The Science of Spice

72 World of Spice

The clean, refined fare of the Nordic countries has

some of the most distinctive spicing in all of Europe.

Most notable is the use of cardamom, supposedly

brought north by the Vikings from Constantinople

1,000 years ago. Danish pastries and other Nordic

bakes would be lost without the festive flavours of

cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice. The region’s

love of pickling and preserving sees a profusion of

aromatics such as dill seed and the native juniper,

which also appears with game and in Finland’s

sahti beer. Brown mustard is common both as a

condiment and as a whole spice.

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Finnish

gingerbread spice

A fragrant, warming

spice mix and the perfect

base for the classic Finnish

gingerbread biscuits

known as piparkakut.

1 tbsp bitter orange powder

2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

Simply mix all the ingredients

together. Enough to flavour the

dough for around 30 biscuits.

Signature

Cardamom, cinnamon,

caraway, dill, nutmeg

Cardamom is king, although

cinnamon runs a close

second, while caraway is

more popular in Finland.

Dill seeds are common in

pickling solutions.

Supporting

Ground ginger, clove, allspice,

liquorice, mustard, saffron, juniper

Ginger, cloves, and allspice

are used for more seasonal

sweet bakes, although

allspice is also paired with

pickled herring and pork.

Salty liquorice is a unique

Scandinavian treat.

Supplementary

Angelica, bitter orange powder,

dried rosehips, fennel

Angelica and powdered

orange peel are common in

Finland – the latter is added

to biscuits, cakes, and the

traditional Easter dessert,

mämmi. Rosehips are used to

flavour jelly, jams, oil, and tea.

SPICE

PALETTE

dil

l

car

aw

ay

nut

me

g

SCANDINAVIA

Sweet | Earthy | Aromatic

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