America is a melting pot of cultures and therefore has a rich offering of seasonings that you don’t usually see on the supermarket shelves here in Europe, especially the UK. A rich history of immigration means that many cultures have brought their own flavours into The States. American convenience culture then distills these influences into handy seasoning blends that you can find in every shop over there.
In this blog we’ll introduce 7 of the trendiest, most used seasoning blends from the USA that you should totally try and incorporate into your meals.
1. Blue Cheese Seasoning
Blue cheese dressing is a staple in every American fridge but it’s not all that popular in the UK apart from as a side for steak. It goes amazingly with anything that resembles chicken wings and is a great counterpart to anything hot thanks to it’s rich, creamy flavour and mouthfeel.
Try it if you like the funky, tangy flavour of blue cheese. Sprinkle over popcorn, pasta, chips or mix into risotto, sauces and mince to give a rich umami edge.
2. Everything (but the) Bagel Seasoning
Everything bagel is just as the name suggests, a seasoning that brings all the best bagel toppings into one mix: Roasted sesame, garlic, onion, poppy seeds and sea salt all combine to give an amazing savoury satisfying blend that goes great with avocado, eggs, cream cheese or ramen.
We actually make our own version of this for customers in the UK called ‘The Good Bagel’ along with a rather spicy counterpart ‘The Bad Bagel’, which contains the mighty ghost chilli for the heat fans out there.
3. Creole/Old Bay Seafood Boil Seasoning
Out of New Orleans, Creole is a mix of paprika, cumin, celery and many lovely herbs. It’s a staple in the American south and is sometimes also called Cajun seasoning.
There’s no specific recipe for creole but Old Bay is owned by McCormick so is a brand’s take on the historic mix. It’s most famously used in gumbos and jambalayas to give depth, but you can use it as a rub or marinade or as a potato seasoning, too!
4. Tajín
This is a cheat because it’s actually Mexican but is super popular in the US, so we’ll include it. Tajín consists of mainly chilli, salt and dehydrated lime juice. It goes with both savoury and sweet things! Rim cocktails, sprinkle on desserts or add to tacos to give a spicy tang.
It’s pretty addictive, so don’t blame us, but it scratches an itch that you didn’t know you had.
5. Ranch Seasoning
Ranch is one of the most popular condiments in America with Hidden Valley being the most recognisable brand, but of course not the only one. If you’ve never had Ranch, the best way to describe it is Caesar dressing on steroids... you know the flavouring on original blue Doritos? It’s a bit like that but thick, creamy and garlicky with a tangy undertone.
It’s definitely not good for you, but you just can’t stop indulging.
We JUST SO HAPPEN to make a UK vegan version of this too that you can use as both a seasoning and a dressing mix. We’ve been told by actual Americans that it’s pretty darn good.
6. Chicken Seasoning
Chicken seasoning is not seasoning made of chicken, but rather seasoning made to flavour chicken with (or give other dishes a chicken-y taste). There is no consistent recipe for this either, so every brand has its own take. The general consensus seems to be that it definitely needs to contain paprika, parsley, black pepper, onion and cayenne pepper though.
This seasoning has a million applications. Chuck into everything that has anything even slightly to do with chicken and the result will be pretty tasty.
7. Everything (but the) Elote
First of all you might have never heard about Elote, that’s ok because lots of people over here haven’t. It’s a dish hailing from Mexico (as you can see lots of great food comes from over there) made with corn on the cob that has been slathered in mayo and then rolled in chilli powder, fresh lime juice, salty cheese and coriander. What’s not to love?!
Of course, this is very messy and you’re unlikely to make that in your everyday life (though really recommend you try it at least once), so America has made it easy for you and put it all inside a little seasoning shaker! It consists of mainly salt, chilli, cheese powder, chipotle and cumin and whilst you can of course use it on your corn on the cob, it can also be added to your non-traditional dishes. Try it on nachos, burritos, chilli con carne or of course popcorn.
So there you have it. America is definitely ahead of us in terms of innovative seasonings, but we are trying to close the gap, one crazy seasoning blend at a time. An added bonus is that we also try our best to make it natural, additive free and always vegan.
If you know of any other amazing seasonings that we need to know about - message us on social media, we’re @condimaniac pretty much everywhere.
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