Homemade Mulling Spice Gifts for the Holiday Season As the holiday season approaches, the art of gift-giving takes center stage, inviting us to consider thoughtful and personalized offerings that convey warmth and care. Among these, homemade mulling spice gifts emerge as a distinctive choice, blending the rich tapestry of seasonal flavors with the personal touch of a crafted present. This discussion initiates a journey into the essence of mulling spices, guiding you through the selection of ingredients, the crafting of customizable mix recipes...

Top Ten Recipes That Use Herbs de Provence Have you Herb of These Recipes? While we love all the spice blends in our pantry, Herbs de Provence is the crème brulée of the crop when comes to its versatility, aroma, and taste. A delectable cornucopia of herbs inspired by herbs grown on south side of France, our RawSpiceBar Herbs de Provence can season just about any meal for any foodie. We’ve broken down our top ten favorite Herbs de Provence recipes. Herbilicious Definition: Makes Taste Buds Go Loco A cuisine chameleon, Herbs de Proven...

Origin Stories: Who Invented Chili? Whether you like your chili spicy, savory, or sweet (yes, that’s a thing), this comfort dish is an American staple. But how exactly did chili come about? We are glad you asked. A Meaty History What do the ingredients of chili and its equally hearty history have in common? No one can seem to agree on what is the “correct” version of it. Some stories claim that the Aztecs created the dish. Others claim that a 17th century nun astral projected to West Texas and ate a meal of chili peppers, tomat...

The Difference Between Red, Green, & Yellow Curry No Two (Or Three) Curries Are Alike Delicious and packed with flavor, curries often have us scurrying to the table for seconds. But have you ever noticed how the taste, heat factor, and colors of curry can vary drastically? That’s because there are many ways to curry. And we mean many. Keep Calm & Curry On Since curry translates to “sauce,” mixing a variety of spices and creating a whole new way to experience curry is a frequent occurrence. From phal curry based in the UK to madras curry ...

Is Chili a Soup? Humans are naturally curious. We wouldn’t look at the ocean and think, “Water can be a road” if we weren’t. It’s also why many people wonder if chili is a soup. We are happy to settle the debate. Cayenne Someone Tell Us What Chili Is? *Pushes up glasses* Webster’s dictionary defines soup as “a liquid food … with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base … containing pieces of food.” Great! Chili is a soup. But wait. A stew is “fish or meat … with vegetables.” *Lowers glasses and rubs eyes* ...

Ways Sazón Is Used In Latin American Cooking Get Your Sazón On A good spice blend can enhance some your favorite meals, but a great spice blend can enhance a variety of meals. That is why our savory, fragrant RawSpiceBar Sazón Blend is a must-have addition to your pantry. A Sazón for Everyone Does Latin American cooking vary between its 33 countries? Yes. Are the distinct flavors created from cross-cultural fusions through time further enhanced by our Sazón Blend? Also yes, and we have compiled a few popular dishes to get you started:...

The Many Ways to Enjoy Lebküchen The beauty of spice blends is that they can be imagined and reimagined in a variety of ways. Salt can be used on poultry just as easily as it can be used in a salty-sweet cookie. Cinnamon can be used as a topping on your lattes or in a Bavarian pot roast. Lebküchen – a traditional German spiced dessert – can also be used in nearly endless ways, especially when you use our RawSpiceBar Lebküchen Blend. How Do You Lebküchen? While German Lebküchen is often in the form of a soft cookie or cake, o...

Should You Cook Chili with Beans? There have been many debates over the course of history, but none so contentious as to whether or not you should you put beans in a chili. To Bean or Not to Bean, That is the Question True, whether or not you think beans go in chili depends on where you live. However, whether you like your chili with or without beans, we have a list of tantalizing chilis only made better with our fragrant, flavorful RawSpiceBar Chili Starter Blend to get you started: Best Bean-Based Chili Recipes The best b...

The Top Five Ethiopian Recipes Get out the injera and invite your family and friends over – our top five best Ethiopian recipes are ready to fill your mealtimes with rich, diverse flavor that is never dull. Injera A pancake-like flatbread, injera is spread out on a large flat basket and topped with mounds of spicy meat stews and colorful vegetable curries. Found at every meal, injera is like bread in Europe or rice in Asia. Wat This Ethiopian curry will send your tastebuds straight to Nirvana thanks to its use o...

Do Spices Expire? When to Replace Your Spices. Spices: For Flavor, Not Forever Spices are often accumulated over time, growing as we discover how to season foods to our liking. However, if you were jamming out to a Sony Walkman the last time you went through your spices, it might be time to give the ole’ collection a refresh. Even if your spices are relatively new, everyone picks up a spice container and wonders, “Does this expire?” Shelf Life of Spices Instead of spoiling, spices past their prime lose flavor and potency. They can even ...

How to Use Herbs de Provence An Herb of All Trades They say that a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. We couldn’t agree more. Offering a cornucopia of cuisine versatility, Herbs de Provence effortlessly enhances any meal with its aromatic, savory nature. And we mean any meal. The Delicious Taste of Versatility Every diet, taste, and cuisine preference has room for interpretation when it comes to Herbs de Provence. Perfect on chicken, lamb, fish, and vegetables, our Herb...

North Carolina Barbecue: My Way Or the Highway Nearly everyone in North Carolina will agree that barbecue is a mealtime staple. However, pigs will fly before everyone agrees on the best way to cook barbecue. For many, this conjures up whole-hog versus shoulder and vinegar- versus ketchup-based sauces. But the real competition heats up at the grill. Bring on the Heat Direct cooking is prominent in Western Carolina-style barbecue, placing the meat directly above the flame for a crisp, slightly charred outside and tender, juicy inside. Fast...

A Lesson in Louisiana Home to delicious food, exciting celebrations, and jazz music that will make even the self-proclaimed non-dancers do a little shimmy, Louisiana is a hub for vibrant culture. And while said culture has grown exponentially since Louisiana’s founding, we can credit much of what we see today to one of the “first families” of the state: The Creoles. With a mix of African American, Native American, French, and Spanish heritage that can be traced back 300 years in Louisiana, the roots of Creole cult...

Any Barbecue Sauce You Can Do I Can Do Better... First in flight, first in freedom, and first to tell you that their neck of the woods has the best barbecue, North Carolina is famous for its heated barbecue sauce rivalry. But who will you be going ham for? Pig-Time Competition If you want your barbecue sauce to be tangy and sharp with a little kick of spice, you will be cheering for Eastern Carolina. Dressing the entire hog in a thin sauce comprised of vinegar, peppers, and/or spices, Eastern Carolina barbecue sauce offers melt-in-your-mou...

A Pepper a Day Keeps Dull Flavors Away Is your spice rack taking over your kitchen? If you were part of the Spice Girls, would your name be Foodie Spice? Then you are in the right place. If you have been looking to spice things up in the kitchen, you will love February’s Xinjiang Blend. A feisty mix of cumin, red Szechuan peppercorns, dried Szechuan chile flakes, black peppercorns and more, this blend can easily become the foundation of some new favorite meals. A Passport for Your Palate While you can go to Paris for fluffy croiss...

How French Cuisine Influenced Global Cooking France: A Food Lover’s Paris-dise Ah, France. Home to exquisite architecture, romance, and culinary experiences that are très magnifique. But did you know that you don’t have to book a plane ticket to experience the impact of French cooking? From molecular gastronomy to the creation of restaurants, French culinary influences can be seen today both on and off the plate. The French (Culinary) Empire The roots of degustation (tasting) menus started under the reign of the many King Louis’s fro...