Herb Fruits and Spices

The fruits or seeds of plants used in cooking have their own peculiar uses, and are on the whole more ignored by English cooks. A dislike of seedcake in childhood makes some people reject caraway for other purposes. An addiction to curry powder in tins produces an unfamiliarity with its refreshing and pungent constituents. Herb fruits known and grown in this country such as caraway, coriander, dill, and juniper (which is properly a shrub), originate in more favourable climates and are usually grouped with condiments and spices grown in the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Far East, when discussing their culinary merits. These are nutmeg, mace, capsicum (from which cayenne pepper is derived), black and white peppers, ginger, cinnamon (which is the rolled bark of the cassia tree), cloves, wholespice, saffron (which was once grown in quantity round Saffron Walden), cumin, and anise.