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Allspice: No, this isn't a mixture of everything in your spice rack, but rather a dried berry of the pimenta tree. If that's a surprise to you, imagine how Columbus felt -- he thought it was pepper (thus the name pimenta, which is Spanish for pepper). The berries look a little like plump peppercorns and the flavor is pungent, but it is not pepper. The best allspice comes from Jamaica.
For the freshest flavor, you should buy allspice in berry form and grind or crush it as needed. The taste is a pleasant mix of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Used in jerks and for pickling, it goes great with meat and gives a nice kick to soups and stews.
lowers blood pressure

Cardamom: This is a delicious spice with a citrus-like aroma that adds a wonderful flavor to Indian foods, among others. It is also know to be good for your liver, which in turn is good for entire body, since your liver helps you detoxify your blood. It is also good for your digestion, and is known to help with gas and the cramps that causes. The only caveat is that you might want to hold off on the cardamom if you are worried about gallstones. Otherwise, it can be a great addition to your recipes.

Recipe

Gravad Lax with Mustard Sauce

serves
prep time: 10

ingredients

8 pounds middle cut of fresh salmon in 1 piece, with bones
2/3 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon whole white pepper, coarsely crushed
1/3 cup cognac
2 large bunches fresh dill weed
Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared sharp mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1 dash cardamom

directions

Wipe salmon with a damp cloth. Leave skin on, but carefully remove bone so that big fillets remain. Be careful not to break fish. Mix together salt, sugar, white pepper and allspice. Rub seasonings carefully into all surfaces of the fish. Sprinkle fish with cognac. Wash dill and shake dry. Place 1/3 of the dill in the bottom of a large deep pan or bowl (not aluminum). Place 1 piece of salmon, skin side down, on dill. Cover salmon with another third of the dill. Top with second piece of salmon, skin side up and cover with remaining dill. Set heavy plate or board on salmon, or a plate, weighted down. Refrigerate salmon for at least 24, preferably 42, hours.

Drain fish and scrape off dill and spices. Slice on a slant, wafer thin, away from the skin. Serve with lemon wedges, mustard sauce and freshly ground black pepper. Gravad lax will keep under refrigeration for about 9 days only.

Variation: In the Scandinavian manner, after draining and scraping fish, remove skin from fish carefully. Cut skin into strips and fry in hot butter until crisp. Add a strip of skin to each serving.

Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Chill sauce for several hours. At serving time, beat smooth with fork or wire whisk —, do not use rotary beater. Makes about 1 cup sauce.