The quest for the Holy Grail is legendary, tied to King Arthur, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, and the knights of the Rectangular Table. And, though many stories abound, after extensive research on Twitter and Facebook, it seems clear that what was really happening in this famous story was, in fact, about food.

It starts with The Traveling Nights, a singing group of the 12th century made up of, yes, knights, including Lancelot. As they traveled from gig to gig, they had to have food with them to endure the long rides in the hard-wheeled wagons pulled by oxen.

When they arrived in Siena, they found much happiness and a round food maven, known as Guinevere, that served them a spiced bread known as Panforte, which was often eaten in a wedge as a dessert or with a hot cup of cappuccino.

This special food changed two important facts in history. One Italian knight changed his name and became a hermit. The other returned to the table at home and insisted on changing the long rectangular table to a round one.

This action created a wedge between the King, who loved Fruitcake, made in a rectangular pan and the Knight who had fallen for his new found love, the round Panforte.

This dense, fabulous, sometimes richly spiced "bread" is now sought by many (and not just knights), the world over.

The recipes are kept secret by the Siena bakers, and each one is different, yet all share the same hard-to-resist, wonderful flavor-filled chewy "spiced" bread.

Gorgeous to share and eat, especially on a snowy day with a hot cup of cappuccino!

Shop now for Masoni Margharita Panforte di Siena IGP - 350 grams!

Shop now for Masoni Margharita Panforte di Siena IGP - medium - 250 grams!

Shop now for Masoni Margharita Panforte di Siena IGP mini - 100 grams!

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This simple classic recipe is easy as making the marinade and a sauce. Plenty of flavorful spices combine to make wonderful dish.

See the Butter Chicken Curry Recipe here!

Reddish-brown chipotle chili powder has an intriguingly smoky flavor, with tones of plum, fig, chocolate and tobacco. This chipotle morita chile powder, which has a medium heat to it, is perfect for getting chipotle flavor into sauces, stews, or other dishes - without having to handle whole dried chiles.

This chipotle chile powder is made from our favorite smoked chile, the chipotle morita chile. The morita is a ripe jalapeno that has been smoked before it is dried. (The Spanish word chipotle is a contraction of chilpotle in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, where chil referred to the hot pepper and potle was derived from poctli, meaning smoked.)

This variety is grown in many places in Mexico, and it is especially popular in the provinces of Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chihuhua.

Shop now for Essential Pantry Chipotle Chili Powder!

Turmeric is one amazing aromatic perennial herb of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. This tuberous rhizome (root) is a flowering plant that grows in tropical locales. It is most often ground fresh like wasabi, or boiled, dried, and ground to make a powder.

Once upon a time it was called Indian Saffron (in fact, it is still used to dye impostor saffron) for it's deep orange color. It is also know for it's powerful health benefits that Indian Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese medicine have been using for 4000 years to reduce inflammation, help with toothaches, and jaundice. Perhaps the true route to its success is how it helps with flatulence and digestive issues.

Like a high-quality fresh olive oil, turmeric is showing that it might also be a fighter of Alzheimers and diabetes. (Caution for diabetics as it can thin blood, always ask your doctor.)

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, and it is curcumin that is believed to destroy mutated cells associated with prostate, breast, and colon cancers.

But it's not just these reasons to have turmeric in your cupboard. It should be in your food for its palette enhancing, pleasing bold color. And it's not just palette pleasing, it is also palate perfect for your lentils, to sprinkle on veggies, or used to brighten your eggs up. Simply add it to your favorite dishes like Moroccan Fried Rice or Singapore noodles.

It seems that turmeric is a good "preventive" food, enhancing dishes and in turn your body!

Turmeric is a member of the Ginger family. Though it is also used in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, it is cultivated and eaten most frequently in India. Turmeric is peppery, woody, warm and musky with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. It is at once peppery and citrusy, with a hint of the gingerroot it resembles.

Curries, pickles, pilaus and spice mixtures would be absolutely bereft without the color and flavor of turmeric. Its very mild taste lends itself well to rice, vegetables and pulse dishes.

Shop now for Organic Turmeric Here!

These unopened buds from a tropical evergreen tree belonging to the myrtle family are used to flavor a multitude of dishes, both sweet and savory.

Cloves have historically been one of the world's most important spices, in demand in any number of world cuisines.

They are a main player in Indian and Asian spice mixtures, and appear in Mediterranean dishes as a primary seasoning for meat and poultry.

Their European applications include mulled wines, gingerbread and other sweet baked goods.

Cloves are also commonly used with fish, tongue and pickled foods. The assertive, dark aroma and sharp, peppery taste mellows well with sweet flavors, especially when cooked; try with apples, sweet potatoes, cranberries and beets.

Shop now for Organic Whole Cloves!

While the luscious red peppers of the La Vera microclimate of Spain's Extremadura region get all the press, especially the smoky paprika that they create, the other regions of Spain have some mighty delicious peppers of their own.

Pimenton el Madrono is made from the same prized Ñora pepper, but it is not smoked like its cousin from La Vera. The peppers are hand-picked, sun-dried and stone ground. The pimenton has a brighter, livelier flavor on the tongue with a touch of sweetness - it is brighter even than Hungarian Paprika.

This flavor goes particularly well with chicken and seafood, indeed it is the preferred paprika for the regional specialty paella. But why not start off with something simpler, a free-range chicken coated with a mixture of olive oil, sweet Pimenton and sea salt, and then roasted in the oven - now, that's our definition of heaven.

Shop now for Organic Pimenton al Madrono - Sweet Spanish Paprika!

Bite into your first cherry and create a memory to cherish forever!

The soft bite of chocolate and the cherry is an amazing delectable combination...first the chocolate smoothly is bitten through, and then the cherry comes with a contrast, not of a fresh sweet cherry, more like a soft morsel of sour cherry.

These are really good!

Shop now for Slitti Chocolate Covered Black Cherries!

Packed with capsicum sweet peppers and mixed with Hawkshead's own blend of roasted spices and herbs, these peppers are a fantastic burst of flavors. If you love peppers, you'll love this pickle!

Open the jar and the color of turmeric dominates the scene. You can see little bits of peppers, ginger seeds and spices. Dip your spoon in cautiously and the aromas escape the surface. Get close with your nose to get a good whiff. It's a super blend of all the spices and the pepper together.

Recipe ideas for this sweet red pepper relish include stuffing a teaspoon in a chicken breast before roasting, or stirring through some mashed potatoes for serving with an Indian curry. Sweet Pepper Pickle paired with goat cheese, makes a great quiche filling.

Shop now for Indian Sweet Pepper Pickle!