Curry leaves. Sweet or bitter margosa leaves. They are similar to bay leaves in appearance but have a dry, spicy flavour.
Nigella. The small, black, bitter seeds of a relative of "love-in-a-mist". Nigella is often incorrectly called wild onion seed or black onion seed. The seeds have a sharp, pungent flavour with a hint of a smell of strawberries and are used for flavouring confectionary and liquors.
Nigella. It is often confused with black cumin because the name "kala jeera" actually translates as black cumin. These are the small, black, bitter seeds of a relative of "love-in-a-mist". Nigella is often incorrectly called wild onion seeds or black onion seed. It is used in northern India.
Black peppercorns, the fruit of a perennial vine with large leaves and white flowers. Green peppercorns are the unripe fruits picked early and pickled. Black peppercorns are picked just before they ripen and white peppercorns are the ripe, black peppercorns with the black skin flaked off. They are best kept whole and ground when required. Historically, pepper was one of the world's most important spices. Columbus sailed West, not East, in search of pepper in the East Indies. Instead he found the Americas and allspice.
