National Spice Blend Day
September 4
About National Spice Blend Day
National Spice Blend Day is observed annually on 4 September, celebrating the art, culture, and creativity of combining spices into blends that define cuisines around the world. Founded by Angel Gregorio of The Spice Suite in Washington D.C., the day honours the richness that spice blending brings to food, culture, and community.
How to Celebrate National Spice Blend Day
There are plenty of ways to mark the occasion, whether you are a seasoned cook or just starting to explore world flavours.
- Make your own spice blend – Choose a cuisine that interests you, research its signature blend, and mix your own from scratch. Garam masala, za’atar, and herbes de Provence are all great starting points for beginners.
- Host a spice-blending party – Invite friends over and set out a range of whole and ground spices. Challenge each guest to create their own blend, label it, and explain the inspiration behind it. It makes for a memorable and fragrant evening.
- Try an unfamiliar blend – Pick up a spice blend you have never cooked with before. Ras el hanout from Morocco, shichimi togarashi from Japan, or jerk seasoning from Jamaica are all excellent choices that will push your culinary horizons.
- Host a cultural potluck – Ask each guest to bring a dish that features a different culture’s spice blend. It is a delicious way to explore the world from your own kitchen, and a great conversation starter.
- Attend a workshop or cooking class – Many independent spice shops and cookery schools run spice-blending workshops. Check what is available locally and book a spot for a hands-on learning experience.
- Visit a local spice shop – Skip the supermarket and seek out an independent spice retailer. Staff at specialist shops can guide you towards blends suited to what you already love cooking.
- Start a herb garden – Growing your own herbs is the first step toward blending from the very source. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, and bay all dry well and can be combined into your own herbes de Provence-style mix.
- Share on social media – Post photos of your spice blends, finished dishes, or spice collections using the hashtag #NationalSpiceBlendDay. Tag independent spice businesses to help amplify small producers.
What is National Spice Blend Day?
National Spice Blend Day is an annual food observance held on 4 September that recognises the role spice blends play in cuisines around the world. The day encourages people to move beyond salt and pepper, experiment with global flavours, and support independent spice businesses. It was created to spotlight the creativity involved in combining individual spices into a blend, and the cultural stories those blends carry with them.
When is National Spice Blend Day?
National Spice Blend Day falls on Friday, 4 September 2026. It is observed annually on 4 September, a fixed date marking the anniversary of The Spice Suite’s founding. The date does not change from year to year.
The History of National Spice Blend Day
National Spice Blend Day was founded by Angel Gregorio, the owner of The Spice Suite, an independent spice shop based in Washington D.C. Gregorio, who had previously worked as a school assistant principal, took an unexpected turn in 2015 when she spotted a vacant storefront and made a spontaneous decision to open a spice shop. What began as an unplanned venture became one of D.C.’s most distinctive independent businesses.
The Spice Suite quickly became more than a retail shop. Gregorio developed it into a platform for Black entrepreneurship, hosting more than 2,300 free pop-up shops for Black business owners. The shop stocks fresh spice blends and cooking oils from around the world, and Gregorio herself became a recognised voice in food culture, earning a place on Season 8 of MasterChef and featuring in publications including CBS News, The Guardian, Essence, BET, Forbes, and the Washington Post.
On 4 September 2021, the sixth anniversary of The Spice Suite’s opening, the National Day Calendar officially proclaimed National Spice Blend Day, making it an annual observance on that date. Gregorio created the day to celebrate the culinary creativity behind spice blending, encourage people to explore world flavours, and shine a light on the independent spice businesses that keep those traditions alive. If you enjoy learning about herbs and seasonings more broadly, National Herbs and Spices Day on 10 June explores the wider world of culinary plants and their history.
The spice trade itself has shaped human history for more than 2,000 years. Ancient Egyptians used spices in temple rituals and embalming practices. The Roman Empire’s demand for pepper and cinnamon drove trade routes across Asia and Africa. In the 15th and 16th centuries, European powers funded voyages of exploration specifically to secure control of the spice trade, with nutmeg and cloves among the most valued commodities on earth. National Spice Blend Day connects this vast history to the everyday act of cooking.
Fascinating Facts About Spice Blends
- Ras el hanout translates from Arabic as “head of the shop,” meaning the finest spices a merchant has to offer. The Moroccan blend can contain more than 20 individual spices and often includes rose petals. No two versions are identical.
- Curry powder as Westerners know it is not a traditional Indian blend. It was created by British colonists who sought to standardise and export the complex spice mixtures of Indian cooking into a single, shelf-stable product.
- Pumpkin pie spice, the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, appears in American cookbooks as far back as 1798 and contains no pumpkin whatsoever. You can celebrate the blend itself on National Pumpkin Spice Day on 1 October.
- Jerk seasoning has its roots in the culinary traditions of the Maroons, free Africans living in Jamaica’s interior who used allspice (native to Jamaica), thyme, scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, and ginger to preserve and flavour meat.
- Five-spice powder from China reflects Taoist philosophy of five balanced flavours. The blend of Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel, star anise, and cloves is designed so that no single element dominates.
- Shichimi togarashi, Japan’s “seven-flavour chilli pepper,” contains red chilli, sesame, orange peel, seaweed, and other ingredients. It sits on the tables of ramen shops across Japan as a standard condiment, much like salt and pepper in Western restaurants.
- Za’atar, the Levantine blend of thyme, sesame, sumac, and salt, varies meaningfully between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. The sumac adds a tart, almost lemony brightness distinctive to the region.
- Garam masala, which literally means “warming spices” in Hindi, is typically added at the very end of cooking to preserve its delicate aromatics rather than at the start.
Why National Spice Blend Day Matters
Spice blends are more than culinary tools. They are cultural artefacts that carry the history, identity, and ingenuity of the communities that created them. Celebrating spice blends is a way of celebrating the people behind them, and the day also draws attention to the small, independent producers who keep those traditions in circulation rather than leaving them to be homogenised by mass manufacturing.
The global spice market is substantial, with a growing segment driven by consumer interest in world cuisines, home cooking, and health-conscious seasoning. Many artisanal blends are salt-free, preservative-free, and additive-free, making them appealing to an increasingly ingredient-aware public. National Spice Blend Day also directly supports small businesses, reflecting the grassroots origins of The Spice Suite itself.
National Spice Blend Day Hashtags
Join the conversation and share your spice blends, dishes, and discoveries on social media. Use #NationalSpiceBlendDay and #SpiceBlendLove to connect with others celebrating around the world. Tag your local spice shop or any independent producers whose blends you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Spice Blend Day?
National Spice Blend Day is an annual observance on 4 September celebrating the creativity and cultural heritage of spice blending. It was founded in 2021 by Angel Gregorio of The Spice Suite in Washington D.C. and proclaimed by the National Day Calendar.
When is National Spice Blend Day in 2026?
National Spice Blend Day falls on Friday, 4 September 2026.
Who created National Spice Blend Day?
The day was created by Angel Gregorio, founder of The Spice Suite in Washington D.C. It was officially proclaimed by the National Day Calendar on 4 September 2021, the sixth anniversary of The Spice Suite’s opening.
Related Awareness Days
- National Herbs and Spices Day – Celebrated on 10 June each year, this day highlights the diversity and importance of herbs and spices in cooking, medicine, and culture.
- National Pumpkin Spice Day – Observed on 1 October, this day celebrates the iconic autumn blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves that flavours everything from lattes to baked goods.
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