Spices that contain A — 42 detailed entries

Below are spices that contain the letter A anywhere in the name. Each of the 42 spices below opens to a full profile.

Table of contents 42 entries

List of Spices That Contain A

Ajwain

Trachyspermum ammi

Tiny ridged seeds with a powerful thyme-oregano punch — the digestive workhorse of Indian breads, lentils, and snack mixes.

Aleppo Pepper

Capsicum annuum

A coarsely crushed Syrian-Turkish chili with a soft fruity heat and salt-oil sheen — the finishing flake of choice for kebabs, hummus, and labneh.

Allspice

Pimenta dioica

The dried unripe berry of a Caribbean evergreen — tasting uncannily like a blend of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in a single hard pellet.

Anise

Pimpinella anisum

Small comma-shaped seeds with a pronounced licorice sweetness, used from Mediterranean liqueurs to Christmas cookies.

Annatto

Bixa orellana

The deep red-orange seed of a tropical shrub — used as much for color as flavor in Latin American, Filipino, and Caribbean cooking.

Asafoetida

Ferula assa-foetida

A pungent, sulfurous resin harvested from giant fennel relatives — used in pinhead quantities to mimic the umami of onion and garlic in Brahmin and Jain cooking.

Bay Leaf

Laurus nobilis

A glossy laurel leaf with a quiet menthol-eucalyptus depth — slipped into stews, sauces, and braises across nearly every Western cuisine.

Black Cardamom

Amomum subulatum

A large, wrinkled, smoke-dried pod with a campfire intensity that lifts long-cooked meats and dals far from its delicate green cousin.

Black Pepper

Piper nigrum

The dried unripe fruit of Piper nigrum — the "king of spices" whose pungent heat shaped global trade routes and now sits on nearly every dinner table.

Brown Mustard Seed

Brassica juncea

Smaller, darker, and far hotter than yellow seed — the workhorse of Indian tempering and the spice that gives Dijon its bite.

Capers

Capparis spinosa

The unopened flower buds of a Mediterranean shrub, pickled in salt or brine — the briny pop in puttanesca, tartare sauce, and chicken piccata.

Caraway

Carum carvi

Dark, curved seeds with a bracing earthy bite — the signature flavor of rye bread, sauerkraut, and Eastern European cooking.

Cassia

Cinnamomum cassia

The thicker, darker, bolder bark sold as "cinnamon" in most supermarkets — assertive enough to flavor American cinnamon rolls and Chinese braises.

Cayenne

Capsicum annuum

A bright red, finely ground cayenne pepper powder — a workhorse of American Creole cuisine and the default "hot" of generic spice racks.

Ceylon Cinnamon

Cinnamomum verum

The "true" cinnamon — delicate, papery quills of Sri Lankan bark with citrus-floral notes and far less of the punch of cassia.

Coriander Seed

Coriandrum sativum

The dried fruit of the cilantro plant — gently floral, citrusy, and the most forgiving of "sweet" spices used by the heaping spoonful.

Curry Leaf

Murraya koenigii

Glossy, fragrant leaves from a small South Indian tree — utterly different from "curry powder," and the soul of Sri Lankan and South Indian tempering.

Galangal

Alpinia galanga

A pale, woody rhizome related to ginger but sharper and more medicinal — the foundation of Thai tom kha and Indonesian rendang.

Gochugaru

Capsicum annuum

Korean coarse red chili flake — bright, sun-dried, with a fruity sweetness behind the heat — and the defining color of kimchi.

Grains of Paradise

Aframomum melegueta

Small reddish-brown West African seeds with peppery heat and citrusy warmth — a medieval European favorite that survives in Norwegian aquavit and craft beer.

Green Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum

The pale-green seed pod of a tropical ginger relative — the "queen of spices" and one of the world's most expensive flavorings by weight.

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

A gnarled white root that releases nostril-stinging heat the moment it is grated — the spicy backbone of cocktail sauce, Passover seder, and Bloody Marys.

Hungarian Paprika

Capsicum annuum

A spectrum of paprika grades from delicate sweet to fiery hot — the soul of Hungarian goulash, paprikash, and stuffed peppers.

Kaffir Lime Leaf

Citrus hystrix

The double-lobed, intensely citrus-perfumed leaves of a Southeast Asian lime — slivered into soups, curries, and stir-fries from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.

Lavender Bud

Lavandula angustifolia

The dried purple buds of Mediterranean lavender — used carefully in herbes de Provence, shortbread, lemonade, and infused honey.

Mace

Myristica fragrans

The lacy red aril that wraps the nutmeg seed — a more delicate, brighter sibling spice prized in classical European charcuterie and Indian biryani.

Mahleb

Prunus mahaleb

The ground inner kernel of a wild Mediterranean cherry stone — a marzipan-meets-cherry-pit flavor that perfumes Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese sweet breads.

Mastic

Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia

Aromatic resin "tears" wept by Greek pistachio relatives on the island of Chios — used in Greek ice cream, Turkish delight, and Lebanese pastries.

Nigella Seed

Nigella sativa

Tiny matte-black seeds (also called kalonji or black caraway) with an onion-oregano savor — dusted on naan, pickles, and Bengali fish.

Rose Petal

Rosa damascena

Dried petals of damask roses — used in Persian rice, Indian gulkand, Middle Eastern desserts, and the spice blend ras el hanout.

Saffron

Crocus sativus

The dried red stigmas of the autumn crocus — gram-for-gram the world's most expensive spice and a defining note of paella, biryani, and bouillabaisse.

Sansho

Zanthoxylum piperitum

Japanese prickly ash — a citrusy, lip-tingling cousin of Sichuan pepper served alongside grilled eel and dusted on yakitori.

Sesame Seed

Sesamum indicum

One of the oldest oilseeds in cultivation — small, nutty, and indispensable from Middle Eastern tahini to Japanese furikake.

Sichuan Pepper

Zanthoxylum bungeanum

The husks of a prickly ash berry whose alkamide molecules produce a tingling, electric numbness on the lips — the *ma* in Sichuan's signature *mala*.

Smoked Paprika

Capsicum annuum

Spanish pimentón dried over oak smoke for weeks — the campfire-deep red powder behind chorizo, paella, and patatas bravas.

Star Anise

Illicium verum

The dramatic eight-pointed seed pod of a Chinese evergreen — sweeter and more potent than anise, and the defining note of pho and five-spice.

Sumac

Rhus coriaria

The crushed deep-red fruit of a Mediterranean bush — sour, bright, almost lemony, dusted over kebabs, salads, and the za'atar spice blend.

Sweet Paprika

Capsicum annuum

Ground sweet bell-pepper-style chiles with rich color and little heat — the supermarket staple sprinkled over deviled eggs and goulash worldwide.

Tamarind

Tamarindus indica

The sticky, dark, sweet-sour pulp inside a tropical legume's pod — central to Pad Thai, sambar, Worcestershire sauce, and Mexican tamarindo candy.

Vanilla

Vanilla planifolia

The cured seed pod of a Mexican orchid — the only edible orchid product, and the second-most-expensive spice on earth after saffron.

Wasabi

Eutrema japonicum

A Japanese mountain rhizome whose freshly grated paste delivers a fleeting nasal heat — and whose green tube imposters are almost always dyed horseradish.

Yellow Mustard Seed

Sinapis alba

The milder of the cultivated mustards — a small golden seed that forms the base of American ballpark mustard and English pickle brines.

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