Is there a "color wheel" for spices

Is there a "color wheel" for spices - Assorted Spices on Brown Wooden Table Beside Red and White Textile

Are there "models" proposing relationships between spices as there are between colors?
(I understand that color is based on the physics of light and that there is no (afaik) "physics of flavor". I am using it as a metaphor)

I'd like to get more creative and adventurous with mixing spices but I've blindly overspiced a few dishes and have grown cautious... I don't really understand what I am doing sometimes when I add spices: what I am trying to achieve.

  • Oregano and Marjoram – next to each other on the "spice wheel". Marjoram is more polite.

  • Tarragon – has overnight dates with Cardamon but swears they are not an "item"

  • Bay Leaves – no one knows what these taste like but they are really important!

I'm joking but I hope you get the gist. Is there a "model" or language with spices? ("Bay Leaves add DEPTH, damn it!!!") which informs how they can be used?



Best Answer

You are not the first to wonder about that and yes, there are “color wheels” approaches, two books for example are

  • The Science of Spice: Understand Flavour Connections and Revolutionize your Cooking by Dr. Stuart Farrimond
  • The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit

Not necessarily an endorsement of these specific books (there are more with a similar concept, some discussing spices, other flavors in general), but those two should get you started in the right direction - or at least give you an idea.




Pictures about "Is there a "color wheel" for spices"

Is there a "color wheel" for spices - Purple Petaled Flowers in Mortar and Pestle
Is there a "color wheel" for spices - Assorted Vegetables and Spices on Wood Surface
Is there a "color wheel" for spices - Assorted-color Herbs





BobBlast 97 \




More answers regarding is there a "color wheel" for spices

Answer 2

Not quite a "wheel" approach, but The Flavor Bible by Page and Dornenburg is another reference (older and differently organized from The Flavor Thesaurus). I'd say the The Flavor Bible is a little more detailed on classification of ingredients by various parameters and possible pairings ("affinities"), while The Flavor Thesaurus gives a little more detailed explanation on why certain pairings work.

But if you're really looking for something akin to a visual color wheel approach, my understanding is that the recent book The Flavor Matrix by Briscione and Parkhurst actually uses many color diagrams very much like that to show flavor affinities, based on flavor ingredients that were chemically analyzed and organized in part using IBM's Watson technology. (I haven't bought the book yet, so I can't speak to it in detail, but it's on my list.)

Answer 3

spice color wheel

This is a cool graphic: spice color wheel

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Engin Akyurt, PhotoMIX Company, Angele J, Engin Akyurt