Trivia time! Why do you think the classic Chinese spice blend ‘five spice’ is called ‘five spice’. Oye you. No googling. Ok, honestly now. Did you think it’s called ‘five spice’ because it contains, well, five spices? We thought so too! But alas, galat jawaab (wrong answer).
So, back in ancient China, the five spice powder was originally used for medicinal purposes. And there are two schools of thought on the origin of the name. According to some, the Chinese were trying to create a ‘wonder powder’ to include all of nature’s elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water. But more famously, it is said that the five spice powder is an attempt to represent all five flavours of authentic Chinese food - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and pungent.
‘Hey, I’m sick. But I’m also hungry’
‘Give this man some Chinese Five Spice’
So that swiftly brings us to the question - how many spices does the Chinese Five Spice actually contain? Well, by coincidence and pure coincidence alone, it is said that the OG Chinese Five Spice contains 5 spices! But this is not set in stone. As long as the blend satisfies all five senses, a few extra ingredients here and there are fine. Ours, for example, does contain exactly five - sichuan peppercorns, fennel, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. And it’s delicious, if we say so ourselves. Over the years, however, the recipe has evolved and everyone now has their own version of the blend, including the use of 6-8 spices, based on their preferences.
Moving on from the history of this classic blend, one might ponder why this blend is so famous and loved world over. Here’s why - it’s absolutely brilliant. Overall, it’s a well balanced blend that offers sweetness and warmth from the cinnamon and fennel, the licorice, aromatic flavours from star anise, slightly pleasant, almost mouth-freshener-esque cloves and the numbing peppery sensation from the sichuan peppercorns. These flavours, in isolation, are delicious in and off itself, but when combined in the right proportions, lend an incredible flavour to your meals.
The five spice pairs particularly well with meats, as a dry rub or a marinade but also with vegetables through a stir fry. We don’t particularly recommend consuming it raw but we’ve found it does wonders if simply sprinkled on a salad with Asian greens. It even helps you level up your everyday fried rice, noodles or soups. We’ve also developed some delicious, easy recipes using our Five Spice blend - you can check out <insert recipe> or <insert recipe> or if you’re simply looking for a quick mid-week fix, check out <insert recipe>.
Also, we strongly suggest you check out our ‘Level up your Spyce’ series where we take these everyday spice blends and transform them into delicious sauces, dips and marinades for maximum choice.
So, to wrap our little crash course on the classic Five Spice, we thought we’ll close using these five magical words. ‘Check it out. It’s awesome’.
And before you leave, don’t forget to check out the other blends from our ‘Asia’ collection. And click here to check out our full range.
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