A Lowdown on Indian Spices

chillibreeze writer — Ruchi Reddy

Spices are an indispensable part of oriental cuisine. It is these spices that give the famous Indian curry its flavor and unique aroma. Although spices are used in all cultures and in all types of cooking, in India, spices are used not only in cooking, but also for flavoring, as medicines, as preservatives and even as perfumes.

Food in South India: An Expat Survival Guide Released June 2007 35 pages, US$9.99

Click - Pay - Download your ebook Now! Payment gateway via PayPal

In ancient times, Indian spices were traded with gold and silver and even today India has the glorious distinction of being the world’s largest producer of spices.

With varied climatic conditions and different geographical features like mountains and seas and tropical forests and coasts, India has an unimaginably vast array of spices that flavor the world’s food palate. Some of them are turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilly, black pepper, mustard seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, tamarind, bay leaf, kokum, aniseed and asafetida.

1. Asafoetida (Heeing, in Hindi) is the dried gum extracted from the root of several species of Ferula plant. This plant is found abundantly in the cold climes of Kashmir and some parts of Punjab and also in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Guides to North and South Indian food

Taste - Asafoetida has a bitter taste and emits a strong pungent odor due to the presence of sulphur compounds in it and is used for seasoning.

Uses - It is said to aid in digestion and gives a distinctive flavor to the dish. It is used mainly in seasoning hard to digest beans and lentils. Heeing, or asafoetida, is also an effective medicine for stomach upsets due to indigestion and prevents flatulence.

2. Bay leaf (Tej patta in Hindi) is an important ingredient of Indian cooking. It is actually the dried leaf of the bay tree. It grows in parts of Orissa and North-east India.

Taste - The leaves are elliptical and long about 2-6cms in length and have a unique, delicate, aromatic fragrance that is released once the dried leaf is crushed and put in the curry or hot oil.

Uses - Apart from vegetables, stews, chicken and mutton preparations, bay leaf is also used in sweet Indian puddings (kheer), in sauces, chutneys and confectionery items.

It is said to have anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties that also make it an ideal preservative for pickles and its paste is used in treating skin infections.

3. Caraway seeds (Jeera in Hindi) - This spice is a must for all Indian cooking and is the fruit of a biennial herb, grown in the mountains of Kashmir and hills of Garwhal and Kumaon.

Taste - It is brown in color and has a pleasant smell which is enhanced after dry roasting.

Uses - It is a must in all Indian curries and dishes and is often the first spice to be put in the oil; it is also used extensively in flavoring bread, biscuits, and snacks. It is also used as a medicine for constipation and indigestion. It helps make a cool refreshing drink called “jal jeera” to fight the hot Indian summer sun!

4. Cinnamon (Dal chini in Hindi) is grown extensively in the wet, coastal region of Kerala. This hardy plant needs plenty of rainfall and moist cool climate to grow well. The bark of the Cinnamon tree is rolled and dried and is an important, aromatic Indian spice.

Taste - It has a unique, sweet-smelling fragrance that is warm and agreeable and its taste is unique. It is usually used in the form cinnamon powder.

Uses - It is an essential part of flavoring various confectionery products and is also used in liquors, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Its properties help in the digestion of sugar and is thus used in cakes and jams. It is a natural astringent and is used to treat cuts and wounds; its medicinal properties help check nausea and vomiting.

The cinnamon bark oil has anti-fungal properties useful in skin ailments and cinnamon leaf oil is widely used in perfumery and cosmetics for its wonderful aroma.

5. Cardamom (Choti elaichi in Hindi) is the small green, dried fruit of the Cardamom plant and is grown in Kerala’s Malabar coast and Karnataka’s Mysore region in South India.

Taste - This wonderful smelling little green fruit is sometimes also called the “Queen of Spices” and because of its sweet aromatic smell, it enjoys a premium export position in India.

Uses - Cardamom is an essential part of all Indian sweets and also in Mughlai cuisine; it is also used to make essences, traditional medicines and beverages.

6. Chilly (Lal mirch in Hindi) is the dried ripe fruit of the Capsicum plant. It grows best in hot, dry climates. In India, Andhra Pradesh has the best crop of chillies that are plucked when green and sun-dried to get the red chilly.

Taste - From hot, pungent ones to less sharp varieties, from long chillies to small round chillies, all types are grown and found in India. Dry chilly is extensively used in Indian curries, both for its sharp taste and bright color. Some chillies like “Kashmiri Mirch” ,“Warangal chapatti variety” are not hot but are used for its bright red color in foods and also as a colorant, in dyeing clothes.

Uses - Apart from being used in foods, capsicum is also a renowned pain killer and is used in rheumatic disorders. The enzyme isolated from chilly is used in the treatment of certain types of cancers. Chillies are also an extremely rich source of vitamin ‘c’.

7. Coriander (Dhania in Hindi) is actually the fruit (seed) of the coriander plant. Interestingly, the tender leaves of the plant (Dhania patta) are also used in garnishing dishes, but in the spices category we usually refer to its small, brown seeds that are used, with or without roasting, in Indian curries. It is grown almost all over the country and most people grow it in their kitchen gardens as well.

Taste - The whole plant has a pleasant aroma; its leaves and tender stem are finely chopped and used for garnishing. Its seeds have a pleasant aroma that is released on crushing.

Uses - It is used for its healing properties, as a diuretic and also as an aphrodisiac in traditional, Indian medicine. It has been used in Grandma’s recipes to ease stomach disorders and nausea during pregnancy and is an important ingredient of all Indian cooking.

So, here’s to some spicy cooking for you! Bon Appetite!

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

—About our writer:

Ruchi writes for chillibreeze.