That whirring noise you hear is the Colonel spinning in his grave.

Jay Jones, a freelance journalist, may have stumbled upon the culinary coup of the century: Col. Sanders’ secret blend of 11 herbs and spices that have been coating Kentucky Fried Fowl for more than 75 years.

In an article published in the Chicago Tribune, part of the Tronc family of publications that also includes the Orlando Sentinel, Jones recounts a visit to the Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum, which is a real place in Corbin, Ky., where he was given a tour by Joe Ledington, a nephew of KFC’s founder. Ledington showed Jones a family scrapbook that included a last will and testament of Sanders’ second wife, who died in 1996. On the back of the document was a handwritten note with the spices, numbered 1 to 11, with measurements, to be mixed with “2 cups white fl.”

{loadposition myposition}

Here’s what people have apparently been licking off their fingers for years (the Ts stands for tablespoon):

11 spices — Mix with 2 cups white fl
1) 2/3 Ts salt
2) 1/2 Ts thyme
3) 1/2 Ts basil
4) 1/3 Ts oregano
5) 1 Ts celery salt
6) 1 Ts black pepper
7) 1 Ts dried mustard
8) 4 Ts paprika
9) 2 Ts garlic salt
10) 1 Ts ground ginger
11) 3 Ts white pepper

However, the Tribune’s test kitchen discovered a missing ingredient — MSG. Once that was added, the testers declared the recipe legit.

And just like that, the secret was out.

Now all you need is your own greasy bucket.