Gewürzhaus (German for Spicehaus) is a true sensory experience. The smells of cinnamon, coriander, cumin,aniseed, bay leaf, truffle salt and so many more hit your nose sensors as soon as you open the door. The colours of red, bright orange, brown, black, yellow, mustard, ochre make your eyes light up. Your taste buds go into action as you imagine the number of delicious dishes you could make and experiment with. It is a true feast for the eyes, nose and taste (perhaps the last one only imagined but nevertheless...).
Gewürzhaus Hawksburn Village, Melbourne
There are single origin spices and herbs as well as blends, which you can sprinkle or use in a marinade for fish, meat, vegetables and those spring and summer barbecues. The blends include Asian Wok Spice, Moroccan Souk Spice, Barbecue Bloke's Spice (how easy can the barbecue chef have it ?) and Bratkartoffel Spice. This last blend is used for roast potatoes in the pan and is a staple dish in Germany. It is utterly delicious and you will become addicted!
There are sweet spices for cakes and mulled wine and teas for all tastes and moods.There are herbs and spices from Mexico, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and of course Australia as well(Lemon myrtle,Bush pepper, Aussie meat pie blend for example). All spices and blends can be bought by weight but there are also jars of many of the popular blends.
Gewürzhaus also stocks quality milk and dark chocolate, cooking implements and crockery and traditional ceramics. There are many ideas for gifts as well, but allow plenty of time to browse through this delightful shop. When buying spices and herbs you are given a care card to ensure you keep them as fresh as possible. The shop also sells spice jars for storage. At
2.00 each this is a great way to keep your spices organised and easy to reach.
Ready to cook!
There are 5 stores now in Melbourne - Carlton (the original, Hawksburn Village, Melbourne City, Chadstone and Queen Victoria Market. There are cooking classes which feature traditional cooking, baking and sweet-making from all over the world. Some examples include a Nordic Christmas, Fantastical Chocolate, Making German pretzels and Spaetzle, Sardinia to Sicily and Secrets of Sri Lanka. The main difficulty is which ones to choose as they all sound so wonderful.
Gewürzhaus has been reviewed in many Melbourne and national publications and has had TV segments devoted to it - an attest to its popularity, high-quality ingredients and innovative way of selling spices and herbs. Check out their website
here for recipes too
