Egypt

I love sharing what I have discovered about certain spices and blends, and the myriad ways in which to use them. One such spice I find quite unique is ajwain (pronounced AHJ-a-wahn).

Ajwain or ajwan (also referred to as Bishop's weed and or carom seeds) looks like small caraway or cumin seeds, but tastes like a pungent version of thyme. While thyme is floral and sweet,ajwan is much stronger with a bit of a kick.
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There is cinnamon, and then there is true cinnamon the true cinnamon (also referred to as real cinnamon) is actually Ceylon cinnamon, which comes from a small tree (Cinnamomumverum) grown in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam and Egypt with Sri Lanka being the largest producer of this veritable spice.

There are four main varieties of cinnamon, but Ceylon and Cassia are the most popular ones with Ceylon being more expensive. Cinnamon comes from the rough outer bark of the tree. Once the bark is removed the thin papery-like layers that lie beneath the bark are peeled away. These thin sheets are dried and rolled into quills of multiple layers and are left to dry in the shade. Continue reading →