— Ken Johnston

So there are so many spice combinations that can be done. There are so many that are already sort of a fluent part of modern and Global culinary. That I can't really necessarily give you. An exhaustive answer bottom line is if something tastes good to you, then it is a good pairing right to me a piece of salmon. I'm a big Seafood guy. That's what I do. Salmon with all of its it's lusciousness and the depth and richness of flavor to it can take some spices like allspice. It can take a little bit of mace or nutmeg some of those warm spices that sort of bring out that richness in it. It also pairs incredibly well with chili flake that chili and that slight heat of something like a go-to-guru. Always get that wrong the Korean chili flake or irfa pepper. Another one of my favorites what that does it sort of helps to balance that fat in that richness in the salmon the same way lemon juice kind of balances out in a vinaigrette or with salmon. So is that a spice combo that many people have thought of I'm sure many have done. But it's not something that is necessarily. Out in the world maybe but it makes sense to me. And this is why I think it's so important. What I was saying earlier is like once you get a spice really use it. Even if it's a spice like black pepper that you think you know. Think about how you're really using it. What are the purposes that you're trying to accomplish through using it? And once you really begin to Conducts or that self-examination of where spices are in your cooking and get to know their different presence. Then you begin to be able to create these these intricate. Sort of matrices of how things begin to work together. Okay, so that's the very long answer that requires a lot of cooking some trial and error. Hopefully a couple good glasses of wine to see what pairs with what but here's another great resource. So this book published in Jesus think I'm an author of eight books. I know where to find it published in 1996 Culinary Artistry by Andrew dornenburg and Karen Page. I'm raising this to you now for your question can specifically about what spices go well together but also because this is I think maybe the most important food book I own that I have ever read. In terms of it's helpfulness. it just Karen and Andrew two people who I admire greatly and think the world of his people edgy interviewed. Basically every really great chef in America in the early 90s and put together all of their thoughts on just what goes together. When you end up with a whole book. Of flavor combinations that work so these two pages page 52 through 53 are flavor Pals and these are spices and what other spices go well with them. There you go. It's that easy, right? There's your list. This is better than anything I could ever put together because it's the minds of people that are much smarter than me. What's the rest of the book you ask? Well, it's a lot of words. That are very smart. But then it starts with an A to Z of basically every single ingredient you can think of so, here's a lima beans and here's all the things that go really well with lima beans as thought of by America's greatest chefs from all sorts of different culinary Cuisine backgrounds. There's white beans. There's beef heart which you know, everybody's always asking me what should I pair with beef heart cartoons carrots things that are in bold are items that are particularly. Well suited to go together. And it just keeps going on and on and on and on and it has a whole spice section in the back as well. I cannot recommend this book more highly to you as an answer directly to your spice question here, but really as a means to educate yourself just as a as a sentient cook. Plus look at them. I mean that was you know, 40 30 years ago, but they're so cute. this wonderful people I love them. There you go to that. So my friend Patrick behind the scenes here is just put up that link there over at the top of the question queue for Andrew and Karen's book. You can find that book everywhere.

https://karenandandrew.com/books/culinary-artistry/