Here comes another beautiful week of acceleration contests with an interesting topic titled, “For Taste, Flavour, and Good Health.”
What are spices? And identify at least five of the spices in the thumbnail picture above.
Spices are the special ingredient that makes our food unique and delicious, the spices give us the taste we need in a meal. I know everyone has these unique spices that make their food special. Because there are numerous species out there and we only make use of them when they are needed.
As for the contest, we were asked to identify five species from the image given and I'm so glad because most of the species are very good. So I will be identifying
- Onion
- Ginger
- nutmeg
- garlic
- cloves
What are the local names of the spices you could Identify with local pictures from your kitchen?
The local's names of the spices in Hausa language are shown below.
| English name | local name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | Albasa |  |
| Ginger | Chita |  |
| Nutmeg | Gujiya dan miya |  |
| Garlic | Tafarnuwa |  |
| Cloves | kanumfari |  |
How did you get to know these spices and when do you apply them individually or as a combination?
I got to know the ingredients when I was a child, we often use them at home to cook different types of meals and sometimes they can be mixed with other species for herbal medicine.
How do you measure the quantity to be used when preparing any local dish?
Well, it depends on the quantity of food one wants to prepare, but as for onions its very good for the body and also for the eyes, when ever I'm cooking after blending it with my pepper, and still slices like two full onions on top of the rice or spaghetti as the case may be just to garnish the food and give it a good and nice look.
Nutmeg I usually use it alongside ginger and garlic when I want to prepare pepper soups either catfish or goat meat pepper soups it gives the soups a better and nice aroma. If the ingredients are dried I usually use one teaspoon of nutmeg, garlic, and ginger.
As for cloves mostly we used them when I want to prepare pap, so mostly we use the cloves according to the measure of corn we will use. We also add ginger as well in other to give the pap a good taste.
Are they any claimed or confirmed health benefits of the spices you have identified?
Ooh, yes all the ingredients have their health benefit as they are all sources of good nutrition.
| Spices | Health Benefits |
|---|---|
| Onions | Helps prevent cancer and it's lower blood pressure. It is also good for the eyes. It is good for digestion |
| Ginger | Ginger is good for healthier skin and It helps to speed up digestion also it helps to reduce pain |
| Nutmeg | Here is another good source of nutrients for the body, |
| Garlic | Garlic also lower blood pressure and it also reduces inflammation in the body, and it's a good source of vitamin C and B6 |
| Cloves | Cloves has a lot of nutrients that help to kill bacteria and also reduce stomach ulcer. It is good for the immune system. |
What else would you like to tell us about these or any other spices?
All species are very important to the body system provided we know how to apply them, ginger and garlic play a virtual role in the body when mixed. Back then, people depend on all these special local species for medicine and they were living more Heather than we are now. All natural spices are very good for the body both physical and otherwise.
Thank you