Sweet ground paprika

Whole mustard seed is mild until you crush it into liquid — that is when the heat appears. Marija Kovač sieves it clean near Đakovo and packs it unground.

Paprika ground in small batches is still red and still sweet; old paprika is brown and flat. Marija Kovač dries and grinds it near Đakovo with nothing added.

Fennel left to ripen on the stem is sweeter than seed picked early. The Radin family near Buzet dries the seed and cleans it by hand.

A crushed juniper berry smells of pine and gin; a whole one barely smells at all. Luka Šarić gathers them ripe around Lovinac and air-dries them whole.

Crushed coriander seed smells of lemon peel; the pre-ground kind in a jar mostly smells of nothing. Marija Kovač dries it near Đakovo on airy trays and packs it whole.