Do you love to cook? Do you like to try new flavors and recipes? Or maybe you are in a cooking rut and don’t know how to start expanding your cooking repertoire. Join the Spice Club and take your cooking to the next level with featured spices and recipes to infuse excitement and flavor into every style of meal!
The Loomis Library Spice Club hosts monthly meetings to enhance our understanding and appreciation of different cultures through the lens of spices. Each month we explore a different region, a featured spice blend, ancient grains, and more! We will provide vegetarian recipes highlighting the featured regional cuisine and sample the recipes provided.
How it works:
Each month the library will provide a spice kit curriculum package that can be picked up at the monthly meetings or during normal business hours after the meeting date. Preregister for one or all workshops!
Each kit will include:
- Information and history of a featured spice, spice blend, ancient grains, and more!. We will explore regional cuisine and cultures, and botanical information of the featured spice.
- Two or more recipes featuring the spice or spice blend.
- Pre-measured samples of the spice, spice blend, or ancient grain, for the recipes*
* while supplies last
We will meet in person on the scheduled dates (see below) for an informal meeting, and sample the featured recipes.
January 28th, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Spice: Star Anise
Star Anise is indigenous to the southeastern part of China and Vietnam. Its flavor and uses are similar to those of anise (Pimpinella anisum), which is unrelated.
Star anise has a long, rich history, particularly in Asian cultures. Its use as a spice and medicine dates back thousands of years.
Join us as we delve into the history and recipes for this ancient spice.
February 25th, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Spice: Buckwheat
Contrary to its name, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is not related to wheat, nor is it a cereal grain at all — it is classified as a pseudocereal, and the “grains” we eat are actually seeds.
Buckwheat is an ancient food: It was first cultivated in Asia, and pollen dating as far back as the 2nd millennium BCE has been found in Europe. It arrived in North America with the colonists of the 1600s and remained popular in the United States until the end of the 19th century when changes in farming practices led to its decline. In the last decade, buckwheat has received increased attention as eaters seek out ancient grains and seeds for their unique flavor, uses in gluten-free foods, and contribution to biodiversity.
Oh, and did we mention that they taste great?
March 25th, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Spice: Aleppo Pepper
Peppers originated in the Americas and first traveled to Europe when Christopher Columbus brought them back from his voyages. From there, peppers continued their journey around the world and into the cuisines of many peoples. As peppers journeyed around the world, they were cross pollinated and new unique varieties were bred to blend into the cuisines of the area. In Spain, Pimentos were bred. In Thailand, Thai Bird Chiles were bred. And in Syria, Aleppo peppers were bred.
Join us as we follow the journey of this pepper from the West to the East––and back again. Learn how it is used in recipes from traditional Syrian recipes and as a seasoning in chocolates, pizzas, smoothie bowls, gazpacho, cocktails, pasta and more!
April 22nd, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Spice: Lentils
Lentils originate from Southwest Asia’s countries (Turkey, Syria, Iraq), from where they quickly spread to the Mediterranean countries, including Spain. The oldest remains of their cultivation date back to 6,600 BC, making them one of the oldest foods cultivated by man, almost 9,000 years old. The Egyptians considered lentils a daily staple food and a symbol of prosperity. Later, the Greeks and Romans began to use lentils in their diet.
Today, lentils are a universally beloved pantry staple. Whether a singular star ingredient or combined with other components in a dish, there is no denying the importance of this nutritional powerhouse in many cultures.
