United Kingdom
SEASONINGS
British food comes from an interesting contradiction: it’s built on simple, restrained cooking, but was heavily influenced by Britain’s global empire. This simplicity focuses on bringing out the natural flavors of ingredients rather than covering them up, which is why British cuisine uses fewer spices than many other food traditions.
British seasoning practices underwent a dramatic transformation across centuries. Medieval British cooking was heavily spiced: research reveals that 90% of 13th-15th century recipes contained imported pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg (source). Later, New World discoveries introduced tomatoes, potatoes, and chili peppers; spices became more accessible to the middle classes. The 1600 founding of the East India Company enhanced British seasoning through organized spice importation and allowed specific spice applications to rise, like CURRY POWDER (made of turmeric, coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, fenugreek, paprika, and mustard), which is a British interpretation of Indian masalas, standardized for British palates. Unlike Indian spice blends, British curry powder provides consistent, mild heat suitable for leftover meat preparations. World War II rationing severely disrupted this heavy spicing trajectory, creating a generation with conservative seasoning habits.
Traditional British herbs that form the foundation are sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. These hardy, climate-appropriate plants have been local since medieval times and continue dominating now. Sage is perhaps the most characteristically British herb, essential in stuffings, sausages, and the sage-and-onion combination for roasted meats.
Spice-wise, white pepper is distinctly British—it’s preferred over black pepper. Nutmeg and mace are important in baking, essential for milk-based dishes, custards, and the MIXED SPICE BLEND of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and coriander. This British spice blend is common for Christmas puddings, mince pies, and hot cross buns.
SAUCES
British people have a notable affinity for tanginess, which is very visible in sauces:
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, accidentally created by Lea & Perrins chemists in the 1830s, undergoes 18-month fermentation to produce its umami profile from anchovies, vinegar, molasses, tamarind, onions, and garlic. This ‘happy accident’ now appears in everything from cheese on toast to cocktails.
HP SAUCE represents the British brown sauce tradition with its blend of tomatoes, malt vinegar, molasses, dates, and tamarind. Served with bacon sandwiches and full English breakfasts, HP sauce shows British preferences for sweet-tangy accompaniments to rich foods.
ENGLISH MUSTARD, though not technically a sauce, but rather a condiment, delivers fierce heat unlike any other variety. It’s significantly hotter and more pungent than French Dijon or American yellow mustard because it’s made without vinegar or with very little acid, relying on water or beer instead. This allows the mustard seeds’ natural heat compounds to remain at full strength, creating that distinctive nasal-clearing bite.
Also not a sauce, but a relish PICCALILLI is made from pickled chunky vegetables like cauliflower and onions in spiced turmeric vinegar. Its traditionally served with cold meats and cheese to add sharp, tangy contrast to rich foods.
Tunisia
SEASONINGS
Tunisian cooking leans heavily on robust spices. Compared to other North African cuisines, Tunisian food is spicier with chili paste, harissa, at the heart of cooking. Harissa is made from Tunisian baklouti chili peppers (1-5k SHU), garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway, lemon, salt, and olive oil. This condiment can be used as a sauce, rub, or marinade, and is sometimes called ”the new sriracha” for its growing popularity. Tunisia is the biggest exporter of prepared harissa and UNESCO lists it as part of Tunisia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The next step is to balance heat and aromatics, combining hotter elements with warm cinnamon, fresh mint, and coriander; tangy preserved lemons. Saffron in Tunisian cuisine is used more subtly than in neighboring cuisines. Caraway is more important than in other Mediterranean cuisines. Olive oil is used liberally; it’s sometimes infused with spices. In stews, cooks frequently use raisins, apricots, prunes, almonds, pine nuts, and other nuts to create a sweet-savory contrast.
TABIL is a distinctly Tunisian seasoning, a fragrant mix of ground coriander, cumin, caraway, and black pepper. Variations also add dried garlic, chili powder, black pepper, bay leaves, ginger powder, dried mint, and salt. Earthy, tangy coriander is essential in this mix. Used to marinate meats, roasted vegetables, features ojja, usban, pastas.
QÂLAT DAQQA or TUNISIAN FIVE-SPICE – includes cinnamon, cloves, caraway, grains of paradise, and black pepper. Used for meats, marinades, pumpkin, or eggplant dishes.
RAS EL HANOUT – a complex blend of spices that reaches even 80 ingredients. It starts with cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger at its core.
BAHARAT in Tunisia refers to a simple mixture of dried rosebuds and ground cinnamon, often combined with black pepper.
SAUCES
HARRISA – signature heat, depth, and smoky warmth found across many Tunisian dishes: dried chilies (especially baklouti pepper), garlic, coriander seeds, caraway, cumin, olive oil.
KAMMOUNIYA – cumin-based paste is primarily used in liver stews to add warm, earthy notes.
CHERMOULA is a marinade and sauce often used with fish, combining herbs like cilantro and parsley with garlic, cumin, coriander, and lemon juice.
