Of course, this information cannot be exhaustive, in part because spice usage may differ even in relatively small regions and in part because since I have not travelled to all these places, I rely on second-hand information, which is rather sparse about some topics. Therefore, it seemed convenient to split up the Asian section of this index in several parts, while only one section deals with African or American spices, respectively. Surprisingly few spices actually stem from Europe, although many have been imported. Since ancient times, onion and garlic are cultivated in Europe. However, because of its strong odour, garlic is less appreciated especially in North Europe, where excessive garlic consume seems to be regarded as a 'social crime'.
Onion is more used as a vegetable.
In other European countries, hot chiles are less enjoyed. Tropic spices are usually not essential ingredients in traditional European cuisine - with the exception of black pepper , which is held in high esteem all over the world. Cinnamon and cloves find their main applications in sweet dishes, ginger and nutmeg are used even less. Although cardamom is nearly unknown in most of Europe, Scandinavians are very fond of it and use it to flavour bread and pastries. The area around the Mediterranean Sea, belonging in part to Europe, Asia and Africa, has always been a cultural unity.