Essential Indian Spices

Spice is the essence of Life

Spices add taste, flavour, aroma, colour and "bite" - pungency to our food. Eastern civilization considers spices as indispensable ingredients. Spices are even used as preservatives,aphrodisiacs and in traditional medicine. Many Indian grandmas prefer a strong decoction (called as "Kashayam" in tamil)made of some spices to drive away ailments.

The free ebook Spicy Recipes deals with recipes culled from this vast subcontinent using some of the exotic spices. The following is a brief note on a few of the spices grown in India.

Spices are derived from some part of a plant - flowers, fruits, leaves, seeds, rhizomes, roots, buds and even the bark of a tree. India produces almost all of the spices, largely owing to its varying climate and soil condition. According to the Indian Spice board, India produces 3.2 million tonnes of spices valued at approximately US$4000,000,000. India has about half the share of the world trade in Spices.

Essential Indian Spices

Pepper - This hot spice was probably one of the reasons why the medieval Europeans established a trade link to India. Even a simple dish like an omlette requires pepper. Rightly called as the King of Spices, pepper is available in different shades,depending upon the pungency. Black pepper (the strongest in flavour) is considered as a stimulant,carminative, aphrodisiac, diuretic and digestive in the traditional Indian medicine. Pepper, as "Milagu tanner" - Pepper water (or "Milagu rasam") is the final part of a South Indian meals, greatly assisting the digestion. They are also useful for asthma, fever, cough, dysentery, dyspepsia and flatulence. In powdered form (as a poultice) Pepper is useful for arthritis.

Latin - Piper nigrum Family - Piperaceae French - Poivre German - Pfeffer

Ginger - Fresh Ginger is extremely important in oriental food. It is used to flavour the cooking oil before you toss everything else for stir-frying. It is considered as a restorative, stimulant and a strong flavouring agent. Ginger is reputed to cure ulcers when chewed in small doses. It amply enhances your appetite when blended with other spices. In villages, people make candies out of dried ginger for its various medicinal properties.

Latin -Zingiber officinale Roscoe Family - Zingiberaceae French -Gingembre German -Ingwer

Garlic- This hardy bulbous annual has acclaimed medicinal value from the ancient times.  It lowers bad cholesterol and enhances blood circulation amongst other things. In food, it adds its strong flavour. In combination with Onions, Garlic is indispensable in soups, meat dishes,stews and marinade.

Latin - Allium sativum Family - Liliaceae French -Ail German -Knoblanch

Chilli - An indispensable culinary spice, it comes in various shapes and colours and called variously as red chillies, Green chilies, capsicum, bell pepper, sweet pepper, red pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. It forms the major ingredient in Asian masala. Consumption of chillies is high in India as it is used universally in Indian kitchens. In fact, India produces  800,000 tonnes of dry chillies alone annually. Red chillies derive their deep rich red colour from the pigment capsanthin. The "hot" pungency is associated with Capsaicin. The bell pepper or Capsicum is hardly pungent and mainly adds texture and green colour to Uppumas and noodles. Eastern meat dishes will be nothing without a dash of ground chillies. Discard the seeds if you prefer it milder when you add green chilies in some of the recipes listed.

Latin - Capsicum annum Family - Solanaceae French -Puvre de Guinee German -Paprika

Cumin - Has a strong flavour akin to caraway. This spice is essential for curries and curry powder. Roasted and ensconced in sugar syrup, can be ideal after a heavy meal.

Latin - Cuminum cyminum Family - Apiaceae French -Cumin German -Romischer Kummel

Coriander - This fragrant spice is used for sauces and as a condiment. The fresh young leaves of this herb is used to flavour and garnish soups,salads and meat dishes.

Latin - Coriandrum sativam Family - Apiaceae French -Corriandre German -Koriander

Cardamom - This rhizomatous herb with strongly aromatic seeds inside capsular fruits is the most exotic of the spices. Largely grown in the western ghats of Kerala and Tamilnadu, it is widely used in Asian and middle east food preparation, medicines and even in beverages. A concoction made of cardamom and coffee (called as Gahwa in the middle east) is popular amongst some in India.  Cardamom is aromatic, stimulating, slightly astringent and refreshing. In ancient lore, powdered cardamom is used as an aphrodisiac.

Latin - Elettaria cardamomum Maton Family - Zingiberaceae French -Cardamome German -Kardamom

Asafoetida - This spice is a preparation made out of dried latex (oleo-gum-resin) exuded from the living rhizome, rootstock or taproot of an umbelliferous plant Ferula foetida (Umbelliferae). Also  known as  Devil's dung, Indian asafoetida comes in three forms: 'tears', 'mass' and 'paste', according to quality. It is available as light brown resin or more traditionally as powder. Its aroma is unmistakable in most South Indian dishes.

Latin - Ferula asafoetida Family - Apiaceae French -Ferule Asafoetida German -Stinkendes steckenkraut

Saffron - This is the most expensive spice as it requires about 100,000 blooms, laboriously handpicked to process one kilo of saffron. It is the slender, dried, reddish-brown, flattened stigma of a small crocus of the iris family. In Indian medicine, saffron (nicknamed as the Golden spice) is used to "invoke" fairer children, if fed early in pregnancy. Its characteristic aroma and a 'biting' taste is often used in Biryanis.

Latin - Crocus sativus Family - Iridaceae French -Safran German -Safran