Five Essential Spices?

Saw an article header (but haven't yet read the article) on what a writer considered the 'five essential spices'.

Without any predication, what would you select if you had to make a choice of five essential spices?

Black pepper, cinnamon, cloves.... And then I sort of enter a morass of choices.

Black pepper, cumin, paprika, cayenne, nutmeg.
That's heavy on peppers (and I didn't even list pimenton, or chile powder, or red flakes) but one has to make choices. On another day cardomon or coriander might make list.
I'm only considering pantry type spices, I'd have trouble without fresh ginger.

[David M. Bueker]

Five or ten or twenty, the subject comes up on a regular basis on someone's blog or throwaway article.

MIne: Black pepper, Cumin seed (ground), Chili powder, Garam masala, Coriander seed (ground)

Black pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Paprika (sweet and smoky), and a toss up between Granulated Onion and Granulate Garlic.

Nobody's mentioned salt! That seems to be the supreme spice that towers above all. Or is it not considered a spice?

I'm only considering pantry type spices, I'd have trouble without fresh ginger.

Yes, I don't know what the definition is either.

But for me, the five essential flavor adders are salt, onion, garlic, ginger, and maybe pepper but more often than pepper it is fresh herbs.

[Jenise]

Oh dear. Define spice: things that come from seeds, pods, bark, etc. I'm thinking. And not ground up vegetables like paprika and garlic...but that could be wrong-headed. A pepper is essentially a fruit, and garlic a root. Dang, wonder what the Oxford Companion says? Hang on.

Okay, they say it's murky, but esentially dried versions of root, flower, fruit, bark and seed. If I left garlic, onion and chile-type peppers off the table, I would guess that on a world-wide basis the most popular are black pepper, cinnamon, mustard, cumin and maybe allspice. The five most important to me pesonally? The first four certainly. Fennel seed might be my fifth.

Surprised salt isn't everyone's #1.

Question - Does Herb de Provence count as 1 or more than one?

Don't think salt is considered a spice.
Wikipedia: A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Sometimes a spice is used to hide other flavors.[1]
Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants also used for flavoring or as garnish.

Peppers and cinnamon were the primary spices of the early spice trade I think

We use lots of garlic, ginger, and onion, but primarily in fresh form.

For cumin we probably use ground to whole 4:1, but we usually grind own (same with coriander)

Herbes de Provence count as zero (herbs, not spice).

Don't think salt is considered a spice.
Wikipedia: A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Sometimes a spice is used to hide other flavors.[1]
Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants also used for flavoring or as garnish.

Peppers and cinnamon were the primary spices of the early spice trade I think

We use lots of garlic, ginger, and onion, but primarily in fresh form.

For cumin we probably use ground to whole 4:1, but we usually grind own (same with coriander)

Herbes de Provence count as zero (herbs, not spice).

Not sure wikipedia is the best source. I found this....

The terms "spice" and "herb" have both been used to describe parts of plants (possibly dried) that are used to enhance the flavor or taste of food. In addition, herbs have been used to augment cosmetics, preserve foods and cure illnesses.

Spices and herbs can consist of flower buds, bark, seeds, leaves or many other parts of a plant. Over time the definitions for spices and herbs have changed a bit. In the past, spices have been categorized as fragrant, aromatic plant products like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. These spices are found in plants grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. While herbs have always been recognized as the more green, leafy products like mint, rosemary and thyme grown in more temperate areas.

But according to the American Spice Trade Association, today spices have become known as "any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes." This all-inclusive definition seems to cover a wide range of plants like herbs, spice seeds and even dehydrated vegetables and spice blends.

[Jenise]

Tom, coriander would be the best example of where I think the difference has traditionally been and should remain: coriander seed is the spice, and cilantro/fresh coriander are the herb. I agree that the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but that's generally inexperience and lack of knowledge talking. Those who know better typically differentiate.

How about Chinese Five Spice?

I'd consider any mixed spices as one spice. They have given it one name. Besides salt and pepper, here are my 5 essential spices.

cumin
Grandma's Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Chipotle Chili Powder
Crushed Red Pepper flakes

Very telling, indeed.

Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne
Cumin

And a question, what is dry mustard? Spice? Condiment?

It's obvious that the definition of spices, herbs, and such is at best a movable target, so in the absence of a general category we get to assign our own, right?

My categories differentiate between salt, spices, herbs and the pepper family. I was influenced by some chefs for many years, and convinced that peppers, primarily capsicum peppers, are a key flavor group for food.

Of course, it gets murky---or rather, stays murky---when you consider that cilantro (which I'd consider an herb) is the leaf and coriander (which I'd consider a spice) is from the same plant.

And we haven't even talked about using fruit as a 'spice'--as in squeezing a lemon or lime on fish or seafood.

black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, sesame seed, cumin

The first three are no-brainers. There's a lot of competition for the last two slots.

I'd have to add saffron to my list. Then black pepper, garlic, cinnamon, ginger.
Interesting thread as I've never really taken the time to considered the differences between herbs and spices and items that sort of fall in between like salt.

Never considered garlic a spice or it would be at the top of the list! And a LOT of it.

Salt is not a spice, it is organic and is mineral. I think I must have been the last generation that had to take Home Ec in high school. We learned a little about a lot of things to do with running a home.

And a question, what is dry mustard? Spice? Condiment?

By my definition definitely a spice since its ground mustard seeds.

This list would change for me often, as I tend to go through cooking phases where I play with a lot of the same flavoring ingredients in different ways. Lately I have been on a heat kick, so mine would have to be: Aleppo pepper, ancho chili powder, sumac, szechuan peppercorn, and cumin.

My Grand Dad would have been disappointed this hasn't been mentioned yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQFV3FNu1YY

Pray tell, 'Winger, what do you use that on?