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Christmas spices are a part of the holidays, just as are the Christmas trees, lights, treats, mulled wine and gifts. One of the most popular Christmas spices is gingerbread mix. Featuring ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground cardamon, it is commonly used for cookies and cakes during the festive season. You can easily make gingerbread spice mix at home by combining spices from our list. These winter spices will offer a festive treat for your taste buds and a beautiful aroma in your entire house. It can't be Christmas without them. Cinnamon Cinnamon is a very popular winter spice. It is made from the bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree. The bark is dried and rolled up to create the cinnamon stick. Ground cinnamon is usually made from cassia or Padang cinnamon. Cinnamon sticks are a great Christmas decoration! Cloves Dried cloves have a very intense, slightly bitter flavour. Use it carefully as it has quite a high content of essential oils and can overcome other flavours. You need cloves if you want to make mince pies and gingerbread - they can't go without them. One of the lovely natural Christmas decoration ideas is oranges studded with cloves. They create a citrus-spice aroma that fills the entire house, and they look beautiful. You can also put the oranges studded with cloves in closets or drawers for a fresh scent. Ground Ginger and ginger root The dried ginger root is ground into powder. It is a popular spice used for baking, cooking and making mulled wine. The flavour of ginger is zesty and lemony, fresh and slightly spicy - it's a Christmas punch spice. Nutmeg Nutmeg is made from the seeds of the nutmeg fruit, which grows on the nutmeg tree. Nutmeg has a robust nutty flavour. Ground coriander and coriander seeds Coriander-dried seeds have an intense a bit spicy taste. It can be used for all kinds of Christmas dishes - both savoury and sweet. Cardamom Cardamon is made from fresh immature seeds. It has a spicy and sweet flavour - perfect for desserts and hot drinks. Allspice The dried unripe berries of the allspice tree are strong and spicy in flavour and an essential component of the ever-popular honey cake or gingerbread. Allspice develops its flavour when ground. You can easily do it in a stone mortar: place the allspice in the stone bowl and grind it slowly. Lemon and orange zest Orange and lemon zest is the outer peel of the citrus fruits (oranges or lemons). It adds fruity flavours to your dishes. It also enhances other flavours in cakes, desserts, soups and gravies. Dried orange peels can also be sprinkled as a garnish. How to make Christmas spices infusion? The best way is to place the spices in a tea strainer or tea bag and then put them in the hot liquid so they can release the flavours and aromas. This way, you can remove spices easily from the liquid after heating them up and have a nice drink straight from the cup. How to make your own Christmas Spice? Every family has different traditional Christmas recipes. Here's the recipe for gingerbread mix that my family uses every year. You can add it to cookies, cakes and pancakes. Gingerbread Spice Mix 3 tsp ginger 3 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp cardamom

Turmeric Known as the queen of spices - turmeric is the primary ingredient for curry powder. It has excellent inflammatory properties and will prevent you from getting the first autumn cold. Add organic turmeric to tea, lattes, cakes, muffins, pancakes, soups, sauces and stews. Ginger Ginger originated in India and South East Asia. Its root can be used fresh or as ginger powder. It has a very fragrant, zesty, fresh flavour. It can be used for both savoury and sweet dishes, bakes, desserts and drinks. Organic ginger is packed with antioxidants and has excellent health benefits, including nausea relief, reduced bloating and gas, and fighting free radicals, as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Cinnamon Cinnamon powder is made from the bark of tropical, evergreen trees. Cinnamon sticks are pieces peeled off of the inside of the bark of the tree. Cinnamon has a very warming flavour. There are many reasons why you should add cinnamon to your diet. It contains antioxidants, which help fight free radicals and protect against disease, inflammation and ageing. Eating organic cinnamon regularly can reduce cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Cinnamon also helps improve gut health and dental hygiene. Cinnamon, similarly to ginger, can be added to all kinds of savoury and sweet dishes, especially cakes. Ceylon cinnamon also known as true cinnamon is a more expensive and difficult-to-find type of cinnamon. Allspice Although allspice is a single spice, it has the flavours of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. It is a warm-tasting spice that can be used for many warming feel-good autumnal dishes. Originating in Central America, allspice berries are harvested when green and fermented for a very short time, then dried, during which they turn brown. It is used for mince meat, meatballs, stews, warm beverages, and pumpkin dishes. Nutmeg Nutmeg powder is a fragrant spice made by grinding the seed of the nutmeg tree. It has an intense, warm, nutty, slightly spicy flavour. Use organic nutmeg powder in many recipes, especially in baking, for cakes, biscuits, and muffins. It also pairs well with vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and pumpkin. Nutmeg is rich in antioxidants, which help protect against many diseases and ageing. Nutmeg also has antibacterial properties against dental diseases and bad breath. Cloves Cloves are the flower buds of the clove tree, an evergreen tropical tree that is native to Indonesia. Cloves are high in antioxidants and may help regulate blood sugar, improve digestion and fight against bacteria. Known for their anti-inflammatory properties, they can help with oral infections, dental pain, plaque buildup, respiratory conditions, nausea and hangovers. Add organic cloves powder to stews, sauces, roasts, bakes and hot beverages like tea and mulled wine. Anise Anise is one of the oldest known spice plants, native to the eastern Mediterranean. It was used by the Romans for culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a sweet and very aromatic licorice-like flavour. Today, organic anise is a very popular spice in Italian cuisine. It can be used for biscuits, cakes, candies and beverages. Anise contains chemicals that might decrease swelling, and act as insect repellent. People also use it for indigestion, constipation, migraine and many other purposes. Coriander Coriander powder is a spice made from ground coriander seeds, that come from an herb similar to parsley. It has a fragrant, warming flavour. Coriander is rich in immune-boosting antioxidants. It can promote good digestion and gut health, and it may help lower your blood sugar. It can also improve heart, skin and brain health. Add it to sauces, curries, soups and salads. Cumin Cumin powder is a spice made with ground cumin seeds that come from Cuminum Cyminum, a plant of the parsley family. Cumin pairs well with root vegetables like carrots, and beetroots. Add organic cumin seeds to cabbage, cauliflower, beans, chickpeas and pea dishes.