All about Pizza Spices

Pizza spices play an important role when making pizza. Incorporate them into your sauce, mix into the dough to give it a great flavor, or use it as a topping…either fresh or dried.

Great chefs understand how to use spices to enhance their food and build layers of flavor. Learning to use pizza spices when creating your homemade pizzas will improve the flavor of your meals…

Below is a small list of spices that are common when making pizza. There is almost an infinite number of flavor combinations, experiment by adjusting the amount called for in a specific recipe and then increase or decrease the amount of spices to meet your personal preferences.

SPICES

• Oregano
• Basil
• Fennel
• Parsley
• Laurel
• Marjoram
• Garlic
• Bay Leaf
• Rosemary
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Cardamon

Oregano

Oregano is probably the mother of all pizza spices. It’s the most popular spice among almost all the pizza restaurants because of its peculiarly pleasant, slightly bitter taste. It’s a member of the mint family, so it can give your pizza a piney/minty aroma.

Now, if you’re going to use oregano (which is highly recommended), make sure that you choose the Greek or the Turkish varieties since most pizza makers swear that they give exactly the kind of taste that you want on your pizza. Such varieties, moreover, were probably what people of old have used on flat, round bread baked on hot stones – such bread that have predated the modern pizza are and are thus commonly thought to be the origin of pizza dishes. You may also try other oregano variants if you wish. The Italian Oregano, for instance, is especially suited to those who enjoy much milder flavors for pizza, so you might want to try that one.

Basil

There are some people, however, who prefer to forgo oregano’s bitter flavor and choose to use basil instead. Basil is a spice that has a mild, sweet taste. Like oregano, there are several varieties. Basil is a common spice, you see, and it is highly doubtful that there will come a day when the market runs out of this herb. So, if you choose this for your spice, try to get hold of the French basil, which is hailed by some experts as the best variety for pizza pie making.

Fennel Seed

Though the fennel seed has to be imported from Asia, particularly Egypt and India, a lot of pizza makers cannot forgo the use of it in making pizza. You see, fennel seed has a special quality about it that amplifies the pizza pie’s aroma and taste.

Parsley

Parsley is best added to the pizza sauce. Parsley modifies the flavor of the pizza in either subtle or strong ways, depending on how much of it you use. Several experts recommend the use of flat parsley in order to acquire great flavor.

Laurel

Sometimes, the fact that pizza is more or less and Italian creation shows in the spices that are used in making pizza; the best and common ones are usually found and grown abundantly in Europe. What’s even more amazing is that the crown of laurel leaves that the Italians used to award their noblest heroes is used today as flavoring for pizza. Laurel, or bay leaf, has a pungent flavor that makes it quite popular as pizza sauce flavoring.

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