Wikipedia:WikiProject Food and drink/Herbs and Spices task force/Template

Picture of spice (in forms used for cooking, ground and whole for example)

Name

Plant name (with wiki link)

Flavour

Anything else?

Introduction

• Give the full name of the plant in bold
• What plant it comes from and provide a link to that plant.
• What part of the plant is it from? root? seed? fruit? leaf?
• What is it? an herb? a spice?
• Anything else interesting about it that needs to be said right off the top? say it here.

Properties

Flavour

• Is it hot? mild? aromatic? bitter? sweet? in one or two sentences, summarize this spice/herb. Are there two types with different flavour?

Active compounds

• describe which chemicals a plant contains; give a reference if possible
• which of them are most probable responsible for the flavor/possible toxicity/ other important properties of the spice?

Preparation and form

• What form is it available in? Powder, whole, peeled, etc...
• How can you store it? Can it be ground up? frozen? dried? etc.
• How do you use it? Do you roast it first?

History

• Provide the history of the spice/herb here.
• Include where it was originally used/grown, according to what we know (provide fact to back this up)
• Did this spice cause any wars? (I think cloves did for example)
• Anything else interesting about its history
• Present history: where is it grown NOW

Culinary uses

• General uses, no specific recipes
• How it used in different countries?
• What kinds of dishes is it used in?
• Any advice for users? (i.e. don't use too much, use within 6 months, VERY HOT, etc...)

Recipes

• If it is a KEY ingredient is some sort of mix/curry or some powder mix, then give it here.
• Put some links to recipes which use this spice on Wikipedia and on the web here. If you search on google, put the ingredient/spice as well as this in the search string: (site:allrecipes.com | inurl:epicurious | inurl:recipesource | site:cooking.com | inurl:Recipezaar )

Medicinal properties

• Many culinary herbs and spices also have medicinal uses, e.g.:
  • as folk remedies
  • in ayurvedic medicine
  • in homeopathy
  • as a source of allopathic pharmaceuticals
• Omit this section if not applicable

Warnings

• is the spice toxic in huge doses? How much of it is needed to produce the toxic effect? Are there special issues with kids/pregnant women/people with special diseases?
• Is there a high incidence of allergies to it?
• Are strong associations (Example red rose petals =>love) with it or even cultural taboos?