director of Chefs in America and Chairman of the American Tasting Institute in San Francisco, California. “Vanns offers more than 300 of the richest, purest and freshest herbs and spices you’ll ever taste, and that doesn’t include 80 spice and herb blends.”

We know the discriminating chef will appreciate spices that have no preservatives, fillers, MSG, or salt. Vann’s products are packaged and shipped to customers within 90 days of harvest – you can see the color freshness inside the clear glass bottles, and just wait until you sample the aromas!

SPICES AND HERBS
(This information courtesy of Vanns Spices)

Superior Quality
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First Choice of Culinary Experts Worldwide
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No Preservatives or Additives
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No Irradiation – No Chemicals
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ALLSPICE - is the only spice originating in the New World and probably introduced to Europe by Columbus, has a flavor suggesting a blend of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Vanns' allspice comes from Jamaica known for its superior quality and plentiful crop. Although the spice is smaller than others grown in different parts of the world, the flavor is richer.
Allspice now grows in many parts of the world, and we occasionally buy it from Indonesia, where it grows big and round, but is less flavorful. We use it only when the look is as important as flavor.
Allspice is used in soups, stews, pot roasts, meat marinades, and pickling. It gives a warm flavor to cakes, cookies, jams and fruit pies.

BASIL - should have a rich sweet taste with a fragrant aroma. Usually we buy from Egypt, however, a better crop can sometimes be found in other parts of the Mediterranean and we always buy the best. Like grapes, the climate affects basil's taste and aroma. It is amazing to me that the same variety of basil will have different flavors, depending upon which part of the world it is grown. I grow basil in my backyard, but when dried it has no flavor.
There are over 40 different types of basil from which to choose. Sweet basil is the main variety used for culinary purposes and has the finest flavor. Basil is a natural accompaniment to tomato recipes, and in preparing soups, vegetables, eggs, cheese, sauces, meats, fish and pizzas. It is the primary ingredient in pesto sauce, and a must for all cooking enthusiasts.

BAY LEAVES - is a product which separates Vanns from other spice companies. U.S. spice companies have switched to an American Bay Laurel, which has a prettier, slimmer leaf and is easier to bottle. However, it has a marked phenolic odor and little flavor. Vanns buys genuine Turkish bay which is fragrantly sweet with a lemon clove like taste. To obtain that deep rich flavor found in European food, our bay leaves are a must.
Bay is used in soups, stews, pickles, seafood, pot roasts, game, and in water when cooking vegetables. The flavor is strengthened with the length of cooking time.

CARAWAY - a biennial plant of the parsley family, has been used for at least 5,000 years, and cultivated in Europe since medieval times. Caraway is grown in Holland and Egypt. The small tannish brown seeds have a pungent aroma, a flavor that's sharp but faintly sweet, with an astringent aftertaste.
Caraway gives rye bread its distinctive flavor. It is particularly good as a flavoring for pork. I use it in all cabbage dishes, and it really makes a difference in coleslaw. I also use it in cheeses, cakes and fruit dishes.

CELERY SEED AND CELERY SALT. - Celery is a member of the parsley family and is derived from a wild variety called smallage. India and China produce excellent celery seed, but it is also cultivated in Europe and the U.S. The flavor and aroma might be described as a combination of celery, fennel and anise. The root is called celeriac which is a mild vegetable popular in Europe.
Celery salt is a salt base flavored with the essential oil of celery seed. It can be used in place of celery seed and salt, but has a much shorter shelf life. A delightful seasoning for sauces, salads, vegetables, and many other dishes. An absolute must in potato salad. Used carefully, celery seed becomes the secret ingredient in many dishes. It mysteriously improves the flavor without calling attention to itself. Celery seed, used with tarragon, actually enhances the flavor of tarragon.

CHIVES - are of the onion family, with a similar but more delicate flavor. They are cultivated in temperate regions worldwide, and are best fresh, or, as Vanns are, freeze dried. We buy chives from California and Oregon, from growers who are often small but provide a premium product. An advantage of Vanns small size is that we can buy excellent products from growers too small to be of interest to large spice companies.
Chives are used chopped in sauces, salads, vegetables, eggs, and are a classic component to Fines Herbes.

CILANTRO or CHINESE PARSLEY - refers to the parsley-like leaves of the coriander plant. Vanns cilantro is purchased in California where we have found growers who manage to dry it and retain its fine green color.
Cilantro has an interesting flavor, sort of a combination of parsley and citrus. It is widely used in Mexican, Pacific Rim and Mideastern cuisines. I predict it will have an important future in the U.S.

CINNAMON - Our Korintji AA cinnamon tastes less harsh and has more fragrance than the Indonesian cinnamon familiar to most cooks. These sticks are carefully selected from the upper branches of trees growing in southwest Sumatra. Some cinnamon is mixed with cassia. Cassia is similar, but redder and has a harsher taste and a shorter shelf life.
The history of cinnamon is intertwined with the history of transportation, with battles lost and won, and with the Old Testament. For example, Exodus, Chapter 30 contains a description of how to mix a holy anointing oil, using cinnamon, cassia and myrrh. Cinnamon is used in thousands of ways. Its appeal is universal.

CLOVES - are young, unopened dried flower buds of the clove tree, native to the Moluccas Islands in East Indonesia where Vanns buys first-quality, hand-picked cloves.
Cloves, whole or ground, are the most pungent and fragrant of spices and are extremely aromatic. Take care and use with discretion lest its flavor overpower others!
Cloves are used as garnishes as well as for flavor in the widest possible variety of dishes - with fruit, many sweet dishes, pickles, ham, pot roasts, stews, and vegetables such as beets, carrots, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. The addition of cloves to a casserole of lamb and beans is magical.

DILL SEED AND DILL WEED - Dill is an universal favorite. The word "dill" comes from the Norwegian "dilla" meaning "to sooth," as medicinal powers were attributed to it. Almost everybody likes dill, and it appears in nearly every cuisine in the world. It is a delicious addition to sour cream, vegetables, potato salad or casseroles. It is wonderful with fish.
Dill seed is aromatic, slightly pungent, light brown with a strong but pleasing flavor. We find that dill grown in the northern part of India produces larger seeds which have a higher oil content.
Egyptian dill weed has a cleaner taste and is our first choice. Dill weed is used to garnish as well as to flavor.

GINGER - it would seem is the newest fad in food. New products recently introduced include ginger tea, ginger sauces of several varieties, ginger jelly and ginger mustard. It is strange to call ginger a fad when it has been in constant use in India and China since early history.
Jamaica is the best source of premium ginger. The spice part is the fat, irregular shaped rhizomes of the ginger plant. It is both pungent and lemony with earthy notes.
Fresh ginger is used extensively in Pacific Rim cuisines. It is the principal supplier of the heat so loved in these cuisines. Dried ginger is used in Mideastern and Western cooking. Besides the well known gingerbread, it is a great addition to cheese dishes because it balances the egg and cheese flavors. Ginger is especially good with vegetables such as carrots, squash and sweet potatoes.

GRAINS OF PARADISE - is indigenous to the coast of West Africa and is also known as Melegueta pepper, and is related to cardamom. These tiny grains have a hot and peppery taste but has the aroma of cardamom.

They were used in the past to spice wine and beer. Today grains of paradise appear almost exclusively in West African cooking. They are one of the components of raz el hanout and are also excellent in mulled wine, with potatoes and eggplants, and in braised lamb recipes.

MARJORAM - has long been one of the most prized herbs. It is less robust, more sweetly scented and delicate than its cousin oregano. It can be substituted for oregano to achieve a more subtle flavor.
Egypt is the principal source of marjoram. We select marjoram which has a pleasantly aromatic and minty-sweet flavor with a slight background bitterness.
In modern kitchens, it is the herb with 1,000 uses. I especially like it with beans, peas and spinach. It is also good in salads and stuffings.

MUSTARD SEED - All of Vanns' mustard seeds, brown, yellow, and black either grow in North Dakota or Alberta. Each variety produces a significantly different flavor. The yellow seed has a fresh clean aroma and a pungent biting flavor. The brown seed is closer to an Oriental mustard, hot with horseradish tones and aroma. The black mustard seed, most pungent of the three, is difficult to harvest commercially, and the brown seed has largely replaced it except in peasant economies, though the names are often used interchangeably. The amount of volatile oil in mustard seed determines the intensity of flavor. Brown mustard seed is becoming very popular in the U.S. Restaurants are using it in European and American dishes. Mustard adds zest to a wide variety of dishes; meat, potato salad, vegetables, and sauces.

NUTMEG - has been in continuous use for countless thousands of years. It may be the earliest used spice. In the past if people could only afford one spice, the choice was always nutmeg.
In the Middle Ages, nutmeg was used in almost every dish. I find I put it in dishes as diverse as apple pie and spinach. Nutmeg blends well with other spices and is good, not only in sweet foods such as pies and cakes, but in savory dishes as well.

ONION – onion flavor minced.

OREGANO - marjoram's robust relative, may be the most popular herb in the world; there's probably not a cook who does not use it. Vanns sells two kinds of oregano. Primarily, we sell Greek or Turkish (Mediterranean) oregano. Mediterranean oregano has a nice pleasant flavor, related to marjoram but more pungent. The Italians add this to all manner of dishes. It is most often used in its dried form.
We also provide Mexican oregano, which has a harsher flavor, but holds up well in spicy Mexican cooking. Restaurants often prefer the Mexican.

PAPRIKA - is a Hungarian word for the dried and ground red bell pepper in its ripest form. I find it interesting that the same type of pepper plant will taste very different when grown in different parts of the world - in some places sweeter, or hotter, or milder.
Paprika is the national spice of Hungary and it is essential to many Balkan dishes. There are at least six varieties with flavor ranges from sweet to pungent with a faint bitter aftertaste. The pungency depends on the proportion of flesh to seeds and veins.
Spanish paprika has a particularly fine color, but little flavor. That flavor seems to dissipate further with cooking. We sell Spanish paprika to restaurants for color. Everyone is familiar with its use on hard boiled eggs and salads. Paprika has more vitamin C than oranges.

PARSLEY - is the ubiquitous herb, the most popular and the most versatile. It brings out the flavor of other herbs and so is always in Fines Herbes and Bouquet Garni. Dried parsley does not have the distinct flavor of fresh, but it is easier to use and is often a necessity.
American drying processes are improving, and the color and flavor of our California parsley is closest to fresh - far superior to most other sources.
Parsley is rich in vitamins, calcium and iron.

POPPY SEEDS - are the ripe seed of the opium poppy. The plant's well known narcotic properties come from the unripe seed pods, and are not present in the ripe seeds. The poppy seeds most common in Europe and America have the distinction of being the only blue spice. Those common in India are creamy yellow, and in Turkey they are brown and often made into a paste for Turkish sweets.
Poppy seeds are most often used to flavor breads and desserts, but poppy seed butter is superb over fish and noodles. It lends a nut-like flavor to green beans, potatoes, spinach, carrots, zucchini and other types of squash.

ROSEMARY - which grows wild around the Mediterranean coast means "dews of the sea." Vanns rosemary grows in France or Spain, depending on the quality of the crop for that year.
We require rosemary to have a lovely, pungent, bittersweet flavor and a delicious piney fragrance. Rosemary leaves are a little leathery and are best finely chopped for culinary use or else sprinkled on meats before grilling or roasting over coals when barbecuing.

SAGE - needs rocky areas for good growing conditions in order to achieve a special pleasing mellowness. We sell Dalmation sage which is grown along the Yugoslavian coast. The flavor is pungent and the aroma powerful but fragrant and never harsh. Sage is the perfect seasoning for pork, chicken and stuffing. It is especially appreciated by the Italians, where it is used in many meat and pasta dishes.

SESAME SEEDS - are one of the world's oldest spices and one of the most versatile grown for food use. Mexican sesame has a mild almond-like flavor which is intensified when toasted. Since they are delicately flavored, they can be used in more or less unmeasured amounts in any dish where chopped nutmeats would be used. They can be used untoasted on breads. I especially like them as an addition to crumb toppings for casseroles. Creamy colored sesame seeds are 50% oil and are a source of valuable cooking oil. The seed's sweet nut-like flavor is intensified when toasted and good on breads, cakes, vegetables, etc. In the Middle East the ground seeds are made into halvah, a sweetmeat and into tahini, a creamy paste used as a sauce base.
Black sesame seeds are used primarily in Japanese and Chinese cooking. The oil is darker and stronger and is added to flavor dishes at the end of cooking.

TARRAGON - French and Russian are two types of Tarragon. We select French tarragon because it has a deep green color. Russian tarragon is often grayer with somewhat brownish leaves. In addition, French tarragon has a wonderful aroma which is slightly licorice. When used in cooking, it absolutely perfumes the house.
Tarragon is used to flavor egg dishes and omelets, is an essential in Fines Herbes and Sauce Béarnaise. It is good with roasted meats, fish and especially good with chicken. One of the easiest and most elegant of recipes is Tarragon Chicken. This classic dish calls for stuffing the cavity with handfuls of tarragon and basting with lemon and butter.

THYME - is one of the oldest and most popular herbs and is used in almost every cuisine. It is greenish gray in color with tiny leaves. It is a powerfully aromatic herb, with a strong, slightly minty, bitter flavor. We purchase thyme from Spain. It is harvested from March to September. In this season, it produces a higher volatile oil content and is more attractive than the winter harvest.
Thyme is one of the essential herbs in Bouquet Garni and is used for flavoring soups, stews and stuffings. It goes well with potatoes, beans, fish, meat and poultry.

SPICE BLENDS
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BARBECUE BLEND - Vanns has created a barbecue spice you will find interesting. Actually we do several barbecue blends. Depending upon what part of the country the customer is from, the blend may be slightly different. For example, in North Carolina, we sell one blend and in South Carolina a different one. For most of the U.S., we created a chili based barbecue blend with onion, garlic and other spices. This blend is easy to use as a dry marinade or as the base for a sauce. Your customers will find this useful and good.

BERBER SPICE - This exotic blend of paprika, salt (optional) garlic, onion, chili pepper and other spices was inspired by the aromatic and fiery cuisine of the nomadic Berberes of Morocco.
This blend can be used at the table or in cooking on anything from eggs, potatoes, pasta, to sandwiches, soups, stews, and dressings. Great for grilling or broiling.

BLACKENED SEASONING - We sold Blackened Seasoning several years before any other spice company. It was one of Vanns original blends introduced in 1982. This blend is similar to a recipe in Paul Prudhomme's book who made Blackened Seasoning popular. Blackened Seasoning was originally used on cheaper fish to make a wonderfully hot flavorful coating. It also helps to retain the moisture. Blackened Seasoning is equally good on lamb chops, steaks, and pork.

BOUQUET GARNI - A classic blend of herbs used in stews, soups and stocks. You’ll like Vanns’ own recipe.

CALIFORNIA SALAD SEASONING - California pioneered the fast, fresh, light cuisine which has become an American trademark. Our California Salad Seasoning is typical of the kind of salad dressing mix made popular by that state. A nice blend of fresh, fragrant, mild herbs, to be shaken into either a vinaigrette or creamy based salad dressing. It makes a great dip added to sour cream, yogurt, and/or cream cheese.

CHESAPEAKE BAY SEAFOOD BLEND – A regional favorite which is popular in seafood casseroles, soup and crab cakes. Chesapeake Bay Seafood Blend is a superb seasoning that will enhance any dish.

CHILI SEASONING - Our Chili Seasoning base is Ancho Chili peppers which have the dark, smoky flavor I love. We developed our Chili Seasoning originally for Arizona Restaurant in New York. Brendan Walsh, the chef, needed a particularly fine, distinctive chili seasoning and ours fit the bill. The New York Times food critics raved about it.
Our blend utilizes both dark and light chilies for color and flavor, as well as oregano and cumin. Most spice companies add salt. We do not. We believe that cooks can add their own salt.
Legend has it that Chili Seasoning was originally developed by a cook trying to duplicate curry by using American spices. Thus was created Chili Seasoning - if you believe this!

FIVE ONION DIP: Blend of onions and savory herbs and spices used to make onion dips but also can be used to season chicken and seafood as well as vegetable soups or stews.

FRENCH SEAFOOD SEASONING: Use in crab cakes, seafood casseroles, or as an all-purpose salt-free seasoning.

GREEN TEA RUB: The fresh taste of the Orient with the healthy benefits of green tea and subtle hints of citrus and the sea. Use with poultry, fish and shellfish or when smoking foods for added flavor.

GOOD SEASONS - - Vanns blends onion, celery seed, garlic, sugar, and salt.

HERBES DE PROVENCE - Vanns blend uses the traditional herbs and spices that flavor the dishes from that area of Southern France - thyme, basil, savory, rosemary, etc. But Vanns’ Herbes de Provence stands out among American blends in that we add a touch of lavender for a piquant flavor that is distinctly and authentically French.
Enhances soups, stews and pot roasts, omelets, and sauces.

ISLAND JERK: Is our hot and sweet island spice for pork and chicken. Whether dry rubbed, or added to olive oil or citrus juice, it makes a wonderful marinade for grilling.

ITALIAN SEASONING - Our Italian Seasoning has received rave reviews. The Washington Magazine called it "just excellent." They used it in a white pizza - so called because it is made with white sauce instead of red sauce - and found it particularly pleasing. It is a typical pizza and pasta seasoning. We feel that because our herbs and spices are so fresh and fragrant, the cook will be pleased as well. If one is going to the trouble of making one's own pizza or spaghetti sauce, surely the spice mix must be the best.

LEMON AND DILL - I was not interested in developing this blend because several companies were marketing combinations of lemon and dill. When I realized that other companies were using chemicals as a substitute for lemon flavor ( and in one case lemonade mix), I developed this very simple product. It is very popular, very useful, and very simple.
I use it in potato salad, with fish in many variations, on chicken, and even on lamb. It makes a good, easy dip with sour cream, yogurt and/or cream cheese.

MULLING SPICES: Contains orange peel, cinnamon, star anise, allspice and clove blended perfectly to enhance cider and wine.

PICKLING SPICE - English mixture of whole spices. Blend is used for pickled fruits and vegetables and for spicing vinegar. There are many versions of this blend.

PIZZA SEASONINGS – Created for the best pizza chefs, this traditional blend of herbs and spices adds extra flavor to pizza and can also be used when making spaghetti sauce.

PLANTATION VEGETABLE DIP – Southern mixture of herbs and mustard. Blend with sour cream or plain yogurt.

POULTRY SEASONINGS – Can be used to season dressing for fowl or to run or or under the skin before cookings.

QUEBEC STEAK SEASONING – A peppery rub for grilled steaks.

RUBS OR DRY MARINADES
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At Vanns we have directed some of our creative energies toward dry marinades. For too long, fat has been the favorite flavor in diets. As we reverse this, it is necessary to replace that lost flavor. Dry marinades seem to be an easy, tasty, and healthy substitute. We have created literally a world of flavor.

APPLE PIE SPICE – The trinity of good baking; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with the finest sugar. Appropriate when making apple-based desserts, it can also be used with peaches and apricot desserts.

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE – Vanns blends ginger, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon for a perfect pumpkin pie flavor.

THAI RUB - A typical Thai seasoning with cilantro and lemon flavors, hot and sweet background flavors. Can be used as a flavoring in soups or as a dry rub or in wet marinades with chicken, fish, and pork. Essential ingredients in satay. Excellent in cold noodle salad.

SALTS
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HAWAIIAN RED SEA SALT – These orange crystals of salt are formed when the sea water has evaporated. Use to roast or finish foods; it lends a wonderful flavor of the sea.

PEPPERCORNS
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WHITE PEPPERCORNS (Muntok)
The whole subject of peppers is complicated. White pepper, grown in Indonesia, is the final version of pepper. It's the ripest of the peppers with a distinct flavor but little aroma. White pepper is processed by soaking the peppercorn in water for up to a week. The outer black covering is washed off leaving the white inner core.
White pepper is preferred by a number of countries, the British for example. Most cuisines use white pepper in dishes where specks would be unattractive, e.g., white sauce.
There are several; types of white peppers. Muntok is most often sold in the U.S.
A Brazilian freeze-dried white peppercorn is no longer available in this country. It grows in a small area of northern Brazil and is a very high premium pepper. This pepper is shipped to France and freeze-dried. When it is cracked, it is absolutely clear, paper-white all the way through.
Vanns is now able to get a milder white pepper from Sarawak which has a fine flavor.

PEPPER BLENDS
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GARLIC PEPPER - Garlic Pepper is exactly that - a nice balanced mixture of garlic and pepper. In the many places where you want just a hint of garlic, Vanns Garlic Pepper is perfect.

HERBED PEPPER - Our most popular ground pepper blend is Herbed Pepper, an Italian blend of oregano and other herbs. It is an easy product to use. You get fine flavor with very little effort and, for these reasons I recommend it highly.

LEMON PEPPER - I am most proud, and justly so even if I do say so myself, of our Lemon Pepper. We use a white pepper with nothing added but lemon - real lemon. There is no salt, no sugar, no preservatives, no garlic, nothing else.
The difference between our Lemon Pepper and others is so pronounced that it is easy for anyone to understand the quality of what we are producing at Vanns.
I once asked my favorite chef how best to demonstrate lemon pepper. She said she didn't know since she used it on everything. I know that it makes a decided difference in potato salad. It's a marvel on fish and chicken, great on fresh sliced tomatoes, and particularly pleasant with vegetables.

MISCELLANEOUS
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CREAM OF TARTAR - Fine, white powder derived from a crystalline acid. It is added to candy and frosting mixtures for a creamier consistency and to egg whites before beating to improve stability and volume.