Fresh spices are important. I usually turn to places like Penzy’s and the Spice House for decent spices that haven’t been on the grocery store shelf for a year. The quality of products from these commercial vendors is reliable, and certainly acceptable for everyday use. If you’re looking for a special place with truly exceptional world-class spices, however, I recommend SA.VA. in Italy.

All of SA.VA.’s spices are flown to Italy from Madagascar. Most companies ship spices in (hot) boats. SA.VA. transports spices in climate controlled airplanes, so they are amazingly potent and fresh. It’s always a treat to sample some of SA.VA’s spices. Today I’ll look at six: pink peppercorns, coriander, dill, fenegreek, nutmeg, ground ginger, and voatsiperifery peppercorns. Here are my previous SA.VA. notes.

First up, these brilliantly colored pink peppercorns. Light and delicate kernels that have a crispy skin, not solid like black peppercorns.  Intensely sweet, with a bright citrus flavor.

This coriander has a distinct, lemony aroma. The flavor has citrus and cedar notes. Beautiful whole seeds.

Dill seeds are used in breads, for pickling, and as a salad dressing. There is a sharp dill aroma, and the flavor has notes of caraway. It delivers a slight menthol tingle.  The seeds a have a light, crispy texture.

Caramely, buttery aroma from this fenugreek really wallops you in the face. The deep golden seeds are slightly sweet, with butter and toffee flavors. It has been delicious in my curries and middle-eastern soups. Highly recommended.

This ginger has a delicate, sweet, and spicy aroma. It has a mild flavors, with an astringent note and very light heat. Great in pumpkin pies and seasoning for pork sausage.

Breakfast Sausage Seasoning (1.5 tablespoon per pound/500g): 1/4 tsp salt (add another ½ – 1 tsp to meat); ¼ T white pepper; ½ T sage; ½ t SA.VA. ginger; ¼ T SA.VA. nutmeg; ½ T thyme; ½ t marjoram, 5-10 small hot chilis (I used SA.VA.’s fantastic pili pili chiles).

Average sized nutmeg with a pungent aroma. Extremely oily inside, it forms a fine paste when grated. One seed yields around 1/3 – 1/2 tsp of grated nutmeg. I also used this in pumpkin pie and sausage seasoning (see recipee above). Highly recommended.

Voatsiperifery is a type of wild (not cultivated) peppercorn that grows exclusively in Madagascar. They only grow at the very top shoots of the pepper vines. The dried pepper retains its stem, which gives it a unique appearance. It tastes like black peppercorns. Low heat. Earthy, woody, slightly tangy.

All of these spices are available from SA.VA.’s online shop. I highly recommend the pili pili chiles and cumin, as well.

Madagascar cumin, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ for 30grams.

Cumin is a favorite ingredient in my kitchen, and a key spice in Mexico, India, and many other food cultures. To satisfy my need for bulk cumin, I usually buy a 1kg (2.2lbs) bag that lasts about a year. I compared SA.VA.’s cumin to my usual stuff, and found a huge difference in quality. SA.VA.’s spices are transported by plane, rather than hot containers on a ship, to ensure maximum taste and freshness.

SA.VA.’s Madagascar cumin is an earthy tan color, and has a rich, even floral, cumin aroma.  I ate a bit of SA.VA.’s Madagascar cumin and compared it to my bulk cumin. Raw, SA.VA’s cumin has a pleasant taste. In comparison, the bulk cumin is dry, bitter, and has a carroty vegital flavor.

I evaluated it further in chili powder, some Mexican dishes, and chicken Andoulle sausage. All had a nice flavor, though it really shines where cumin is a feature flavor. SA.VA.’s cumin is by far the best I’ve ever sampled.  In a side-by-side comparison, the sharp contrast with my usual cumin really surprised me. Try the comparison for yourself.

Madagascar cinnamon sticks, SA.VA. Import – Export, 3€ per 3 sticks.

Cinnamon is a favorite holiday spice, perfect for Santa’s cookies and Christmas morning sticky rolls. SA.VA.’s Madagascar cinnamon is different from the bland, ground powder at the local market. The ground sticks have a bright, hot, citrus aroma. It makes me think of cinnamon bears or red hots. The sticks are made of thin layers, and I can crush them with my fingers and grind them in a coffee grinder — something I can’t normally do with cassia cinnamon sticks.

This cinnamon has a yellow-tan color that is lighter than the usual, rusty-red hues of traditional cassia. Its bright aroma also  stands in contrast to the typically warmer, darker smell of cassia. Because of these qualities, I initially thought this was ceylon (true) cinnamon, and not the cassia cinnamon I’m used to buying in European and American supermarkets. Ceylon cinnamon is the cinnamon of choice in Mexico, and perhaps the UK.  I wrote to Edith at SA.VA. to ask if this was ceylon cinnamon. According to Edith, I’m completely wrong:

All the cinnamon from Madagascar is regarded as cassia, although very different from the cassia usually sold in the European supermarket. So this cassia classification does not make happy the Madagascar cinnamon producers,  that would prefer another denomination, as for instance the “Madagascar cinnamon” that we’re using in our technical schedule.

Our cinnamon comes from a family farm production in the region of Tamatave (east coast of Madagascar), as I know this family very well for a long time I’ve started to cooperate with them here in Europe.

With a citrus aroma and delicate layers, this Madagascar strain is a cassia that shares many characteristics with ceylon cinnamon. It is unique in the world, and will surely add a personal signature to your baked goods.

Red chilis, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ per 18grams.

These beautiful, bright red peppers are a type of Thai Chili grown in Madagascar. I use a lot of dried chili peppers, usually from Indonesia, Thailand, and Mexico. SA.VA. Import – Export’s Pili Pili peppers are the freshest I’ve ever worked with. Most dried chilis have a typical dusty, dry pepper aroma. These peppers smell spicy and hot, and have the fresh aroma of sun dried tomatoes! This is a different class of chili than I usually work with; fresh, rich, and surprising.

I sampled these chilis raw, and in several spicy dishes. They impart a fresh tomato richness I’ve never tasted from a chili before. Don’t be fooled by their size and tomato aromas, these little chilis are are fiery hot. Four chilis made a pound of very spicy Andouille sausage. If you’re a chili lover, like me, you’ve got try these amazing chilis.

Black peppercorns, SA.VA. Import – Export, 5€ per 30grams.

Black peppercorns are one of my favorite spices. When Edith at SA.VA. Import – Export asked if I would evaluate some fresh spices flown in from Madagascar, I jumped at the chance. SA.VA.’s spices are transported by plane, rather than shipping container. Most spices lose flavor during transit through tropical areas in metal shipping containers.  SA.VA.’s spices are flow in to preserve the intense flavors and freshness.

SA.VA.’s peppercorns are the most aromatic and fruity I’ve ever tried. It’s not as hot or ‘spicy’ as an Indian ‘extra bold’, but it’s significantly more pungent and flavorful. Fresh ground, they have the strong pungent aroma of sassafras oil, probably from a high concentration of  the chemical that makes black pepper tasty, piperonal. Really incredible peppercorns, I can tell the difference that air transport makes. If you like black pepper, SA.VA’s fresh peppercorns are a surprising and unique treat. Highly recommended to any gourmands and foodies out there, this is a peppercorn you won’t soon forget.

It’s often said that Europe buys the best of Madagascar’s vanilla crop. Perhaps this is because so many Malagasy immigrate to Europe and import their family’s vanilla beans. SA.VA. Import-Export is another Europe based vanilla vendor selling fantastic vanilla beans from a family plantation in Madagascar. When there aren’t enough vanilla beans on the family farm, they also buy vanilla from the neighbors. Edith Jaomazava at SA.VA. Import-Export also sent a few pictures of the vanilla plantation in Madagascar.

According to Edith:

My family in Madagascar cultivates fields with vanilla beans for many years.  I’m involved in vanilla and other Madagascar spices here in Italy, where we opened a commercial house. We deal with cinnamon (powder and sticks) and black pepper from Madagascar too.

Now our main business is the wholesale market, but it’s our aim to sell small quantities in the future with an e-market ….. I’ll let you know.

“First Quality” (NFN 16-18 cm) Madagascar planifolia ( 8oz/250 grams for 30 Euros)
SA.VA. Import-Export’s Madagascar vanilla planifolia is very well cured, and among the moistest Madagascar vanilla beans I’ve ever seen.

Overall, the vanilla beans are plump, round, and firm with caviar. Every bean is plump, none are thin or flat. The skin is very moist, supple, and oily. The length is typical for Madagascar grown vanilla.

The color, dark brown to brown, is a bit lighter than many Madagascar vanilla beans. This is because of the exceptional moisture content. The caviar is super moist and oily. It has a fantastic, rich, traditional Madagascar vanilla aroma. Caviar yield is average.

The sample I evaluated arrived in a glass vial, and the vanilla was vacuum packed prior to that. In the picture you see one bean with a broken top, probably because of the vial.

SA.VA. Import-Export’s Madagascar vanilla beans are very high quality. Edith is a pleasure to work with, and I can recommend this close-to-farm-direct vanilla source without reservation.

Website: http://www.vanigliabourbon.net/
Bacche di vaniglia esaminate: 8 bacche “prima qualità” della specie planifolia del Madagascar
Costi: SA.VA. Import – Export ha provveduto ad inviare il campione in esame

E’ opinione comune che in Europa arrivi la parte migliore della produzione di vaniglia in Madagascar. Magari legato al fatto che molti Malgasci sono emigrati in Europa ed adesso importano le bacche di vaniglia prodotte dalle loro famiglie in Madagascar. SA.VA. Import-Export è una azienda sita in Europa che si occupa della vendita di fantastiche bacche di vaniglia prodotte dalle coltivazioni di famiglia in Madagascar. Quando la produzione famigliare non è sufficiente, acquistano le bacche di vaniglia direttamente dai coltivatori nelle vicinanze. Edith Jaomazava di SA.VA. Import-Export ha spedito anche alcune foto della piantagione di vaniglia in Madagascar.

Riportando le parole di Edith:

” La mia famiglia in Madagascar è dedita alla coltivazione delle bacche di vaniglia da molti anni. Io mi occupo della vaniglia e di altre spezie del Madagascar qua in Italia, dove abbiamo aperto un’azienda di import-export. Trattiamo anche la cannellla (polvere e corteccia) ed il pepe nero del Madagascar.

“Prima qualità” (NFN 16-18 cm) Madagascar planifolia ( 250 grammi per 30 Euro)
Le bacche di vaniglia del Madagascar di SA.VA. Import-Export sono molto curate, e tra le più umide che io abbia mai visto di provenienza Madagascar.

Nell’ insieme, le bacche di vaniglia sono sode, molto consistenti e piene di semini neri all’interno. Ciascuna bacca è consistente, nessuna sottile o secca. La superficie è molto umida, flessibile ed oleosa. La lunghezza è quella tipica delle bacche di vaniglia provenienti dal Madagascar.

Il colore, dal marrone scuro al marrone, è leggermente più chiaro di quello di molte altre bacche del Madagascar. Questo è legato all’ eccezionale tenore di umidità. I semini neri all’interno della bacca sono superbamente umidi ed oleosi. Questi presentano un aroma fantastico, pieno e davvero rappresentativo della vaniglia del Madagascar. Il tenore di semini neri è nella media.

Il campione da me valutato è pervenuto in un flacone di vetro, e la vaniglia era in confezione sottovuoto in precedenza. Nella foto potete vedere che una bacca ha un’estremità rotta, probabilmente in seguito all’inserimento nel flacone.

SA.VA. Import-Export  presenta delle bacche di vaniglia di qualità molto alta. Peraltro è un piacere lavorare con Edith, ed io raccomando questo fornitore diretto di vaniglia senza alcuna riserva.