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Information here is taken from Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages. Please go there for amazing amounts of information on spices!
TZIPOREN
Origin The clove tree is endemic in the North Moluccas (Indonesia) and was cultivated on the islands of Ternate, Tidore, Bacan and the West coast of Halmahera. The Dutch extended cultivation to several other islands in the Moluccas, but only after the end of the Dutch monopoly (18.th century), clove trees were introduced to other countries. Today, Zanzibar and Madagascar are the main producers, followed by Indonesia.
Etymology The name clove, as well as names in Romance languages, ultimately derives from Latin clavus "nail" (because of shape resemblance). The word made its way to English via Old French clou. The same etymology holds for German Nelke, which is related to Nagel, "nail". In today's German, the same name is used for the ornamental flower pink (Dianthus), whose odour is often compared to cloves. Nagel and its cognates in Germanic languages (English nail, Icelandic nagli, Swedish nagel) basically means either "nail of finger or toe" or "slim pointed piece of metal"; the second meaning is younger and does not appear outside the Germanic languages: Old Irish ingen, Latin unguis "nail", Lithuanian naga "hoof", Greek ónyx "claw", Sanskrit anghrih "foot". The Indo-European root behind all these forms is difficult to reconstruct because of the vowel variations; ONGH- or NOGH- "nail, claw" are the best guesses to make.
ZAHTAR
Zahtar (see sumac ) A condiment from Jordan, much used for fried or barbecued mutton. Its unusual taste derives from nutty sesame , aromatic thyme and sour sumac . Sumac is a very popular condiment in Turkey and Iran, where the ground fruits are liberally sprinkled over rice. Mixed with freshly cut onions , it is frequently eaten as an appetizer. The well-known Turkish fast food speciality döner kebap is sometimes flavoured with sumac powder. In Jordan, a spice mixture called zahtar (za'tar) is a popular condiment and used to spice up fried and barbecued meat up to taste. It combines the nutty taste of sesame with sumac and dried thyme or marjoram . Similar mixtures are reported from Syria and Israel. Note that the same name can also stand for a local marjoram species, especially in Syria.
Another use of this spice is recorded from Libanon, Syria and Egypt: The fruits are cooked with water to a thick, very sour essence, which is, then, added to meat and vegetable dishes; this method was also common as early as in Roman times (see silphion for details of Roman cookery) and finds a close parallel in the usage of tamarind in contemporary Indian and Indonesian cuisines.
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NA'NA
Origin Peppermint is a (usual sterile) hybrid from water mint (M. aquatica) and spearmint (M. spicata). It is found sometimes wild in Central and Southern Europe, but was probably first put to human use in England, whence its cultivation spread to the European continent and Africa; today, Northern Africa is a main cultivation area. Mints from Western and Central Asia, however, are comparable not to peppermint but to horsemint and applemint. All species of genus Mentha are aromatic, although not in all of the the aroma is that pure than in peppermint. As a rule of thumb, any mint can be substituted by peppermint, but not always vice versa.
Etymology The source of Latin menta and Greek mínthee is unknown. The species name piperita refers to the peppery and pungent taste. In the New Testament, the mint is called heedýosmon (see also pomegranate ). This compound means "the sweet smelling one." It is not certain, though, whether this biblical plant is identical to any mint species.
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SHAMIR
Origin Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt?) or West Asia. Turkey is still an important producer in our days, but still better qualities come from Spain. In Far Eastern cuisines (India, Iran, Indonesia), no distinction is made between anis and fennel. Therefore, the same name is usually given to both of them. On the Philippines, star anis , there a popular spice, is referred to as "anis", too.
Etymology The spice got its name by confusion with dill (Greek áneeson or áneeton). Sanskrit shatpushpa literally means "a hundred flowers" and probably refers to the flower cluster (umbel). The Hindi name saunf properly denotes fennel , which anis is thought to be a foreign variety of and which is often used interchangeably with anis. To distinguish anis clearly from fennel, the adjectives patli "thin" or vilyati "foreign" may be used. The Portuguese name erva doce "sweet herb" is used for both the fresh herb and the dried seeds.
TAPUZ
Origin When oranges appeared in Europe in the 16.th century, they were originally thought to be of Chinese origin, but the fruit more probably originates from Northern India.
		Etymology Essentially, all names of orange in European tongues ultimately derive from Sanskrit nagaaruka or naaranga, which first lost is initial n (Italian arancia) and then changed its now initial vowel under the influence of French or "gold". The latter association is also evident in the old species name (Latin aurum, "gold"), whereas the modern species name is a Latinization of China (older form: Sina). Equally, the Northern German Apfelsine means "Chinese apple". The German name for bitter oranges, Pomeranze, is a contraction of Latin pomum aurantium "golden apple". The origin of bergamot is Turkish: beg armudy "Lord's pear."
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RASHAD
Origin Garden cress probably stems from Western or Central Asia, where it is still found uncultivated. It is easy to cultivate and tolerates nearly every climate. The cosmopolitan water cress is similar in taste and can, thus, be substituted by ordinary garden cress; water cress cannot be cultivated, but is regionally available by collecting the wild plant. Its aroma is sometimes described superior to other cress species. Nasturtium stems from Southern America, probably Peru, and was introduced to Europe by Spanish conquistatores. Is is a common ornamental, but less used for cooking.
Etymology The Greek name of cress, kárdamon, was loaned from Persia, where the garden cress probably originates; it is not related to English cress. The latter is either related to Lithuanian griezigs "pungent" or, which is far more probable, derives from the Indo-European root GRES "devour" whence also Old Norse kras "delicacy", Sanskrit grasati "he eats", Greek grân "gnaw". See also the etymology of grass (lemon grass ). On the other hand, nasturtium (a name used by the Romans for several cress-like plants, mostly garden cress) probably derives from nasi-tortium "nose pain" (from nasus "nose" and the verb torquere "torment") and refers to the sharp, pungent aroma. Water cress bears in most languages an attribute meaning "water" (Italian acqua, Indonesian air) or "well" (German Brunnen, French fontaine), referring to its frequent growth in nonmoving water.
ALEY DAFNA
Origin Probably Asia Minor. Today, the laurel tree grows all over the Mediterranean. Turkey is one of the main exporters. Etymology The source of Latin laurus for the tree is unclear, but the word is not related to Latin laus "praise". In the Greek tongue, bay was named dáphnee after the nymph Daphne, who was turned to a laurel shrub to escape Apollon's persecution. The god Apollo, then, developed the habit to wear bay twigs in memory of his unreturned love (it may seem noteworthy that the ancients considered this incident a tragedy - for Apollo, who lost the girl he was after). The Greek name lives today in Hebrew aley daphna "leaves of Daphne". The English term bay leaf (Middle English baye, Old French baie) derives from Latin baca "berry", meaning originally the fruits.
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BATZAL
Origin Onion seems to originate from West or Central Asia. In Europe, it is known since the bronze ages (see poppy on the Homeric epics); together with garlic, onion it is mentioned in the oldest part of the Bible, the Pentateuch (see pomegranate ). Etymology The origin of late Latin cepula (diminutive form of cepa) is unclear, but it is the source of the Italian and German names; the similarity of German zwei "two" is purely coincidental. French, English and Dutch names derive from late Latin unio "onion", probably related to unus "one" because of the single, perfectly shaped onion bulb in contrast to the multitude of garlic cloves. The second element of Swedish rödlök is further discussed under garlic . Its first element röd "red" serves to distinguish onion from garlic , which is termed vitlök, where vit means "white". This usage is closely paralleled in Indonesian, where bawang putih "garlic" and bawang merah "onion" are formed with adjectives putih "white" and merah "red". All the names of shallots derive from the West Asian city Askalon; it is, however, not clear whether shallots in truth have their origin in West Asia. The German regional name Klöben is related to English cleave, referring to the several sub-bulbs of shallot. The same element is also found in Knoblauch, the German name of garlic.
GRAINS OF PARADISE
Origin Grains of paradise are native to Africa's West coast, namely the countries Ghana, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo and Nigeria. Most imports stem from Ghana. In the countries of origin, the seeds are used not only to flavour food, but they are also chewed on cold days to warm the body. Note: also an ingredient in Sam Adam's Summer Ale: click here
Etymology In the Middle Ages, the spice was termed graines of paradise because of its high value. Guinea and Malagetta refer to the region of origin.
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