14th century recipe from The Forme of Cury

Before the discovery of the New World and the vast assortment of spices that existed there, those that returned from the crusades obtained a taste for well spiced foods. Poudre Douce is one of many spice blends medieval chefs developed to enhance the flavor of various meats. It is great with pork, beef, and chicken, especially in stews and slow cooking.

• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mace
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground long pepper¹
• 1 tsp ground grain of paradise (optional)
  Combine equal parts of all spices mixing well and store in an airtight bottle.

¹Long pepper is extremely hard to grind in a mortar, therefore I used an electric spice grinder.