Fruits, Seeds, Spices, Barks and Resins of Various Kinds

Fruits
Cloves: nail-shaped flower-buds of a tree from Southrun. Cloves are chewed to freshen the breath, used extensively in cooking -- both meat and fish are studded with them. Ground/powdered cloves are also used in gruels and sweets. Clove's antiseptic and slight painkilling affects are exploited in wound treatments as well as treatments for toothache, and for 'coldness of the blood'. Considered one of the hottest of spices. Used in cooking and as an antiseptic and painkiller.

Citrus: oranges and lemons are imported from the Provinces as well as Eastrun. They are used extensively as flavorings (in meats as well as sweets), but generally not eaten on their own as they are too expensive! Candied orange peels, made by soaking out the bitterness from the peels and crystalizing them in sugar, are a popular comfit (candy) and subtlety decoration.

Mace: the outer covering around the nutmeg within the fruit of the nutmeg tree. The best is the color of gold and it will keep 10 years. It used to be sold whole or in strips. Also used as a strewing herb by the very rich.

Seeds
Anise: The seeds are used to treat gas and to make people sweat. They are also used in sweets and candies.

Cardamom: 'warm' spicy seedpods and seeds imported from Eastrun. Southruners desire it to flavour their coffee, and it is also used in some mulled wines. Meat and rice dishes are often flavored with cardamom.

Coriander: The round seeds (which resemble bugs!) are used for cooking and to deter fevers; often used in breads. They have been used to treat or prevent tummyaches, including gas.

Cumin: hot/spicy seeds now used in Balduren dishes. Goblins used it in cooking and to treat gas. Rye bread with cumin seeds is a favorite among Gnomes.

Flax: the plants of flax make linen, and the seeds cooked in water make a constipation treatment and an invalid's porridge; a flax seed, placed in the eye, can be used to remove foreign bodies because of the mucilage it exudes.

Mustard: This huge annual plant produces hundreds of tiny yellow or black seeds (The ability to grow 6 feet tall in a single season is well heralded. Mustard sauce (generally made by mixing ground mustard with vinegar/wine/water/honey and other spices) is one of the most common condiments for meat. Mustard seed comes in Black/Brown and Yellow/White varieties. To make good sharp mustard, mix it up on the spot and use it right away-- the flavor fades quickly.

Nutmeg: seed pit of the nutmeg tree, imported from Southrun. Shipped as whole nuts and ground for use, or eaten whole. Nutmegs set in silver are a popular pomander. Ground and eaten to improve digestion; set in silver and carried as scented jewelry. Common in cookery. It is a general tonic, but eating too much nutmeg is hard on the kidneys.

Pepper-like spices
Cubebs: pepper berries from Eastrun imported to Westrun. Also called tailed pepper. Cubeb vinegar is used in recipes in the Provinces.

Grains of Paradise: seeds of a Southrun tree. An alternative to pepper. Used in sausages and in certain types of mulled wine.

Pepper: black, white and green pepper come from the same plant. Cooks have black -- with the skins on-- or white-- with them removed. Used extensively in cooking.

Long pepper: a relative of regular pepper(but not the same) comes as long dried seed capsules and has a fiercer flavor and a sweeter smell. Both regular and long pepper are used extensively, in sweet as well as savory dishes.

Barks & Wood
Cassia: bark and buds of the cassia tree, from Eastrun. Often onfused with (or substituted for) cinnamon, cassia has a rougher, stronger taste. Almost all 'cinnamon' sold in Westrun is cassia.

Cinnamon: the bark of an Eastrun tree believed to be a transplant from Southrun. True Cinnamon is lighter in color and more fragile than cassia, with a smoother, richer taste and smell. Cinnamon is used in anointing oils by the Human Church and Curates of all races. It is also burned as a precious incense. It can be used to flavor fruit and grain dishes, and used in hashmeat especially-- but because of its expense and prestige factor, it is sometimes used by the rich in cooking almost everything as a sign of status.

Sandalwood, both red and yellow: red was used for coloring food, yellow more for burning. Because it tastes like wood and is sometimes adulterated, it's not recommended for internal use.

Resins
Frankincense: resin (dried sap) of the olibanum tree. Comes as 'beads' of resin. The best is clear and white. Imported from Southrun. Used in incense. Also recommended to treat sinus problems and uterine disorders in a poultice applied to the abdomen. It is steeped frankincense and patients sit over the smoke or steam. A rich, church-y smell.

Myrrh: resin tapped from splits in the bark of a Southrun tree. An aromatic used in pomanders, cosmetics and other scented preparations, as well as embalming. Used extensively in wound treatments due to its antiseptic properties. Used in mouthwashes and some antiseptics, though not currently recommended for internal use.