Huacatay is a South American herb with some of the most unusual names we've heard. Join Reuben for a quick foray into the world of wakataya, muster John Henry, stinking roger, and black mint. Along the way, we'll talk about the most famous dish that uses huacatay and the non-culinary uses for the herb.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that hi…

Content warning: This episode of The Spicecast contains one minor instance of adult language and may not be suitable for children.In this episode of The Spicecast, co-hosts Reuben and Dee discuss cardamom. The show delves into cardamom's history, its use for culinary and medicinal purposes, references to cardamom in pop culture, and more! There are…

Korarima is one of the native spices that is most widely used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking. Join Reuben for a brief journey into korarima and the various spice blends and medicinal contexts in which it is used.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on s…

Jakhya, though widely known in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, is virtually unused as a spice outside of that region. On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben delves into the most prevalent uses of jakhya in food and medicine, as well as the tempering method for spice in general.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spi…

The barberry, though now primarily used in Persian cuisine, was once common throughout Europe and western Asia. On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben describes the most common uses for barberries in food, medicine, and more.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The S…

On this episode of The Spicecast, Reuben introduces Dee as a co-host of the show. Join the pair to learn about aniseed and fennel seed in food, history, and pop culture. Additionally, the episode includes a tasting of aniseed and fennel seed in whole, ground, and tea forms, as well as star anise seed.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: h…

Bush tomato is a term for a number of species of fruiting plants in the nightshade family. On this brief edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben lays out some of the most commonly used types of bush tomato and describes their various uses in food and medicine.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from aro…

Did you know that a spice can be made from ground cherry pits? On this quick episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben explains some common uses for mahleb, a popular baking spice around the Mediterranean Sea.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Fa…

On this brief edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben delves into the Mexican culinary uses for epazote, a widely used and flavorful herb. Listen in for a quick overview of epazote's place in food and culture.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!…

On this quick episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben investigates West African alligator pepper, which isn't related to black pepper but is related to another spice with which you may be familiar. Tune in for an overview of alligator pepper's use in food, medicine, and culture.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and i…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben delves into filé powder, an herbal seasoning made from the leaves of the sassafras tree. Listen in for a brief dive into the history behind and culinary and medicinal uses for filé powder.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses jimbu, a wild herb that is virtually unknown outside of Nepal. Tune in for a quick look at this unusual allium.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: https://facebook.com/thespicec…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben delves into curry plant, a Mediterranean plant with culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses. Listen in for a brief taste of this fascinating spice and herb.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebo…

On this brief edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses pipicha, a Mexican herb with numerous culinary applications. Tune in for a quick look at an herb you may never have heard of before.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: htt…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben briefly covers costmary, an herbal plant that has been used in medicine and cooking for centuries. Tune in to discover the interesting history behind this tasty herb.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social m…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben quickly delves into golpar, a plant in the carrot family that is used as a spice and as an herb. Listen in to learn about how this ingredient is used to enhance Persian dishes.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast o…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben briefly discusses keluak, the highly poisonous seed of the pangium edule plant. Tune in to learn about how to prepare keluak safely, as well as culinary and medicinal uses for the spice.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The S…

Happy holidays from The Spicecast! On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben quickly covers the culinary and medicinal uses for koseret, an African herb in the verbena family.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: https://facebook.c…

On this episode of The Spicecast, Reuben is joined by special guests Dee and Isaac for a rousing discussion of star anise. Join the crew as they work through the many uses for star anise, including as a spice, in cosmetics, and in medicine. Additionally, the show walks through the history of star anise and references to star anise in pop culture, a…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben briefly covers salep, a flour popularized in the Levant thousands of years ago and still enjoyed today. The conversation touches on culinary uses for and history of salep.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on soc…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben quickly discusses boldo, a South American plant used as an herb and spice. The episode also briefly covers medicinal uses for boldo.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: https://www.faceboo…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben does a brief overview of many species called pennywort, including Asiatic pennywort, Java pennywort, manyflower marshpennywort, wall pennywort, lawn marshpennywort, liverwort (also known as pennywort), and Virginia pennywort. Stop by to learn a bit about each of these useful plants.Spice Oddities is a short…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses three species of myrtle (anise, cinnamon, and lemon) that are used as herbs, primarily in Australia. Learn a bit about the culinary and medicinal uses for each of these types of myrtle in this brief episode.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients fro…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben talks about borage, a fragrant flowering plant used both as an herb and as a spice. Briefly learn about the historical, culinary, and medicinal uses for this common plant.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on soc…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses orris root, a rhizome from two species of iris plants. Learn all about the culinary, medicinal, and aromatic uses for this uncommon spice on this brief episode.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on soci…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben talks about the tonka bean, a legume that has been used as a substitute for vanilla. Briefly learn about the history of and culinary uses for this strong, bitter flavoring.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on so…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses njangsa, the seed of the ricinodendron tree. Listen for a brief explanation of njangsa use in cooking, medicine, and pop culture.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on social media!Facebook: www.facebook…

On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben talks about quassia, a neotropical, bitter plant that can be used both as an herb and as a spice. Learn about the history and varied uses for quassia in this short episode.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on so…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben discusses musk mallow, a versatile plant that can be used both as an herb and as a spice. Learn about the many and varied uses for musk mallow in this bite-sized minisode.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast on soc…

Happy new year from The Spicecast! On this edition of Spice Oddities, Reuben explores mastic, the dried resin of a tree in the cashew family. The episode focuses on culinary uses for mastic and also touches on its history and some medicinal uses.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the …

In this second installment of The Herb Blurb, Reuben is joined by special guest Kayla to discuss oregano in all of its forms. The show goes into oregano in cooking, medicine, and pop culture, as well as the history of oregano.Follow Kayla on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kaylalouwho and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kaylalouwho22/.Foll…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben highlights paracress, a plant in the aster family that is used as an herb and as a spice. The episode focuses on various culinary and medicinal uses for paracress, as well as some of its more unusual characteristics.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from…

On this episode of The Spicecast, Reuben is joined by special guests Nick and Stephen to talk about The Spice Melange (commonly known as spice), a fictional substance from the Dune universe. The show goes into what The Spice Melange is, then continues with various uses for The Spice Melange, effects of The Spice Melange as a drug, and The Spice Mel…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben focuses on wattleseed, a legume that is extracted from Australian Acacia plants. The episode discusses various culinary uses for wattleseed as well as its nutritional benefits.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world.Follow The Spicecast o…

On this episode of The Spicecast, Reuben is joined by special guest Sofia to talk about sumac, a tangy and delicious spice with many applications, culinary and otherwise. The show discusses what sumac is, then dives into culinary uses, pauses for a brief sumac tasting, then goes into the history of sumac and its medicinal uses. The final segment fo…

On the inaugural episode of The Herb Blurb, Reuben is joined by special guests Louis and Alex to talk all things cilantro (AKA coriander). The show discusses cilantro's culinary applications and history before a brief tasting of cilantro and culantro. Later in the show, the trio dives into medicinal uses for cilantro and cilantro in pop culture.Fol…

On this episode of Spice Oddities, Reuben focuses on grains of Selim, a spice that is common in some parts of Africa but fairly rare in most of the rest of the world. The episode discusses where grains of Selim are grown and used, as well as various culinary uses for this peppery pod.Spice Oddities is a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon …

In the premiere of a new Spicecast series, What Spice Means to Me, Reuben speaks with Evan Foster about his journey growing chilis and fermenting his own hot sauce. The conversation touches on Evan's experience, favorite hot peppers and recipes, some of the more technical pieces of pepper fermentation, and how peppers, fermentation, and hot sauce h…

The Spicecast is excited to announce three new series on this month's episode!Spice Oddities will be a shorter-form series that highlights uncommon spices and ingredients from around the world. The first episode of Spice Oddities, focused on kokum, is included in this episode.What Spice Means to Me will be an interview series where guests talk abou…

On this episode of The Spicecast, Reuben is joined by special guests Nathan and Stephen to discuss a misunderstood spice, onion powder. The show dives into how to make onion powder, culinary uses for onion powder, the history of onion powder, and some health benefits of onion powder. Perhaps, by the end of the episode, your views on onion powder wi…

On this family episode of The Spicecast, Reuben is joined by special guests Ashley and Clint to talk about allspice. The show begins by describing allspice and discussing some common culinary uses, then dives into the history of allspice before finishing with brief segments on allspice's medicinal uses and its appearances in pop culture.Follow The …

Happy holidays from The Spicecast! Reuben is joined by special guests Stropheum and Jess to discuss many of the varied styles of hot sauce. The episode begins with a segment on our personal experiences with hot sauce, moves on to define hot sauce very broadly (and then disagree with that definition), and delves into some of the chemistry behind hot…

Reuben is joined by special guests David and Aaron for a discussion of chili con carne. The trio talks about what makes chili chili (spoiler alert: it's the chilis) before moving into dishes made with chili, variations on chili, the history of chili, and, finally, chili (and various spellings thereof) in pop culture.Credits:Cover Art - "Red hot pep…

Reuben is joined by special guests Brent and Kenny for a discussion of super-hot peppers. The episode starts with a definition of super-hot peppers, goes through the fairly short history of super-hots, then pauses for the first remote tasting on The Spicecast before proceeding with a segment on uses for super-hot peppers before finishing with a con…

Content warning: This episode of The Spicecast contains adult language and may not be suitable for children.Reuben is joined by special guests (and redheads) Heidi and Ashley for a long conversation about ginger. The show begins with a discussion of red hair and society, then continues with what ginger is, culinary uses for ginger, and the history …

Reuben is joined by special guests Kaylee and Dee to talk about coriander seeds. The episode begins by discussing what coriander is and some of its most common uses in cooking, then goes into the history of coriander. Later in the show, we discuss medicinal uses for coriander and references to coriander in pop culture.Credits:Cover Art - "Red hot p…

"Live your dreams, eat your garlic" - Ancient proverbReuben is joined by special guests Layne and Sophie to talk about garlic. Though garlic is technically a vegetable, it is commonly used like a spice, so The Spicecast is covering it in this episode.The episode begins by discussing what garlic is and the many types of garlic that are grown worldwi…

Black lives matter, now and always. Since long before the murder of George Floyd late last month, black people in the United States have been systemically marginalized, oppressed, and killed by white people in positions of power. The act of murder that was committed by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25th, 2020 is the direct result of the whi…

Reuben is joined by special guests Justin and Lishan to talk about turmeric. The episode dives into what turmeric is and its history before a long segment on the medicinal uses of turmeric and a very short one on turmeric in pop culture. We also hear about the turmeric tasting that Lishan ran for her coworkers and share a number of fun facts and se…

Content warning: This episode of The Spicecast contains adult language and themes and may not be suitable for children.Reuben is joined by special guests Dee and Chris to talk about cumin. The episode distinguishes between common cumin and various species of black cumin, delves into the history of cumin, discusses the medical uses of cumin and blac…