2 Chefs Try to Identify Spices by Taste | Sorted Food

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I love when the tables are turned and Mike gets to host. He has underrated hosting abilities.

[@Kez_abi]

Clearly not underated coz he gets to host!

[@michaelmarvin6293]

unless he's janice

[@ethancampbell215]

Mike is a very capable host of challenges and battles, but I think he loves hosting more for the reason that he’s out of pressure of the hot seat and as the host, he’s got the opportunity to give back some of the banter he’s on the end of 😂

[@emmarold2683]

The disbelief when James saw Black Stone Flower on Ebber's whiteboard is just what I needed. Gotta love sassy James

[@mrmayortheiv]

And the toasted white rice in the last one, how the heck did he get that one

[@Becausing]

@@mrmayortheiv toasted and ground rice has a notable taste and very specific texture because it can only be broken down so far. Almost like a very pleasant under popped corn kernel.

[@yrynoy]

Mike would be the kindest, least judgemental teacher EVER

[@maryudomah4387]

He used to be a teacher (music, I think)! So he probably WAS!

[@yrynoy]

@@maryudomah4387 i had no idea, ty for sharing!

[@Annie1962]

@@maryudomah4387 yes he was, working alongside Jamie's now wife

[@aquaphoenixx]

But iI think his class would be a total madness and lacking of discipline.

[@OwlCMedicine]

@@aquaphoenixx kids often don't need as much discipline if they feel seen, appreciated and not judged by those in charge.

[@elethomiel]

Oh man. James is like the Grains of Paradise in the Sorted five spice blend. His particular deadpan style really elevates the whole dish.

[@greteukulele4561]

Yep. The dish is still good without the ginger, but by adding it, it becomes a real experience, much more complex and moreish. Only then you notice that the food tastes a little bland without it.

[@danieldniswara7972]

what happen to james though? why he's not appear as frequent as before? sorry for my bad english

[@greteukulele4561]

@@danieldniswara7972 He quit Sorted a year ago and has another job as a development chef. Lucky for us he is still filming videos every few months.

[@dolan-duk]

The spice is missing when Currie leaves.

[@micheinnz]

@@dolan-duk I see what you did there! :D

[@DHill-ce7hm]

Lol James covering his answers from Ben. It’s like they’re back in school

[@SortedFood]

No cheating allowed 😂

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

I’m incredibly amused by the chefs not knowing all the spice blends and their ingredients. And then I realise that I wouldn’t even be able to distinguish oregano from thyme. 😂

[@idagrady2052]

Same....

[@SortedFood]

Brilliant 😂

[@heruhcanedean]

I can tell if they are fresh (Ben would love my herb garden). Oregano grows in the back middle of my herb garden separated by onion and garlic chives, Mexican on the left and Greek on the right, there's lemon thyme in the middle in front of the chives, and the front left corner is creeping thyme. But if they come dried from the store I can't really point out a difference either.

[@GIBBO4182]

@@heruhcanedean strange flex 💪

[@andrewmartin2103]

Spoiler

[@Shelsight]

James protectively hiding his answers like a kid in a classroom exam, and Ben just scribbling away not hiding his board at all. Always sweet when James regresses into childhood (like ripping the paper of the Christmas gifts & Easter eggs 🤣)

[@treebender-bl2du]

I love when James come back and makes the kitchen sassy, ginger and angry again! Reverse the roles and make the normals try to guess

[@donaldfinch1411]

It would have been interesting to have Barry and Jamie taking the same test in another room...

[@SortedFood]

It would! We wonder what scores they would have got 🤔

[@stone5against1]

@@SortedFood Is 0 a score? :p

[@janmay3901]

@@stone5against1 lolololol

[@janmay3901]

Can't allow Barry to list every spice he knows under the sun...

[@tiacho2893]

@@SortedFood I think I remember Baz in a similar video. I am pretty sure he scored pretty high and named one "How the TF did you know that!?!" spice either by being familiar or just dumb luck.

[@rif9576]

Always so giddy when James returns to the kitchen.

[@janmay3901]

12:05 humanized the chefs and it was the only thing in this video I could relate to. Lolololol

[@RobBrown1991]

I've noticed a bit more African food in the last few months. I appreciate that a lot, thanks :)

[@SortedFood]

Glad you like it :)

[@Kaylee_eeee]

I love that James and Ben are both so knowledgeable but Ben loves the science and explaining it and James knows all of the things but isn’t as teachery. They play off of each other so well and bring such fun sides to these.

[@valliarlette6596]

Kudos to the behind the scenes brigade. That food was amazing.

[@manlindabelle]

History teacher poking their head up here, with regards to the conversation about Sri Lanka and the Caribbean, Mike mentioned Sri Lankans "went" to the Caribbean, but this was not really an acknowledgement that this happened because the British used South Asians as indentured servants. It has never really been explored in the depth that African slavery has, yet has had a huge impact around the world, in the Pacific Islands, on the African continent and in the West Indies as well. In my opinion, it changed cuisines around the world in a way we don't acknowledge because it all happened not in the west.

[@SortedFood]

That's really interesting, thanks so much for sharing Belinda!

[@rebeccamoore4177]

🔥

[@sashad4490]

tbh it really should be taught but i would think it would be covered in skls. I mean its covered in the islands because it is a part of our history

[@micheinnz]

Gotta admit, I heard "went" and my head went "come on, you mean TAKEN." It's also why there is a larger-than-you'd-expect South Asian population in the Pacific, especially Fiji.

[@bir22]

It was _very_ glossed over. Like that Ladybird book that described the r*pes of Boudicca's daughters at the hands of Roman soldiers as "the Romans were very rude to her daughters".

[@AniaBumba]

Ben always impresses me and I like how much he cares! So nice to see James again.

[@irishwristwatch2487]

Barry Taylor watching from home, stroking a cat, going "muhahahaha" and doing the Dr Evil thing

[@ThePatrynHaplo]

I'm loving the trend of turning the tables and knocking the chefs off their high horse a bit! I'd love to have a normal in a secret location also compete against them and reveal to the chefs at the end that they were competing against a normal!

[@mnoreke]

Let the two remaining normals join forces and work as a team!

[@micheinnz]

Two chefs vs Baz and Baz might still win!

[@puaala93]

15:31 Ben: Ahh I rubbed that one out James: (enthusiastic) Yes Unintentional ben-uendos and silly plays on words.. love it!

[@linannsingh6165]

Because our favorite Ginger is home (again), James's is now the WINNER of the CHEF'S BADGE COMPETITION! Congratulations James !

[@Foodgeek]

In Denmark we have this incredible blend of spices that is the only thing we use for our national foods. It's um.. salt and pepper 😂

[@joanhall3718]

Fun video. You are always referencing the Food Team. What I would love is an introduction, maybe one member per video with their background/history. They are obviously an important part of Sorted, give them a bit of love!

[@squirrelyshirley7629]

Good idea but there is always the chance that the food team doesn't want the attention.

[@kawaiimiku1]

I'd love to see what these guys do with native Australian spices and ingredients, even here we barely know of them and they can be really interesting and great ingredients that we just don't hear about. Would be great to see them shown off.

[@loriegabidel]

I love watching James and Ben play off each other. I also love how giddy Mike gets when he has the power.

[@acolytexephos569]

pls do more of these w the chefs it’s absolutely fascinating

[@99nerka]

Polish "pieprz ziołowy" would be an interesting one to test for you guys in the future. It roughly translates to "herbal pepper" and it is mixture of herbs and spices.

[@danutagajewski3330]

A-ha! Just made up a batch...now have to go hunting for more juniper berries (that was my babcia's additional spice!)...hard to find here! I have made it with Grains of Paradise too which I love adding to just about everything!

[@marymaryquitecontrary]

@@danutagajewski3330 Interesting! I have both of those and have been looking for recipes that use them. Thanks.

[@stiffk666]

@@danutagajewski3330 I also have juniper and grains of paradise I've not touched in ages as I wasn't sure what else to do with them. It seems you have the perfect use for us, Ty Edit; any chance you could help us out with quantities please or is it a family secret?

[@danutagajewski3330]

@@stiffk666 Try grains of paradise instead of pepper on egg and vegetable dishes...oh my!! So good! Juniper berries in meat dishes (pork is the best) and wild game, stews especially. Here's my gran's recipe for herbal pepper (with my variation): 1 tsp white mustard seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp dried marjoram 2-3 small bay leaves 5-6 juniper berries ½ tsp grains of paradise (adjust quantities to taste) Smash together in a mortar and pestle/store in airtight jar.

[@stiffk666]

@@danutagajewski3330 that sounds amazing, thank you so much for sharing 😘

[@instigatorink]

I love that on the 4th Ebbers is willing to keep having an educational chat about the spices, & James is just, “food. Immunna eat.”

[@Hanakooh]

Kush really pushed the chefs to the limits man, this is actually extremely difficult, like at least 5 levels above what the normals had to do.

[@SortedFood]

It's great isn't it? 😂

[@Hanakooh]

@@SortedFood It does! And knowing that Sortedfood being an educational channel through and through, it sure teaches us all as well.

[@DanielDugovic]

This was an amazing challenge; it's wonderful to see Kush exercise so much creative freedom and put our 2 chefs to the test!

[@meganirene8421]

i absolutely love how concerned mike looks when he’s genuinely engaged with what the chefs are saying when explaining something 😂

[@Madchef8u]

I just made some mole (chocolate finished) to share at a family gathering today. 20 some ingredients and 4-5 different cooking techniques. Fun stuff!

[@Abhothra]

Seeing how we have both Chefs in.....Can we get a Molecular Gastronomy competition between these two please?

[@SethMVO]

I love seeing Ben and James together in their cheffy element

[@pupsnaq1344]

Pass It On Theme: Ebbers' Garden Path. Order and ingredients determined by Ebbers, but ingredients come in at the same time as the next chefs, when Ebbers thinks they -should- be used based on the remaining time. Ebbers watching and reacting the entire time.

[@richardhardy3868]

They should make a sorted 5 spice where each of the guys bring I their favorite spice and they mix them together and have to cook with it to see what it works with

[@jormateras9298]

I would like to see a blind test, chefs and normals, of pretty normal ingredients. It is quite surprising when you take out even one sense how much harder it is to recognize tastes and flavors.

[@JoannaHammond]

My own personal garam masala has about 13 spices in it, so I get the point :D My blend is: Green & Black cardomen, Nutmeg, cinnomen, corriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, star anise, cloves and fennel seeds. I tends to be more towards the citrus side of the balance as that is a flavour I like.

[@frenchfriar]

I found it fascinating that I was able to correctly guess a few of the ingredients just from the descriptions James and Ben were giving of their experiences. Those spice blends all sound perfectly amazing.

[@m.theresa1385]

Interesting was how many of the same spices these all had in common. I’m thinking that today nutmeg is way underused when it was once a prominent spice .

[@darlouthia5153]

Love seeing the chefs do this challenge!!! Also Grains of Paradise !? Color me intrigued!

[@dianehutchinson9257]

Ben is just out here, quietly being a mega food nerd and I love it! 😍

[@hanifsans]

It's amazing how you guys always manage > 15mins video to feel like a 5-min one! Always enjoyable, nicely paced.

[@Hubin12]

Love seeing james back with the lads, that classic chemistry still there

[@sarawilliams3190]

My favorite thing about this channel is that I end every video smiling. Love that! Love you all, from Bristol, Connecticut. 🤗

[@icechiang]

I love seeing all the different types of cuisine in this video. I feel like you guys really branched out and tried very visually different things and it looks incredible. Loved it!

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

With James roasting Ben within the first 30 seconds, you know this is going to be a great episode.

[@IHarleyWin]

Little did James know that Ben being in the seat has not made him any less cocky

[@fabe61]

Ben suggesting the last one was Thai, given the ground white rice, seems pretty smart given that Thailand is famous for its laab/larb.

[@jimhammond2307]

I applaud you guys for this most entertaining set of videos. I have been a home (normal) cook for over 50 years and almost every show, I walk away with at least one new style of cooking or in many cases a new flavor to try. Thanks Jim Hammond

[@GarrigKitten]

This episode feels like the food team wanted to flex their skill and I am 100% on board for this. Though it also doesn't surprise me that Ben's scores were generally higher given how much he tends to get down and gritty with his ingredients in comparison.

[@rosehill9537]

Thank you Kush for your work on these blends. A joy to watch the chefs sweat lol

[@nono-cw6ck]

I get so many ideas from watching you. I especially like this episode an ones like it. I have learned so much about spices from other regions. I am excited to use Grains of Paradise in a spice blend.

[@drygyn]

It was great seeing Ben and James on the counter side of this one - a bit of humility, but also a nice show of knowledge, intuition, and knowing they'll take that knowledge to amazing places.

[@melissas1865]

I have never heard of any of these. 😁. But now I really want to try grains of paradise!

[@janmay3901]

Yeeeeessssss

[@m.theresa1385]

It’s the one spice I’m shopping for. It sounds like it has all flavours I love , much like allspice does (I frequently drop whole allspice berries into stew type dishes I’m making,)

[@kimmychuang5564]

this series is my new favorite!! i’m genuinely impressed by the chefs being able to identify so many of the spices when i probably wouldn’t even get one!

[@hurkledurkleyay]

I'd love to see you try out some spices from the South Pacific-horopito and kawakawa come to mind from Aotearoa and can both be found online. Locals also call horopito the ice cream or bubblegum tree, it's a really sweet, delicate flavour :)

[@jacksontreece3497]

To add on to this one- it would be awesome to see the boys try manuka or kanuka. There's tea, honey and the wood used for smoking that comes to mind.

[@RiverDanube]

Great to see the chefs going spice to spice with each other.

[@seemsliketodae]

Absolutely loved learning about all these spices, thank you so much for making things so fun!

[@sorinavasile6518]

It was incredible fun to see the 2 chefs struggle to identify the spices. Mike did a great job, really sweet and gentle judge :)) Great to see James again!

[@MaikNL]

Can we maybe get some challenges against the food team ? I like to see Kush in action. They always bring in amazing dishes from behind the scenes.

[@Maialeen]

The food team seems to have no interest in being on camera. I feel like if any of them wanted to they would have done so already.

[@stone5against1]

@@Maialeen Bit like how James used to be behind the camera and ended up on camera down the road. If he hadn't wanted to, he would have stayed behind the scenes, aside from the occasional glimpse of his hand passing food to the people on set.

[@ericaschner3283]

Even if they don't want to be on camera, doesn't mean there can't be a challenge. Get a box of ingredients and give each a whole day. Ben and the normals create a dish, food team creates theirs, guest chefs come and cook both and judge without knowing who wrote which recipe.

[@kushbhasin3051]

@@Maialeen think again ;)

[@micheinnz]

@@kushbhasin3051 KUSH. DOES THIS MEAN YOU WANT TO COME AROUND THE BENCH AND BE SEEN. PLEASE SAY YES.

[@Getpojke]

Great video, learned a lot from that one. Not a spice blend, but something rarely used in this country, are "Linden Flowers". From the Tilia tree, commonly called the lime tree here in the UK or Basswood in America. Use the dried flowers either whole or crushed when roasting lamb or mutton. Nice with steak/beef too. Gives a wonderful floral aroma & taste. The dried flowers are often sold for use as a tea. I picked up using linden flowers when I used to visit Turkey a lot & its a common ingredient in a lot of lamb dishes.

[@helenswan705]

If you are lucky enough to find a Lime tree in blossom, the smell is overwhelming, the sound of bees is astonishing, and if you can reach the branches, the blossoms are so easy to pick, dry, and use at home. I've only ever had it as tea, a good calming tea esp if you don't enjoy chamomile. Never thought of cooking with it.

[@Getpojke]

@@helenswan705 It's beautiful isn't it, sometimes you get whole parks full of lime in flower & its quite intoxicating. Unfortunately I've no limes growing near me so have to buy the flowers now. But as you say, easy to collect & dry yourself & the tea is lovely. If you like the tea do give cooking with them a go, a beautiful scent & flavour.

[@RoyceRemix]

Loved how tough this was for them 😂 Would also be interesting to see the chef's guess spice blends that *aren't very ground up, to hear their thoughts while guessing based on looks

[@naeemhalim4451]

In India we have a method of tasting and dissecting spice blends. Mix them in some water, that way the aromas really open up. Also categorising spices into 3 sections really helps. So like low notes, medium notes and high notes in music, if you put spices into earthy notes (cinnamon, black stone flower), body notes(black pepper, cloves) and aroma notes (nutmeg, mace, cardamom) it really helps in recognising them as well.

[@Scixxy]

I don't know if it had a name, but when I was in Jordan, I had cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, clove, and star anise ground up and added liberally to coffee grounds, so much it looked like potting soil. The coffee was made in a huge copper pot like a cauldron, settled with eggshell, and served generously sugared in tiny cups, and it was glorious!

[@phatputer]

This his why I love experiencing new foods and visiting different restaurants, experiencing food is basically why my wife and I travel

[@nnekaotika5635]

You should try Nigerian suya spice. It's used for grilled meats

[@SortedFood]

Thank you, we will have to check that one out!

[@joyjohnson8776]

WOW! Chef's, you amaze me, your taste buds are out of this world. I am on team Ebbers, so James.

[@meganberk6072]

In the southwest US and Mexico we use a “spice blend” called Tajin on stuffs. Love to hear some cheffy thoughts on that.

[@soulpardoned]

I love tajin!

[@m.theresa1385]

I love in my salad dressing and sprinkled on avocado. Excellent in/on egg salad too. I’ve been playing with using more lime, lime/lemon mix in places where I traditionally used lemon alone. It adds an unexpected surprise when making some basic dishes for sharing.

[@gracewoodall19]

Tajin 🤤🤤🤤 I love putting it on fruit! Like green apples or mangos :)

[@meggiemegggs]

Can’t eat juicy fruit without tajin anymore. Soooooooo good on watermelon and pineapple

[@22hmartin]

This was a great one, Ebbers and James were so fun to watch trying to sort this out.

[@RobinHood3000]

I would love to see another video like this, but unbeknownst to the competitors, all of the powders are ramen flavor packets.

[@lazysamare]

Ahh the wine course. I heard Ebbers has an allotment too? 👀😂

[@Sarah-ic4yu]

Y’all should do a version of telephone but with a dish. Like have a chef make a dish, then have a normal come in and taste it and try to recreate it and so on!

[@Grayson.P]

or: have the full dish be cooked and recorded by each individual. but they watch the whole video presentation, plating and all, they can not go back, consult or take notes. Once the video is done they have the same set amount of time to recreate the dish and process. And the process repeats. Also there are no indicators or anything taken out or placed to indicate what the dish is. (a bit more generous than just tasting, but for the viewers sake getting to see how much one person remembers to the next and trying to recall while on a time limit could make for better viewing)

[@mayflower473]

It's rare to come across a food channel where I still learn things, and I love that I often learn about global ingredients that are new to me on Sorted! Your unique approaches and creative ideas are a cut above the rest!

[@Getpojke]

So the big question. Does Ben get to keep his "Spice Badge" after today's video?😆

[@SortedFood]

Good question! What do you peeps think? 😂

[@DonnyDaveGaming]

After the stunt he pulled with Barry I think he should lose it 😆

[@michaelmarvin6293]

I think Ben should lose it not as revenge to Barry cause Barry did mess up and was literally guessing anything. but because he scored low

[@Misshowzat]

@@DonnyDaveGaming that was a piece of art *and* another video. He said lavender!

[@DonnyDaveGaming]

@@Misshowzat You're right, but it'd be sweet for him to get his own back for funsies haha

[@scottrhodes8160]

I really like the way the two chefs' faces got redder or less red when they ate each spice blend-lets you know how much heat is in the mix. Always good to see James back for a video. BTW that was really impressive spice guessing from both of you.

[@nikeipod1]

The moment Ben said "It's bitter" in Poudre de Colombo, I immediately shouted fenugreek seeds. I don't know of any other whole spice that adds bitterness along with flavor into a spice mix.

[@wormulous]

Like you said it's amazing how far spices travel and the different blends from around the world. Practically impossible to know them all.

[@everythinggamingnow]

You guys should try and get a guy called "latifs inspired" on an episode, he does some amazing indian recipes, and runs an indian restaurant. Learnt a hell of a lot about spice blends and indian dishes from that guy!

[@SortedFood]

Thanks so much for the suggestion!

[@kalyn319]

Probably one if my fave videos! This was one of my fave tests in culinary school!

[@ananyasamarasinghe5403]

as a Sri Lankan, it was so cool to hear about that last one, i had no idea it even existed

[@kennythefrog1]

Omg omg omg it's James... I adore when he is back, my day... I mean night it's 2am downunder, just got better. His smile makes me smile.

[@adelaideharper9201]

The Caribbean spice blends are heavily influenced by Indian spice blends and ingredients. For example, curried goat is a common dish in Jamaica, which has a massive Indian diaspora. That's why the spices are so similar, Ben! They came over starting in the 1870s as indentured workers for the various plantations.

[@EAKugler]

Next time, you should let them taste the food before revealing it. It's so much better to be able to taste spices cooked and activated. I bet they'd get 75-80% rather than 40-50.

[@SortedFood]

Maybe we should do both - food and spice.

[@hez_am_i2448]

Or present 5 spice blends, 5 plates of food. Match the spice blend to the food then name the spices.

[@kimkinlock5441]

Maybe if each spice blend is cooked in the exact same basic dish (like a grilled chicken breast) so that the nature of the dish doesnt give away any clues about region. And then after the guessing, present it on a regional dish because representation is great for everyone!!!

[@DumbMuscle]

@@SortedFood Half points for spices they only get after tasting the food

[@Idiomatick]

It gives away the locale though

[@secretforreddit]

Would you consider doing a recipe video of those mutton curry roti? They look superb and I would love to learn how to make them! I know the channel doesn't really do recipe videos anymore, but I do miss them and watch your old ones all the time :(

[@sharminir]

Well done guys. It was not easy to identify all these spices...I would not be able to identify a fraction of it. Great food as usual. ❤❤❤

[@avivgalmidi]

Do'a / Dukkah is an amazing Egyptian spice blend which is not well known outside the middle east

[@kwoylee5617]

Dukkah is quite widely used here in Australia, believe it or not, and can be found in pretty much every supermarket. It's probably due to the influence of Lebanese migrants here since the 1970s.

[@jacobm954]

I'd like to see them try some Aussie bush spice blends. There is a store near me I should check but one I found online is Lemon Myrtle, Mountain Pepperberry, Roasted Wattleseed, Bush tomato powder, and Saltbush. Best used when preparing kangaroo

[@m.theresa1385]

I’ve not heard of any of those native spices, but then we’re not preparing kangaroo. They might be nice used on venison or bison though ,, what is a kangaroo flavor profile?

[@jacobm954]

@@m.theresa1385 It is a rich, gamey flavour. The closest comparison would be very lean beef or venison, though it is stronger than beef and more tender than venison.

[@m.theresa1385]

@@jacobm954 Maybe mutton?

[@jacobm954]

@@m.theresa1385 I lack the experience or information to provide an answer to that - sorry.

[@texasgal07]

The boys are back together!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@erininthedell]

I love the focus on different regional cuisines! Please explore more, it is so cool to learn about them!

[@Ninkashi]

These challenges are so interesting.. I learn so much, both about spice blends but also about the individual spices :D

[@lucabohn]

Great vid, as always! But a small addendum to the berbere and kitfo. You use warm clarified butter. Clarified butter is a major part of Ethiopian cuisine, as it is the main fat. Kitfo is a lukewarm dish as you have to melt the butter and then mix it with extremely fine minced beef.

[@hmoham]

Garam Masala really is almost unique to every household, which is annoyance for me as there is one ingredient (or combination) I haven't figured out yet in some blends that makes me feel really unpleasant, and for that reason apart from homemade dishes I avoid all dishes with Garam Masala in.

[@moniquem783]

Could it be that in some dishes they also add coriander leaf/cilantro when they use garam masala? Coriander makes some people feel really unwell. It’s not just the tastes like soap thing. It’s a chemical interaction that some people are more sensitive to than others (I can explain further if you want to hear it). I recently wasn’t sure if the herb in my veggie box was coriander or parsley, so I put one leaf on my tongue for a few seconds. It tingled uncomfortably almost immediately, and continued tingling for the rest of the day. I also just felt really icky and fatigued and actually needed a nap because of it. That’s from not even chewing or swallowing any of it. If I eat a dish with it, it takes me days to start to feel normal again. I barely ever eat out and I almost always cook from scratch at home because I just can’t risk getting coriander-ed. As it gets more and more popular in mainstream food, it’s getting more and more dangerous to buy anything ready made. I know many people with the same issue with coriander leaf/cilantro as me. Some are more sensitive than others and so have more severe symptoms, but it all stems from the same issue.

[@darklordbacon]

For me I have to make a blend without cloves, it's the one thing that affects me.

[@moniquem783]

@@darklordbacon interesting! I can tolerate cloves in cooking just fine, but if the dentist uses the stuff with clove in it that’s supposed to make you heal faster, I react badly and it won’t heal until I go back and get the clove stuff taken out (I think it’s in an adhesive). I also can’t cope with clove essential oil. And yet I just ate a bowl of stew that had 6 cloves simmering away in it for about 2 hours. That’s fine. So weird.

[@micheinnz]

@@moniquem783 Coriander leaf is a herb, rather than a spice, but yeah, that would put me off. Wondering if it's cumin, now, which I can only handle in small quantities -- I tend to at least halve the amount listed in recipes because otherwise it elbows its way to the front and shouts over everything else.

[@moniquem783]

@@micheinnz yes it’s a herb, but it’s a herb that’s often added to spiced dishes, so it’s still something to rule out. Try a dish with coriander but without garam masala. If it doesn’t happen, it’s not that. If it does, well that’s much easier than figuring out which spice in secret blends is the issue. I always halve the cumin amount in recipes too. It’s such a strong flavour. Too much doesn’t make me unwell but it sure ruins the dish! It could very well be an amount issue. That you can tolerate a certain amount of a certain spice just fine but if you go over that amount it triggers something. The experimentation required to actually figure it out for certain will likely be frustrating though. I think a spreadsheet would be in order! You would officially become a spice geek. Ben would be proud 😂😂

[@littlefirecracker1289]

I knew Ben would win! He knows so much about food😉

[@caseyrogers573]

Ben was so shattered when Mike said “I’m looking for 16” 😂

[@patrishidye]

I was so excited by just looking at it I got the grains of paradise. Those sort of distinctive White flakes.

[@robinscannell]

Wow, this was a great video. So interesting to see so much that's beyond my (and even the chefs') knowledge!

[@valliarlette6596]

Very much enjoyed this presentation. Please do it again!

[@Wychwood]

Have you gentlemen tried to dissect Old Bay seasoning yet? I can tell you that it has 18 ingredients.

[@xtiinne]

Love when our 2 favorite chefs go head to head. Can't name a better duo 🥰

[@rhombicuboctahedron9343]

I've been hoping you would try Ethiopian! Could you make injera (a spongy flatbread)? I've had it in Ethiopian restaurants. It's used as a plate and a utensil to eat a selection of vegetable and lentil stews (you tear off pieces to pick up mouthfuls of stew). Delicious.

[@micheinnz]

Injera is SO DELICIOUS! It's a pity teff flour is so expensive here (New Zealand) or I would be making injera all the time!

[@faeadams4966]

THATS WHAT ITS CALLED! Omg thank you. I had a foster sister who was Ethiopian and she took us to an Ethiopian restaurant (this was about 13 years ago and I lived in London at the time) and I loved it. Didn’t like the injera on its own (I found it very vinegar-y) but I loved it with the curries. I’ve been thinking about it since then and I never knew what it was called and whenever I described it people had no clue

[@helenswan705]

@@micheinnz I heard that Ethiopia have banned exporting any teff so it must be hard to come by

[@micheinnz]

@@helenswan705 It is grown in other countries, but only in very small quantities. Can't say as I blame Ethiopia for ensuring their own food supply before worrying about exports.

[@helenswan705]

@@micheinnz I agree. We have the luxury of choosing what grain to eat!

[@zapheil]

I would’ve loved to see their ingredient guesses before /and/ after they tried the spice blend in food

[@keetrandling4530]

Would love episodes of Deep Dives into 3 or 4 individual spices each episode: Barry or Jaimie doing the background info (What it is, where it grows, varieties), Ben extolling flavor notes & how it's used around the world, and an easy but not obvious recipe* for us noobs to make and the boys all to taste. *(Like, no Cinnamon Buns for cinnamon)

[@dawnchesbro4189]

Yes! This would be wonderful. I often have spice blends, but will only use the blend for specific dishes. It'd be great to expand the use of spice blends beyond the expected regional dish.

[@tamaraandersson2532]

Ebbers! King of the kitchen!