Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

Whole star anise.

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History: Star anise, the brittle, woody fruit of an evergreen tree native to Vietnam and China, has the sharp smell and taste of black licorice. The eight-pointed spice develops only after the plant is six years old; after that, the tree can continue to produce it for another century or so. Inside of each of the stars' points is a round, shiny seed that isn't used for much on its own. Also, it is nice to look at: Surely its shape has (or will) inspired some cutesy knobs on a bureau at Pier 1.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

Whole mace from Penzey's Spices.

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History: Mace is the webbing that encases a nutmeg, itself a kernel from the fruit of the Myristica fragrans tree, a species native to the Spice Islands. Mace and nutmeg were so valuable there that it was once traded for food and clothing. The Crusades brought the spices to Europe, and the Portugese were the first to broadly popularize their use in the 1500s.

When the Dutch uprooted a bunch of the trees from the Spice Islands during the delicious-sounding spice wars, they replanted them on islands under their control. The trees thrived. So much so that, to keep demand for mace and nutmeg high, piles of the spice were burned in the streets of Amsterdam. Eventually control of the Spice Islands was seized by the Brits, and by the 1700s people commonly carried nutmeg graters with them to season their food and drink on the go.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

Fresh sage leaves.

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History: Sage has made its mark on several different cultures: There's Greek sage, Mexican bush sage, fragrant pineapple sage and sacred sage among them, the latter of which is burned in Native American ceremonies or by homeowners who wish to rid their homes of bad mojo (like Mohammed did some seventeen years ago in The Real World-San Francisco, after the roommates kicked Puck to the curb).

Sage also pops up in stuffings, garnishes, pork dishes, saltimbocca and New Agey stores, and it's been called upon to treat aliments ranging from seasickness to measles. To the Arabs the plant was thought to heal and prolong life, thus linking the herb to wisdom and old age, if not immortality. Ever since, "sage" has become synonymous with wise, wrinkly mystics.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check looks at overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you probably don't own -- and probably should.

History: As summer begins its nosedive into fall, with it go certain plants we won't think of again till springtime, like the itchy trio of poisons oak, ivy and sumac. But as a spice, ground sumac berries -- a cousin of the itchy stuff we know stateside -- is not just ingestible, but indispensable in Lebanese and North African cuisines, where they impart a bright, tart taste.

Kristie McClanahan

A pile of non-itchy ground sumac.

​Today: Sumac bushes are grown in the Mediterranean and the Mideast, and the berries vary in color from deep red to purple, depending on where they're grown. It plays a role in many popular dishes there: If you're familiar with the spice blend za'atar, you're familiar with sumac, its chief component. The spread -- which also often features oregano, marjoram and sesame seeds -- is commonly spread on pita, and sumac is sometimes blended into a drink to ease upset stomachs.

In Use: Sumac paired with the spinach, feta and onion in these Middle Eastern savory tarts like a dream, lending a sour tang which, along with the lemon juice, lifted the two-bite tarts into an appetizer that was at once familiar and vaguely exotic. The dough was a pain to work with, so instead sprinkle sumac upon store-bought hummus, and act nonchalant when people ask what the reddish lemony stuff is on top.

Kristie McClanahan

Middle Eastern savory tarts.

​We found sumac at Penzey's Spices (7338 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-781-7177) in a 1.2-ounce jar for $3.75.

What overlooked spices heat up your kitchen? E-mail Gut Check your tips!

Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

Whole dill seed. Perfect for pickling if you're not in a hurry.

​History: Though today the word "dill" is right at home next to the words "pickle" or "dip" (or, for those super stoked for this summer's return of Beavis and Butt-Head, "hole" and "weed"), the word itself comes from the old Norse "dilla," which means "to lull." Makes sense, then, that it's believed to cure hiccups, colic and gas. Ancient Greeks and Romans would drape their war heroes with garlands of the plant upon their victorious return from battle.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

Lavender growing in south city.

​History: That the retail market is so flooded with who-gives-a-whit presents like candles, lotions and bubble baths for last-minute housewarming parties or particularly unimaginative birthday gifts, isn't so surprising. In fact, it isn't even a new phenomenon. Scented whozits have been around for centuries.

Soothing lavender has been used in lotions and soaps since antiquity, and is said to ease headaches, keep moths at bay and was used to clean wounds as late as the twentieth century. During the Middle Ages lavender water was thought to be an aphrodisiac, but with the added bonus of keeping those anointed with it faithful. Even today, lavender in bouquets symbolizes devotion.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

​History: Even Rodale's somewhat technical Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs can't contain its giddiness when it comes to describing the scent of cloves:

"Prowl around a darkened warehouse in an exotic harbor and sniff deeply.... The familiar fragrance always carries with it an air of mystery and romance."

So enchanting is the scent that if you happened to have been a Chinese courtier or government official a few thousand years ago, you'd have been required to keep cloves in your mouth when speaking to the emperor. Even today, for those of a certain age, cloves carry with them the scent of pseudo-rebellious youth, when clove cigarettes coincided with the first flirtations with pot or, perhaps, getting a tattoo.

Historically, cloves were one of the most important and valuable crops native to Indonesia's famed Spice Islands.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check zeroes in on overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you may not own -- and probably should.

Wikipedia | Wikimedia Commons

​History: Lest you feel sorry for fenugreek -- its stock overflowing at Whole Foods while its alphabetical neighbor, fennel, is sold out, and its abbreviation on the receipt (GRNDFNGRK) looking every bit the name of an underpopulated town in Poland -- and lest you think its best days were back in antiquity when its medicinal properties were cherished as a fever reducer and, in Egypt, as an embalming agent, take heart.

"Fenugreek! That's what makes your breasts better!"

That's what you might hear.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check looks at overlooked spices from around the globe, introducing those you probably don't own -- and probably should.

Forest and Kim Starr

​History: What do you get when you strip oregano from its wild roots? Marjoram: It's oregano's earthy, demure next of kin, complete with a name fit for a dowdy old woman. If current baby-name trends hold, scores of Marjorams might someday soon take their places on kindergarten carpet squares next to dozens of Henrys and Olivias.

Oregano is, in fact, considered "wild" marjoram. But while they share the genus Origanum, they are classified as separate species. Of the two, marjoram is far more subtle and delicate tasting, particularly in its dried state. (Other close relatives include basil, sage and mint.) Over the years the herb and its byproducts have been credited with everything from bringing good luck to couples to curbing flatulence -- two phenomena, perhaps, that are not entirely unrelated.

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Welcome to Spice World, in which Gut Check looks at overlooked spices from around the world, introducing those you don't own but probably should.

Kristie McClanahan

​History: After the garden produced a comically large number of cucumbers -- and after giving them away to family, friends, strangers and neighbors, all the while Googling "cucumbers + recipes" -- it occurred to us that the only thing the cukes hadn't yet done was get us tipsy. And so it is that there's a mason jar full of gin in the fridge with cucumber slices resting lazily on the bottom, their pale-green flesh now a washed-out yellow.

Herbs and spices have long been integral to everyday spirits. Gin itself, of course, gets its pinelike flavor and name from juniper berries: In French "juniper" is genièvre; the Dutch call it jenever. While it's been used in drinks for nearly 1,000 years, gin began to evolve into the drink as we know it today sometime in the 1600s.

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