Category 12 — Salts, Spices, Seasonings (Dried)

Category 12 of 23 · Built 2026-04-20 · Last verified 2026-04-20 · UMAMI-15 Quality contract: PROCESS.md

Cross-file note: Pimentón de la Vera DOP and Azafrán de La Mancha DOP are fully covered in file 06 (Spanish Pantry) — this file doesn't duplicate them. File 12 covers salt, global pepper, whole dried spices, herbs dried, and specialty seasonings. MEMORY.md salt anchor: Maldon ✅ (present), raw cane sugar ✅ (present), cumin + black pepper + star anise + red pepper flakes ✅ (present).

SALT

Finishing Salts

Depth: A (most-touched seasoning; quality shows on every plate)

What to know: Salt tiers:

• Table salt (iodized, anti-caking agents) — don't use for cooking
• Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal — the US chef-default; Morton is firmer-crystal) — workhorse
• Finishing flake salt (Maldon, Jacobsen Pure Sea) — crunch + finish + visible garnish
• Fleur de sel (Guérande, Ré, Camargue) — refined French flake
• Sel gris (grey salt) — mineral-rich, moist French
• Sal de Añana (Basque) — ancient spring-salt; artisan Spanish
• Hawaiian Alaea (red volcanic) + black Hawaiian — specialty/garnish

Inventory includes Maldon ✅ (MEMORY.md). For Spanish-authentic, Sal de Añana or Flor de Sal del Delta del Ebro is the upgrade path.

🏬 TIER 1 — Miami

• Whole Foods Brickell / Coral Gables — Maldon, Jacobsen Pure Sea, Diamond Crystal kosher, Fleur de Sel de Guérande, Himalayan pink. Full salt wall. ⚪ curated.
• Publix — Maldon + Diamond Crystal + standard kosher.
• La Jamoteca — Spanish salts.
• Chèvre Miami ✅ — artisan.

🌐 TIER 2

• 🏆 Maldon Sea Salt Flakes — maldonsalt.com — the chef-default finishing flake; UK producer since 1882. Widely distributed US. ⚪ curated.
• Jacobsen Pure Sea Salt (Oregon) — US artisan; excellent alternative.
• Flor de Sal del Delta del Ebro — Catalan; ~$25/200g; via La Tienda.
• Sal de Añana (Basque artisan) — 1000-year-old spring source; via specialty.
• Diamond Crystal Kosher — US chef-default cooking salt; 3lb box ~$6-$9.

👑 TIER 3

• 🏆 Sal de Añana "Flor de Sal" — Basque spring-salt artisan, cult-favorite Spanish; ~$30-$50/200g.
• Flor de Sal from Mallorca (artisan) — specialty Balearic; small-producer.
• Jacobsen limited-edition single-harvest flakes — Oregon seasonal releases.

Cross-recipe: every finished plate. pa-amb-tomaquet ✅ needs Maldon-tier finish. patatas-bravas ✅. alioli-tm6 ✅ finish. sobrasada-honey-butter ✅ (Maldon is the fearless-fusion register-tier move). Every cured Ibérico serving (file 04). The single highest-touch finishing ingredient.

Cooking Salt Strategy

• Diamond Crystal Kosher — workhorse for all cooking; coarse, forgiving, easy to feel
• Maldon — finishing only; last-mile garnish
• Fleur de Sel — plated dishes, eggs, butter, chocolate

All three should be in rotation.

PEPPER

Black, White, Green, Pink, Mixed Peppercorns

Depth: A (every dish)

What to know: Freshly ground is non-negotiable — pre-ground black pepper loses volatile aromatics within days. A pepper mill with fresh peppercorns is a 10x upgrade over pre-ground.

Peppercorn variety hierarchy:

• Tellicherry (Indian) — larger, more aromatic, fruitier; chef-default
• Malabar (Indian) — standard good black
• Sarawak (Borneo) — mid-premium
• Kampot (Cambodian, IGP-protected) — cult-favorite; red + black + white variants; terroir-distinct
• Penja (Cameroon, PGI) — African cult black pepper; rare US
• White pepper (Muntok Indonesian, Penja white) — fermented-dehulled; sharper; for cream sauces (white-on-white plating)
• Pink peppercorn (Schinus molle, Brazil/French island) — not true pepper; floral-fruity; garnish
• Szechuan peppercorn (prickly ash) — Chinese; numbing-tingly; not a replacement for black

🏬 TIER 1

• Whole Foods Brickell + Coral Gables — Tellicherry, Malabar, white, mixed peppercorns. ~$8-$15/jar. ⚪ curated.
• Publix — standard Tellicherry + McCormick ground (avoid ground).
• La Jamoteca + Golden Hog — specialty variants.

🌐 TIER 2

• 🏆 Kalustyan's (NYC) — kalustyans.com — premier US spice retailer; Tellicherry + Kampot + Penja full range. ⚪ curated. Chef-grade spice default.
• Burlap & Barrel — burlapandbarrel.com — single-origin spice sourcing; Kampot red pepper + Pemba black + specialty cult-favorites.
• Diaspora Co — diasporaco.com — single-origin Indian spices direct from farms.
• La Boîte à Épice (Lior Lev Sercarz) — laboiteny.com — NYC chef-favorite specialty spice curator.

👑 TIER 3

• 🏆 Kampot PGI Red Peppercorns (Cambodia) — via Burlap & Barrel, La Boîte; single-origin terroir expression. ~$15-$25/oz.
• Penja white pepper (Cameroon) — small-producer African specialty.
• Voatsiperifery (Madagascar wild pepper) — fruity floral; rare.

Cross-recipe: every dish. pan-sauce-from-fond ✅, patatas-bravas ✅, pimenton-porchetta ✅, every steak finish, salsa-verde-basque ✅.

DRIED SPICES + HERBS

Whole vs Ground — The Rule

Buy whole; grind fresh. Cumin seed, coriander seed, fennel seed, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, juniper berries — all 3x more flavorful whole-toasted-ground than pre-ground. Exception: dried herbs already-ground (oregano, thyme, rosemary) are fine ground because they're leaves, not seeds.

MEMORY.md dedicated spice grinder alert: the Breville coffee grinder was cross-contaminated (coffee-only); pantry gap flagged for a dedicated $40 spice grinder (blade). Recommend: Krups F203 or Cuisinart DCG-20N for dedicated whole-spice grinding.

Cumin, Coriander, Fennel, Caraway

Depth: B (reference; standard Mediterranean + Middle Eastern)

• Cumin seed — workhorse; inventory includes ✅. Toast before grinding.
• Coriander seed — fragrant, citrus-floral.
• Fennel seed — Italian porchetta + Spanish embutidos.
• Caraway — rye bread + sauerkraut.

Sourcing: Whole Foods bulk bin for basics; Kalustyan's for specialty Indian + Middle Eastern; Burlap & Barrel for single-origin.

Cardamom, Cloves, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

Depth: B (warm spices)

• Cardamom — green pods (delicate) vs black (smoky); Indian + Scandinavian. Whole Foods + Kalustyan's.
• Cloves — whole always; 6-month pantry life.
• Star Anise — inventory includes ✅ (MEMORY.md cited in gastrique recipe); Vietnamese + Chinese; whole pods.
• Cinnamon — Ceylon (true cinnamon, delicate) vs Cassia (what US supermarket sells, spicier). Burlap & Barrel + Kalustyan's for Ceylon sticks.
• Nutmeg — whole; microplane-grate fresh; one nut lasts 6 months.

Red Pepper Flakes + Chile de Árbol + Cayenne

Depth: B

• Red pepper flakes — inventory includes ✅ (MEMORY.md gastrique recipe uses these); pizza-shake default.
• Urfa Biber (Turkish) — smoky-sour-sweet.
• Aleppo pepper (Syrian) — warm, mild, fruity; Middle Eastern essential.
• Chile de Árbol (Mexican) — hot, smoky; toast whole + grind.
• Cayenne — Indian/Mexican; pure heat.
• Calabrian chile flakes — Italian; spicy-fruity; Whole Foods + Gustiamo.
• Korean gochugaru — for kimchi (kimchi-gateway-ferment ✅). Asian markets.

Sourcing: Whole Foods + Publix standard; Kalustyan's + La Boîte for specialty Turkish/Syrian/African.

Dried Herbs (Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Bay, Sage)

Depth: C (everyday; fresh always better but dried holds)

• Dried Mexican oregano (different species from Mediterranean; earthier) — patatas-bravas adjacent.
• Greek oregano — pizza classic.
• Thyme + rosemary + sage + bay — Mediterranean standard.
• Herbes de Provence — French blend.
• Za'atar (thyme + sumac + sesame + salt) — Middle Eastern blend; specialty.

Sourcing: Whole Foods + Publix standard.

Specialty Blends + Curry Powders

Depth: C (brief)

• Madras curry powder — supermarket decent; Kalustyan's excellent.
• Ras el hanout (Moroccan) — La Boîte + Burlap & Barrel.
• Garam masala — Diaspora Co + Kalustyan's.
• Shichimi togarashi (Japanese) — file 05 adjacent; Whole Foods.
• Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning) — file 05.
• Dukkah (Egyptian nut-spice blend) — La Boîte + specialty.

DRIED MUSHROOMS, CHILES, FRUITS

Dried Mushrooms (Porcini, Shiitake, Morel)

Depth: B (concentrate flavor for stocks + sauces)

• Porcini (cèpes) dried — Italian; rehydrate for risotto + stock. Whole Foods + La Boîte. Tier 3: Regalis wild-harvested dried porcini.
• Shiitake dried — Japanese (file 05 adjacent).
• Morel dried — rare premium; Regalis.

Dried Chiles (Mexican + Spanish)

Depth: B

• Ancho, Pasilla, Guajillo, Mulato — Mexican; Whole Foods Mexican section + Hispanic markets.
• Chipotle in adobo — canned; La Costeña + Goya.
• Ñora + Choricero (file 06 cross-ref) — Spanish dried peppers for romesco + bacalao.

Cross-recipe: romesco ✅ (ñora + choricero or ancho sub), mojos-canarios ✅ (dried chile substitutes for palmera).

CROSS-RECIPE INDEX (Condensed)

Open Questions

1. Dedicated spice grinder (Krups F203 ~$40) + whole-spice refresh? MEMORY.md-flagged pantry gap. Single order: Krups + Kalustyan's Tellicherry + whole cumin + coriander + fennel + Ceylon cinnamon = $80-$100 total.
2. Sal de Añana / Flor de Sal upgrade? Spanish artisan salt as a finishing alternative to Maldon. identity-aligned.
3. Kampot PGI peppercorn introduction? Cult-favorite; Burlap & Barrel single-origin. ~$20/oz. Worth trying?
4. Specialty dried mushroom (porcini) pantry? Regalis wild-harvested porcini dried as a pantry staple for mushroom risotto + stock-boost moments.

VERIFIED VENDOR CROSS-CHECK

• Maldon Salt — UK producer, chef-default finishing flake, widely US-distributed.
• Kalustyan's (NYC) — kalustyans.com — premier US spice retailer, full range.
• Burlap & Barrel — burlapandbarrel.com — single-origin specialty.
• Diaspora Co — diasporaco.com — single-origin Indian.
• La Boîte (Lior Lev Sercarz) — laboiteny.com — NYC chef-favorite blends.
• Jacobsen Salt Co — Oregon artisan.

12/23 atlas files complete. Next: 13-sweets-chocolate.