I don’t need anything except this

Joachim Beuckelaer (1533-1574). "The Well Stocked Kitchen" Source: http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

"And that’s it and that’s the only thing I need, is this. I don’t need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that’s all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that’s all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that’s all I need. And that’s all I need too. I don’t need one other thing, not one – I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that’s all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair."

"The Jerk" (1979). Written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias. Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079367/quotes

---

Kevin Carter, at the website "Savoring the Past" wrote that:

"we decided to dig through a collection of 18th and early 19th century cookbooks to see which spices were mentioned. We also took one of the more recognized books and looked at the frequency by which the spices appear in the recipes" (Carter 2012).

The 31 spices (and herbs) that were commonly mentioned in those cookbooks were (in alphabetical order):

1. Allspice
2. Anise
3. Basil
4. Bay leaf
5. Black Pepper
6. Caraway
7. Cayenne
8. Chives
9. Cinnamon
10. Cloves
11. Coriander
12. Fennel
13. Garlic
14. Ginger
15. Horseradish
16. Lemon Zest
17. Mace
18. Marigold Blossoms
19. Marjoram
20. Mint
21. Mustard
22. Nutmeg
23. Parsley
24. Rosemary
25. Sage
26. Savory
27. Sorrel
28. Tarragon
29. Thyme
30. Turmeric
31. White Pepper

This is an interesting collection. It's not too different from what we'd expect to see in a modern spice cupboard (although marigold blossoms are a bit of a surprise). Some are a trifle uncommon: Savory (either winter savory [Satureja montana] or summer savory [Satureja hortensis]), and sorrel (Rumex acetosa) aren't exactly unknown, but I've never actually seen a recipe that called for them. And while mace isn't all that rare, it's much more common today to use nutmeg than the extremely expensive mace.

This list got me to wondering: what constitutes a basic, decent spice cupboard today? What are the essential seasonings (herbs and spices) that a good cook really ought to have?

So I decided to go to the internet, where all knowledge can be found.

And found confusion.

I perused 15 different websites, some well known, some not.¹ All of them made suggestions about what constitutes a good, basic collection of spices (and herbs, and spice blends).²

Here are the results:

Spices	1BA	1RS	1MY	1CR	1PR	1PW	1PP	1GR	1VG	1SP	1FN	2SP	1JO	2FN	1FD
Adobo							*
Aleppo Pepper							*
Allspice	*		*				*		*	*	*	*		*	*
Anise							*
Annato							*
Apple Pie Blend	*
Arrowroot							*					*
Basil	*		*		*	*			*	*		*			*
Bayleaf	*	*	*				*		*	*	*	*		*	*
Black Pepper	*	*	*	*			*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Cajun Seasoning									*	*
Cardamom					*	*	*		*	*
Cayenne	*	*	*	*	*	*	*		*	*	*	*		*
Celery Seed						*	*
Chili Powder	*	*	*	*			*		*	*	*	*		*
Cilantro					*
Cinnamon	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Cloves		*	*	*		*	*		*	*	*	*		*
Coriander							*		*	*	*	*	*	*
Cream of Tartar		*					*					*
Cumin	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Curry Powder	*	*	*	*		*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Dill Weed	*					*	*					*
Epazote							*
Fennel						*	*					*	*
Fenugreek							*
Filé Powder							*
Five Spice Powder							*			*			*
Garam Masala							*						*
Garlic Powder	*		*	*	*	*			*	*		*			*
Ginger	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Grains of Paradise							*
Herbes de Provence							*
Italian Seasoning											*
Marjoram												*
Mint					*							*
Mustard						*	*		*	*		*	*
Nutmeg	*	*	*			*	*		*	*	*	*		*	*
Onion Powder	*		*			*			*	*		*
Oregano	*	*	*	*	*	*	*		*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Paprika	*	*	*	*		*	*		*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Parsley					*	*
Piment d'Esplette							*
Poppy Seed												*
Ras el Hanout							*
Red Pepper Flake	*	*	*				*	*	*	*	*		*		*
Rosemary	*	*	*	*	*	*			*	*	*	*
Saffron	*						*
Sage	*		*		*	*						*
Sambar Powder							*
Sesame		*					*					*
Star Anise							*							*
Szechuan Peppercorn
Tarragon	*		*				*					*
Thyme	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Turmeric					*		*		*	*		*	*	*	*
Vanilla	*	*	*	*							*
Zahtar							*

Some of these "basic" spices (or herbs, or spice blends) are a bit ... surprising. I have absolutely nothing against adobo, annato, apple pie spice blend, Cajun seasoning, filé powder, grains of paradise, herbes de Provence, Piment d'Esplette (I couldn't possibly have anything against this one, since I've never heard of it before; apparently it's Basque), Ras el Hanout (I love Ras el Hanout), sambar powder (a south Indian spice blend) or Szechuan peppercorns. But unless you're cooking for a pretty unusual crowd, I would never suggest these are "basic" spices.

So, ignoring these idiosyncratic suggestions -- what are the spices (or herbs or spice blends) that seem to be"basic" or essential in the kitchen today?

Here, sorted by the number of recommendations (out of a possible 15), are the results (note that I'm excluding those spices/herbs/blends that had only a single recommendation from this list):

1. Cinnamon (15)
2. Cumin (15)
3. Ginger (15)
4. Oregano (14)
5. Black Pepper (13)
6. Paprika (13)
7. Cayenne (12)
8. Curry Powder (12)
9. Thyme (12)
10. Nutmeg (11)
11. Bayleaf (10)
12. Chili Powder (10)
13. Cloves (10)
14. Red Pepper Flake (10)
15. Rosemary (10)
16. Allspice (9)
17. Garlic Powder (9)
18. Basil (8)
19. Turmeric (8)
20. Coriander (7)
21. Mustard (6)
22. Onion Powder (6)
23. Cardamom (5)
24. Sage (5)
25. Vanilla (5)³
26. Dill Weed (4)
27. Fennel (4)
28. Tarragon (4)
29. Cream of Tartar (3)
30. Five Spice Powder (3)
31. Sesame (3)
32. Arrowroot (2)
33. Cajun Seasoning (2)
34. Celery Seed (2)
35. Garam Masala (2)
36. Mint (2)
37. Parsley (2)
38. Saffron (2)
39. Star Anise (2)

I wasn't surprised at most of the top spices here. Cinnamon, cumin and ginger are just about everybody's favorites (wars have been fought over cinnamon). I did think it was a little odd that black pepper came in fifth, after oregano, but it's possible some authors just assumed that anybody with functional taste buds already has black pepper. I was interested to see Cayenne pepper ranking as high as it did, and slightly surprised that curry powder was in the top ten -- and chili powder wasn't.

All in all, I'd say the top 25 spices (herbs, blends) listed here are a pretty good picture of what most cooks think you ought to have.

Of course, everybody is going to have their own opinions on these matters. I would be sad if I didn't have my New Mexico ground chile, my ground chipotle, and my adobo, but that's me. Your mileage will definitely vary.

Oh, and I think it would perfectly fine to just skip the turmeric.

Really, I think it would okay.

Really, really okay.

---

Notes

¹ Quite a number of these websites mentioned salt as essential in the kitchen. They're right, of course. But if you genuinely aren't aware that salt is essential to decent food (not to mention life itself), you have far greater problems than trying to figure out what herbs and spices you should have in your cupboard.

² Honesty compels me to note that I have streamlined things a bit. Some websites suggested you need both ground cinnamon and stick cinnamon. Several recommended smoked paprika, rather than regular sweet paprika. One actually recommended Vietnamese cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi) over Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) -- a position I do not endorse. But in general this will give you a good idea of what 15 different authors recommend you have in your spice cabinet.

³ Vanilla isn't a spice, herb, or blend; it's an extract. Our friends at Wikipedia define an extract as "a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol or water." Real (as opposed to artificial) vanilla extract "is made by macerating and percolating vanilla pods in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contains a minimum of 35% alcohol and 100g of vanilla beans per litre." Nevertheless, enough websites emphasized its importance as a "basic spice" I felt compelled to include it.

---

References

Carter, Kevin. 2012. Spices in the 18th Century English Kitchen. Online: https://savoringthepast.net/2012/11/15/spices-in-the-18th-century-english-kitchen/

Websites included in this survey:
1BA: http://www.bonappetit.com/uncategorized/article/must-have-spices-for-your-kitchen
1RS: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/herbs-spices/basic-spice-checklist
1MY: http://www.mydomaine.com/best-spices/
1CR: https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2016/02/list-of-essential-spices/
1PR: http://www.prevention.com/eatclean/15-herbs-and-spices-every-kitchen-should-have
1PW: http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/how-to-stock-a-basic-spice-cabinet/
1PP: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/06/spice-list-the-perfect-pantry-turns-3.html
1GR: http://greatist.com/eat/must-have-spices
1VG: http://www.vegan-magazine.com/2017/02/20/top-25-spices-every-kitchen-must-have/
1SP: http://www.spicesinc.com/p-477-top-25-spices-every-kitchen-must-have.aspx
1FN: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/basic-pantry-101
2SP: https://www.thespruce.com/herbs-and-spices-for-your-pantry-1808018
1JO: http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/basic-store-cupboard-essentials-for-families/
2FN: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/kitchen-basics/photos/fifteen-must-have-kitchen-spices/#!b0a816086a83b55e2c39c2fb545a0e3b
1FD: http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=post&id=57A3503C-5A5C-2168-43C5-9ECD8A72063F