🖖 Space spice

That commute I was talking about?

It didn’t go as well today. Today was a weekday and the metro was packed the whole way.

Coming home was the same story.

Only the metro wasn’t operating, and I had to find the right combination of packed buses to get home.

While at my job trial I was looking at the spice rack. It was right in front of my station.

It got me thinking,

What spices and flavourings would work off-world?

We’re still a ways off from growing trees in a terrarium-type greenhouse on the Moon.

Though there have been successful trials mixing Earth’s dirt and all it’s microbe-y moistness with the Moon’s regolith- the dust covering the surface.

Chickpeas were successfully grown with mixtures up to 75% regolith.

Moon meals

In addition to fresh produce from their vertical garden systems, and what remains of their prepared meals from Earth, here’s some of the flavourings we can expect to see.

The delicate stemmed herbs wouldn’t have any trouble growing at all.

• Basil

• Cilantro

• Mint

• Tarragon

• Chervil

• Chives

• Parsley (the flat kind. Not that gross curly stuff)

• and Dill

Heartier herbs wouldn’t have a problem either.

• Oregano

• Thyme

• Rosemary

• Celery

• Marjoram

• Sage

• Borage

• Lemon Verbena

• Lavender

These are only some of them. Otherwise it’s a long list.

Space spices

Ajwain

Both the leaves and seeds are edible.

The seeds are prominent in Indian cuisine and added to breads. And it tastes like a pungent mix of thyme and oregano.

Black pepper (and other peppercorns)

I won’t explain the taste of black pepper. We’re familiar.

On Earth they’re grown in tall set-ups but this model looks well suited for lunar garden modules.

Caraway

Works well in indoor garden systems.

Anyone familiar with rye bread knows caraway. It has an almost licorice taste with hints of citrus and pepper.

Turns out it has several components that are ideal for digestive issues.

Remember almost all edible plants have chemical mixes that help heal the body.

It’s why we eat them.

Cumin

One of my faves.

A small sized plant. Many cultures use cumin. I know it from Mexican cooking. But it’s well known in India as jeera.

For me it’s a warming flavour. A bit earthy and nutty.

It works better when heated in a fat to let the aromatics spread out. On board the ISS they already use a black pepper oil as a seasoning.

Cumin would work as well like that too.

Fennel

Fennel hits a few categories. And we like multitaskers in space.

The seeds.

The bulb.

The leaves.

All edible.

Stems could be added to stocks.

The seeds are piney and citrusy.

Fenugreek

Another Indian staple that serves as both spice and herb.

Nutty and a bit caramelised maple syrupy.

Biting into the seeds and leaves raw isn’t too fun. Both are bitter. It’s used to add depth to meals the same way they use laurel (bay) leaves in western cooking.

One strike against it though.

It tastes better when soaked overnight. Not sure how much of an inconvenience that would be in a lunar mess hall.

Wrap it up

As you see this only 6 of the many spices that exist.

Best to break an email like this into a few.

But I challenge you to cook with one of these for your next meal.

One that you use less often.

P.S. All of these except black pepper and fenugreek are in the carrot family. I hope that information saves your life one day. Or at the very least is useful in a heated debate in a bar.