I have received a parcel from Zlamushka at Zlamushka’s spicy kitchen QUITE a while back. I unfortunately broke the chain, due to circumstances. I have kept her parcel and at the time, had them all vacume packed and stored in a cool, dark place. At first  I thought to completely let it go because this is SUCH a late response, but it rests on my conscience and then I finally decided to do a post anyway, even though it is way beyond too late!

…Zlamushka’s parcel…

So!  I’m showing you the secret ingredients in these spices of Zlamushka and have you guess some or all  of the ingredients , or even what they are called for those who have a good knowledge of their spices. I will have it run for a week and the comment who comes the closest to guessing  some of  the ingredients, will receive a parcel with herbs/spices/salts/goodies from me, as will Zlamushka! You don’t have to be a blogger and you don’t have to live in France. (I hope it won’t be a problem, custom- wise to have it sent outside of Europe?) When leaving a comment and you don’t want to leave an email adress in the comment box, you can just email me privately with your email address.

…secret spices 1…

…secret spices 2…

…secret spices 3…

…secret spices 4…

I will announce (along with Zlamushka’s help) all the spices next Friday 23 October 09, as well as the recipient of my parcel with herbs/spices/salts/goodies.

Some tips on the four secret spices that arrived in her letter:

• Cubrikovska(the Slovak name) – a traditional mild  Slavic spice mix; great seasoning for any kind of meat, stews or sauces. Zlamushka’s favourite way of serving it, is sprinkled on omelettes.
• A very strong spice seasoning for meat and game. Rub on a steak prior to grilling or make a marinade by mixing with a cup of gin, some chopped shallots and a sprig of rosemary. Marinate your red meat for a day.
• According to Zlamushka – a no-brainer! To be fried in a tablespoon of oil and served on lentils and it looks great.
• “Indian chewing gum”; Once done with eating, just chew on this spice and spit out the rest!
• The most important tip: Zlamushkla’s spicy kitchen blog is filled with spices she uses every day, so you might just run across these there!

• A recipe or two with these spices will follow in the next post!

UPDATE:

The following info was received from Zmalushka and I quote exactly as I received it from her:

“1) Cubricovka is a Bulgarian spice mix – super traditional, it goes everywhere. The main ingredient is Summer Savory “cubrica” which is ground together with some garlic and salt.

2) Supari – mainly contains sugar coated fennel or anise seeds, coconut, melon seeds, betel nut androse petals. It aids digestion and freshens the breath after curries. Makes also lovely room decoration 🙂

3) Panch phoron (Bengali 5-spice)

4) Juniper Grill Spice:

2 tbsp juniper seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft muscavado dark brown sugar

Ground together. To make a good marinade for duck breasts or game, add this mixture to 1 cup gin, chopped onion and 2 rosemary sprigs. Mix well and rub into the meat prior to grilling.”