spices from "le comptoir", continuation

CINNAMON CINNAMOMUM ZEYLANICUM ou LAURUS CINNAMOMUM

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	Cinnamon belongs to the botanical family Lauracées with its origins in old Ceylon or Sri Lanka. Today it grows in a variety of places including India, Malasia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Seychelles, Maurice Islands, Madagascar, West Indies, Guyana, Brazil ...
	Cinnamon is the bark of a tree. A large part of the production is dedicated to the distillation of its essences. Chinese Cinnamon "Laurus Cassia", also called "Casse", comes from a tree of the same family. You can find it in China, Laos and Indonesia.

TURMERIC CURCUMA LONGA

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	Originating from India this plant comes from the family Zingiberacées, along with ginger and cardamom, and is now cultivated not only in its country of origin, but also China, the Isle of Maurice and Reunion Island.
	Turmeric has an unremarkable flavour: peppery with a slight bitter acridness. Above all it is used for its powerful rich colour similar to that of saffron. In fact, turmeric is sometimes called "Bourbon Saffron" and "Indian Saffron".

CURRY

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	Curry is not a spice but a complex mixture of ground spices, uniquely Indian. The English world "curry" derives from the Indian name "kari" (a Tamil expression meaning the dried leaves of a tree), which described a regional vegetarian dish from Madras.
	These spices mixes are called "Masala", and vary according to use. Every family possesses their own version of a recipe for them. The great complexity of the spices used and the precise quantities measured remain the close guarded secret of the "Massalachis", or mixers.

CORIANDER CORIANDRUM SATIVUM

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	This plant from the Umbelliferae family was originally cultivated in Asia Minor: Coriander is sometimes called Chineses Chervil or Arabian Parsley. Today it grows in many latitudes and more specifically in Europe, North America and North Africa.
	Both the leaves and the seeds are comestible. Coriander seeds have a delightful perfume of orange zest, with citrus, spice and wood notes and a subtle hint of dry grasses and aniseed.

RAS AL HANOUT

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	This is not a spice, but a complex mixture of spices originating from Morocco. Every spice merchant has his own recipe. The literal translation means "head of the shop" meaning the best the shop has to offer. An exceptionally good mix can be the making of a merchant's reputation.
	These closely guarded secret recipes can contain as many as twenty seven different spices. For example: black pepper, coriander seeds, cloves, green cardamom, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, chilli, nutmeg, maniguette, long pepper, cubeb pepper, mace, galanga, gum Arabic, belladonna berries, dried flowers as well as incredibly rare ingredients with powerful aphrodisiac properties, such as the "Spanish Fly", or "cantharides"!

LIQUORICE GLYCYRRHISA CLIBRA

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	Licorice or liquorice, is a hardy perennial plant in the Papilionaceous family, sometimes referred to as "tanner's grass" or "sweet wood". This is a Mediterranean plant, originating in Syria. We use the roots.
	Liquorice is used in pharmaceutics for its numerous virtues, and also in confectionnary and liqueurs.