1
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.
Below are spices that contain the letter D anywhere in the name. Each of the 16 spices below opens to a full profile.
List of Spices That Contain D
2
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.
3
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.
4
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.
5
Dill Seed
Anethum graveolens
Flat oval seeds with a sharp, caraway-adjacent bite — the classic pickling spice and a workhorse of Northern European cooking.
6
Fennel Seed
Foeniculum vulgare
Pale green ridged seeds with a sweet anise punch — equally at home in Italian sausage, Indian mukhwas, and herbal tea.
7
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.
8
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.
9
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.
10
Lavender Bud
Lavandula angustifolia
The dried purple buds of Mediterranean lavender — used carefully in herbes de Provence, shortbread, lemonade, and infused honey.
11
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.
12
Poppy Seed
Papaver somniferum
The tiny slate-blue (or pale white) seed of the opium poppy — used in baked goods worldwide and as a thickener in Indian curries.
13
Sesame Seed
Sesamum indicum
One of the oldest oilseeds in cultivation — small, nutty, and indispensable from Middle Eastern tahini to Japanese furikake.
14
Smoked Paprika
Capsicum annuum
Spanish pimentón dried over oak smoke for weeks — the campfire-deep red powder behind chorizo, paella, and patatas bravas.
15
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.
16
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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