A long time ago, when the world wasn't burning and people weren't fending off hoarders of radioactive pigeons, different countries came together to trade spices between each other to make their insipid, tasteless food taste a little less tasteless, and way less rotten.

Until the Portuguese came and ruined everything by trying to monopolize everything, kickstarting a trade war that escalated into a geopolitical game of chess where the world powers became empires, wars were waged, and everything became a little bit worse. All because some high-and-mighty people wanted to have something spicy with their boiled sausages. Thanks, cardamon.

Now that the world has sadly come to an end, it falls to you, the chef at the end of the world, to rebuilt society from scratch, and what better way than to tap into history and set up a spice trade so that people can come under the peaceful rule of your iron fist as a benevolent dictator.

By now, you should've raided Doc's apothecary for a handful of seeds and plants that will make your food taste as good as the best chef's, and have grown an impressive collection of herbs and spices that are sure to make the marauders water their mouths as you flaunt it to the spiceless peasants beneath you.

Thing is, what are spices good for anyway?

Sure, salt and sugar might be self-explanatory — they make things taste good — but what about the ginger and the anise and parsil of the world? What do they give me, besides unlimited power?

That is what we will be discussing today, as one must understand what these are good for in order to harness their full potential. When we are done, you will be a master herbalist/Spice overlord!

Spices, herbs, and condiments are essentially useful to balance food and to bring out or boost flavors of other elements. Basically, they bring out the best of food, like mitigating the worst of it.

To better understand how to balance flavor, we must understand flavor itself. Harness it. Make it become our servant. Dominate it. You get the idea.

The human tongue can register 6 basic tastes: 

Sweet(The Pleasure Flavor): Detects the presence of sugar in foods, as it is a basic source of energy for your cells. Sugar is the basic gasoline of our body, so we more naturally gravitate towards it.

Salty(The Enhancing Flavor): Salt enhances the natural flavor of whatever elements are sprinkled on, while also acting as a natural preservative.

Sour(The Acid Flavor): This one is activated by the hydrogen ions found in food, which we evolved to detect as most rotten food has an acidic taste. Now we eat it for fun because we are sadistic.

Bitter(The Toxic Flavor): Many poisonous ingredients are bitter, so like sour, our tongue has evolved in order to detect it. It will be the first thing you taste when your trusty food slave tries to poison your food to bring about the doom of your Spice empire. Nowadays, bitterness is an acquired taste thanks to beer and dark chocolate.

Umami(The Appetite Flavor): A taste that our tongue picks up when we detect the presence of glutamic acid, which is found in foods like tomato, meat, and cheese. It is also known as savory, and your mouth salivates, cuz it's yummy-yummy and makes you feel good.

Spicy(The Fiery Taste): This one is more of a hack than a taste, but one we must acknowledge. Spicy is a toxin that some plants exude as a means of defense that tricks the brain into thinking we are on fire. Of course, we humans have harnessed the spice, because no plant is gonna tell the Spice Emperor what to eat or what not to eat.

Spices encompass the whole of the 6 flavors, and they are used to either boost each other, or to mitigate the extreme presence of the other. Some spices also have medicinal or special properties that we will be discussing as well. For now, to see how each spice affects the other, take a look at this chart. If possible, tattoo it on your body so that only you can keep the secret of the Spice.

The gray arrow means that the flavor boots the others, and the black arrow means that the flavor neutralizes or mitigates the other. Since salt and umami have a similar receptorial composition, they are joined for the sake of easiness.

Sweet and Salt compliment and boost each other, as salt enhances basic flavors, such as sugar, which is why most sweet preparations, like cakes, call for a pinch of salt to make the sugar taste even sweeter!

Sweet and Sour play off each other to make a combination made in heaven. The sweetness overloads the sour taste, and the sourness avoids the oversaturation of sugar.

Sour boosts Salt/Umami and overpowers the Bitterness, white Bitterness and Salt/Umami balance eachother.

Spicy and Sweet balance each other so that neither overpowers the other.

In order to properly balance a dish, you must use your herbs and spices, because, as stated before, they are the best way to impart said flavor to your meal.

And we start with the humble salt.

Since ancient times it has been used to highlight the flavor of food, or for preservation through the preparation of brine or by dehydration. This operation allows the almost complete extraction of the liquids contained in a product allowing preservation or by evaporation. Salt is extracted from mines or by evaporation of marine water. Since sodium is so necessary for human life, it is a must-have in any kitchen.

The word "salary" comes from this, as people in ancient times were partially paid in salt. You can use this practice to keep your subjects at bay and prevent them from rising against you.

Acids:

Vinegar: is a product caused by oxidation, caused by a type of specific bacteria called "mycoderma" oil in the presence of air. Its basically used in vinaigrettes but is also used in the preparation of some sauces or in the cooking of meats. Usually, vinegar is a product derived from wine but you can also extract vinegar from some types of fruit such as apple, pineapple, among others; and flavor them with some kind of herbs. Vinegar, being an acidic element, also has antiseptic applications, as it is used to disinfect surfaces and food.

Lemon: the characteristic flavor of lemon is due to the presence of citric acid, located under its shell. It has a dual purpose as a bitter element if you grate the skin.

Sugars:

Sugar: solid and soluble, sweet substance, obtained from the cane of the same name, or beets and other vegetables. Its use in the kitchen is generally reserved for pastries, desserts, and infusions. Also found in sweet wines from musts very rich in glucose.

Glucose: is another natural sweetener extracted from fruit with corn starch and hydrochloric acid, comes with a crystalline white color and is basically used for the preparation of jams and caramels.

Honey: it is a sweet and viscous calcium fluid produced by bees from the nectar from flowers.

Natural sugars are healthier and tastier than their artificial counterparts, but have a shorter shelf life. Use them, if possible, but do stockpile artificial ones for longer use, or to give away to children during the festivals in which your glory is exalted throughout the land.

Herbs(Bitters):

We call herbs the aromatic plants with leaves and woody stems, used in the kitchen as condiments. They can sometimes occupy a prominent place in preparing a dish, then becoming a true ingredient. Although they can be wild, the herbs we use are usually cultivated. Herbs stimulate appetite and inadequate proportions make more digestible food, although they offer little nutritional contribution, because their strong aromas and tastes limit its use to small quantities.

They are usually used last in any meal as they quickly lose aroma and flavor when cooked for a long period of time.

Basil: its leaves extract its delicious, fresh and delicate in flavor. So much better fresh than dry, it complements very well with recipes where tomato takes protagonism, as it usually happens in Mediterranean cuisine. You can also put them in the hands of the dead to make sure they reach heaven, allegedly. Waste of good herb if you ask me.

Chives: Leaves are used fresh, dried or frozen. It is characterized by a mild onion flavor and is mainly used in salads, soups and vegetable dishes, as well as for culinary decoration. But also in creams, sauces cheese and remoulade French sauce, and even to make butter. Gypsies hang them in their homes to ward evil.

Coriander or cilantro: All parts of the plant are edible, however the leaves fresh and dry seeds are the most frequently used food. It is useful for many dishes, since it gives them a mild and bittersweet flavor and aroma. The leaves are used in soups and salads. Some people have a genetic mutation of the OR6A2 gene, which means that, if you see someone not liking cilantro, you can shoot them in the head for being mutant freaks. Parade their head through your empire's plaza to boost the morale of your people.

Clove: We use it for strong flavors. Cocoons, whole or ground, are present in recipes made with meat, fish and seafood, as well as sweets, stews and drinks. Painkillers are extracted from the nail, therefore their excessive use on a plate can make your tongue fall asleep.

Dill: Seasoning from the parsley family, noted for its affinity with fish, as well as for its ability to enhance the taste of eggs, salads, sauces and soups. Very common in the Nordic countries. Its leaves are much richer fresh and, since they lose flavor if cooked, it is recommended to add them to the plate shortly before serving. Use them to ward yourself against witches.

Laurel: Fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor soups and broths and for sauces that require a long cooking time, especially those made with meat, poultry and game. They are also used in short fish broths or "fumets". The leaves are removed before serving. Boiling a bunch of these and applying them to rashed skin serves as a quick cure.

Oregano and marjoram: Two similar herbs but with quite different flavors. Marjoram is sweet and delicate, while oregano, a wild variety of the Marjoram, is an herb with an intensely bitter flavor. It's used in sauces, especially the ones containing tomato, but also, in sauces for fish or roast meat (mix oregano, lemon, and olive oil). In Italy is customary to sprinkle the pizzas with oregano. It is used dry.

Parsley: It is grown worldwide and its good reputation dates back to the Greeks and Romans. Parsley is always used fresh, and flat-leaf parsley is used more than curly. East last has a milder flavor. It is a basic ingredient in many sauces and salads. It helps against cancer and diabetes.

Rosemary: It is preferable to use it dry, since fresh may have a certain bitterness and is a regular on roast meats, lamb, game, fish. Italians use it a lot in rice. It is used in Europe as a sing of remembrance, so use it to make your subjects to remember who is the boss.

Garlic: Garlic is used in cooking as a natural flavoring. It has an aroma and  flavor that usually accompanies certain dishes in the Mediterranean cuisine. The tender shoots of the leaves are usually included in some dishes. These sprouts can be prepared as if they were asparagus, although the consumption of bulb is much more common. They are generally used dry or semi-dry, such as dehydrated garlic, greens (garlic) and pickles. Some people think they wars of vampires, but garlic actually prevents blood from clotting, so that's vampire propaganda.

Sours:

Capers: Belonging to the Capparidaceae family, which is lasting for Nasty, capers are the closed buds of a bush native to the Mediterranean region. They have to be collected by hand, which makes it a laborious job and makes it a more expensive product. Make sure to properly pay your caper workers, lest you have a revolution in your hands.

Anise: Known since ancient times, its seed has been traditionally used to make liqueurs, desserts, cakes, cakes and pastries. Its leaves, in a fresh state, provide an aroma special to meats. Perfect to ease stomachaches.

Cinnamon: Derived from the dry bark of cinnamon and is mainly used for making desserts and drinks. For example, the traditional custard or rice pudding without cinnamon as a key ingredient is hearsay, although many Cooks already include it to dress savory dishes, especially meat and rice. It is used both as a branch and as a powder. Cinnamon is not sweet as many might believe, and t is used to boost food in general.

Cardamom: Despite being one of the most expensive spices together with saffron and vanilla, its dried fruits appear in the elaboration of numerous confectionery products, desserts, recipes with meat and some drinks and liquors. It is essential in the Asian kitchen, especially for being one of the ingredients in curry.

Cumin: It is part of the spices whose good use facilitates the digestive processes. Cumin seed is typical of the cuisine of the Middle East and the Mediterranean and is the main ingredient of couscous.

Turmeric: Of Asian origin, today it is cultivated in all tropical areas, in special, in Latin America. The root of the boiled, dried and grounded. It is one of the basic ingredients of curry powder due to its coloring capacity. It also replaces saffron and gives color to sauces, vegetables, rice and soups. It works incredibly as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Ginger: A frequent condiment of Asian cuisine as well as in the preparation of alcohol-free drinks. It is also present in bread, biscuits and cookies for its flavor between spicy and sour.

Spicy:

Paprika: Typical of Hungarian cuisine, it is the equivalent of pimenton or cayenne. The fruits are used dried and ground to flavor soups, meat dishes and salads. It comes in sweet and spicy varieties, and is essential as a condiment of the typical goulash (Hungarian meat stew) also for marinades, rice and sauces.

Pepper: It is the spice most consumed today and comes from a climber plant whose fruits are berries. It comes from southern India, from the Malavar, and is also cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil. It can be used both in salty dishes like sweets and it is recommended whole to grind at the time of use it. Pre-grinded pepper loses 80% of flavor and spice 15 seconds after the grain breaks, so make sure to keep sole fresh with you at all times.

Pepper varieties: 

Black pepper: The berries are immature and dried for 7-10 days in the sun until they take the color black. They have an intense flavor. They can be found whole or in powder.

White pepper: Reddish berries, almost ripe, are placed in water until they lose the outer membrane, before being desiccated; they are smaller than the black pepper and have a less strong flavor. They are whole or powdered.

Green pepper: Unripe green berries are preserved in brine or vinegar, they are easily reduced into a paste, they have a fresh flavor, not very spicy, but aromatic.

Pimenton: it is one of the traditional spices of Spanish cuisine but also It is widely used in Hungarian gastronomy. It comes from the powder of the red pepper, dried. It is used grounded and its flavor is somewhat spicy and sweet. It serves to flavor meat and vegetable dishes and to give meals a touch of color.

Mustard: Used worldwide, it is known that there are about forty species of mustard, of which only the so-called black mustard, brown mustard and yellow or white mustard are used. Black mustard is the best and was used before World War II as preparation base of all prepared mustards, being the spiciest of all. Yellow or white mustard has a high grade smaller than the previous ones and it is the one used in almost all the preparations that are available. Keep in mind that if the seeds are cooked, they will turn sour.

There are thousands of other spices we could talk about, but these are the most common ones. With these in hand, you can build and Empire in a pinch. Study them, have them, and you will master the apocalypse.

Now, it is time to put your knowledge to test by crafting our first-ever recipe!