Talia Hazelton

The cacao bean is the seed of the fruit from the cacao tree, which is a small evergreen tree that reaches a height of 12 to 25 feet. Cacao trees are only found in hot, rainy tropical areas within 20° of latitude of the equator. Ripe cacao pods are carefully chosen by their color and are harvested from the trunk and branches of the cacao tree with a curved knife tied to the end of a long pole. It's estimated one skilled person can harvest up to 650 cacao pods per day.

When you think of sugar you probably think of the white stuff in the jar on your kitchen counter, the dust on sour neon gummy worms, or even the reason we all should brush our teeth at least twice a day. This is the refined sugar of modernized foods. Enter coconut sugar, the unrefined sweetener that's rapidly gaining popularity all over the world.

Allspice is the only spice that is grown exclusively in the Western Hemisphere and is native to the Caribbean (Jamaica), Mexico, Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras) and South America (Brazil, Leeward Isle).

The use of rose petals, or Rosa rosaceae, in cooking extends back through the centuries. Popular in Middle Eastern cooking, these little edible rose petals make a big impact on the flavor of a dish. Fossil evidence gives us proof that this beautiful, fragrant flower has been around for more than 35 million years. These are not garden-variety roses, which have lost their scent and flavor due to many years of cross breeding for the perfect "look."

Ocimum basilicum, commonly referred to as basil, is a member of the Lamiaceae family, or the mint family. Basil is closely related to lavender, marjoram, oregano, thyme and spearmint. While there are numerous varieties of the herb available in this country, the most commonly used basil is referred to as "sweet basil," and is generally grown in Mediterranean countries. This name can be a bit misleading however, as the basil grown in Thailand tends to have the sweetest qualities.

From the Capsicum annuum type of chiles, Byadgi Chiles are an extremely popular chile with a flavor that is fruity and earthy. It is the type of chile that has a heat that lingers in the mouth long after it’s been eaten. This chile is a popular one to be made into a chile powder as it is vibrantly red and maintains its color through cooking. This chile is known for its essential oil, oleoresin, that is used as a natural dye in the food industry as well as the cosmetics industry.

There are approximately 40 varieties of mustard plants grown around the world but only 3 of these are used to produce mustard seeds - white mustard (more commonly called yellow mustard), brown mustard, and black mustard. These black mustard seeds are Brassica nigra. Mustard seeds have been highly prized both as a medicinal as well as a culinary spice for many years. The earliest reference to mustard dates back to 500 BC in early writings from India.