My hand hurts from writing so here’s how I decide what spices are suitably Vulcan:

First, look at what inspired the world. So for Vulcan it’s obviously a lot of Jewish culture.

So the first thought of many would be Lox, latkes, etc. but that overlooks the fact that Vulcan is

a desert planet. Ashkenazi Jews get a lot of culinary traditions from Europe like Germany and the such.

So for that reason we turn to Mizrahim and Sephardim. The former are Jews that descend from the Maghreb of North Africa and the Middle East. Sephardim are more Iberian.

So that gives me a region of... the Mediterranean to the Middle East.

Yeah. So that’s fun.

But from there I look at my book, The Science of Spice to get a feel of the big spices of each area and hot those down.

I highlight what repeats and then work from that with a focus

on what the spices do.

Because Vulcans don’t do a lot of senseless piquant but do like to be warm. So obviously the spices should be rather warming.

And yeah. That’s it. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Stay tuned for when I parse out Klingon spices.

Alright. So I lied a little:

The final portion is going through all the similarities of the regions I took inspiration from and making that the basis for my Vulcan cuisine spice wise.

And for those that can’t read my writing let me break it down.

Vulcan’s Flavor Profile is Sweet, Earthy, Warm and Sour.

Which, given what we know of flavorful Vulcan foods like Gespar, which is a breakfast fruit that the Way of the Kolinahr describes as tasting like a spicy pineapple, it works.

The Signature Spices are: Paprika, Saffron, Cinnamon, Ginger, Tumeric & Fenugreek.

Supporting Spices: Garlic, Cloves, Cumin, Chili, Coriander, Cardamom, Sumac, Black Pepper & Allspice.

And the Supplemary Spices are: Anise, Sesame, Caraway, Rose, Nutmeg Tamarind & Dried Lime.

So NOW I’m done with my Ted Talk.