It is a historical fact that the ancient Romans let their hostages go only after they had been ransomed, not with gold but with spices and condiments! In fact, a standing hostage king had to be buried in pepper, salt, cardamoms, and cloves before his chains were struck off! Spices were thus evidently valuable and symbolic in ancient times.
It was really the power of spices, which made Christopher Columbus decide to explore the world looking for an easier route to the Indies - that Golden Cornucopia of exotic spices. So for all those ancient peoples out there who were not fortunate enough to be born in India and having handfuls of spices being thrown into the cuisine as a matter of routine, spices did come under the category of "rare" and "exotic" treasures.
The complexity of spices, the lightness of touch and the depths of exquisite subtle flavor are the reasons why Indian cuisine is considered to be one of the most sought after, all over the world. Cuisines in India as they exist today are a combination of techniques, equipment as well as ingredients that have traveled from Persia and the Middle East through Afghanistan and Pakistan to find their way to India. Apart from the native Persian cuisine brought to India by the Mughal rulers, Indian cooks managed to incorporate Western cookery (British, Portuguese and French dishes) into an eclectic and varied menu, by the deft addition of some spices and voila - khichri became kedgeree and vice versa, kadhi-turri became curry, mulliga-tanni (pepper water) became Mulligatawny and so on.
So for all those interested in the raw materials which make up the spectacular Indian cuisine, here are some essential spices, aromatics, and herbs which enhance the delicious mouthwatering flavor of an Indian dish.
Chillies (Serrano and Cayenne)
The red chilly is such a popular spice that it has its own place of honor in Indian folklore. In fact, wedding songs sung by a bride's family members during a wedding apostrophize the groom's sister as a Lal mirchi or red hot chilly pepper. This definitely does not have any complimentary connotations, about how attractive that particular damsel or dame is, but is more of a descriptive eulogy of her quarrelsome qualities and bad temper! Nevertheless, fresh and dried chilies varying in pungency and fieriness are used liberally in Indian cuisine. Kashmiri chillies are large and deep red; they have a good flavor and color but are not too hot. So they can be used in larger quantities than the smaller hotter green chillies. Whole dried chillies are stored in cool dark places for up to a year. Crushed chillies lose their power and spiciness after a couple of months. That is the reason why a good Indian cooks uses freshly ground chillies for every meal.
Ginger and garlic
Just like eggs and bacon, Mutt and Jeff, and bangers and mash, ginger and garlic go together in Indian cuisine. After salt, these are probably the most used ingredients in Indian country. They are added to marinades for meats, fish and vegetables, when preparing for the tandoor, as well as being a flavoring in many curries. Ginger and garlic are normally made in a paste, which can either be crushed separately or in a combination. You can preserve this paste in an airtight jar placed in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Cinnamon leaves
Although commonly referred to as "bay leaf" in Indian recipes, a cinnamon leaf is the dried leaf of the Cassia tree. Used in most dishes in India, cinnamon leaves have a mild sweet flavor. They are not edible, so they should be removed before serving.
Turmeric:
One of the most widely used spices in Indian cooking, turmeric flavors. A large number of Indian dishes, be they meat, vegetable lentils or curries and gives them a rich yellow orange color. These roots are sold both fresh and dried or ground to a fine powder. Turmeric has good preservative properties too. So it is used in the making of many Indian pickles.
Garam Masala
This literally means hot spices and is a mixture of roasted spices that are used whole or ground to a fine powder. Each region of India has its standard version of garam masala - from the Panch Phoron of Bengal to the South Indian garam masala, which is made up of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, chilies, nutmeg, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. The recipe can even be changed according to individual taste.
Saffron
Zafran - the costliest of all the spices, saffron is the dried stigmas of a variety of crocus. Just a few saffron strands will give intense golden color and a uniquely slightly bitter perfumed taste to sweet and savory dishes. Store this precious spice in an airtight jar in a dark place to retain its color and fragrance.
Royal cumin seeds
Also known as Black cumin, the spice seeds are very dark brown long and very thin, and smaller than regular cumin. Their aroma is earthy and strong during cooking; the taste is warm and nutty. Royal cumin is used extensively in Kashmiri cuisine, and in Mogul cuisine as a tempering for meats.
Fennel Seeds
A very commonly used spice, India, whole and ground fennel seeds, add a rather warm and sweet flavor to curries, pickles, and chutneys. They have digestive properties so they are roasted and served after a hearty Indian meal.
Nigella seeds
Also known as black onion seeds, the seeds have nothing to do with onions; rather they are the seeds of a garden herb called "love in a mist." The seeds have a slightly bitter taste and are very popular in Bengali cuisine. Kalonji or Nigella seeds are also used to embellish a number of Indian breads.
Carom seeds
Ajwain (also known as Bishops’ weed) has a hot and bitter taste. Nevertheless, cooking them with other spices is going to mellow the taste considerably. Use them in seafood dishes and with root vegetables.
Pickling spices
This combination of fennel seeds, carom seeds, onion seeds, fenugreek, mustard and cumin either as whole seeds or ground is used in pickles as well as to flavor sauces and marinades for meat. You can buy these ready-made pickling spices in India; elsewhere you will need to mix the spices together yourself!
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—About our writer:
Dueep Jyot Singh is a management professionals turned IT professional, who has enjoyed a large variety of variegated and vastly different career changes, in her 20 years as a manager and academic. These include aviation school trainer, lecturer in marketing and advertising, French professor, HRD manager and IT database manager, publisher and editor among others! She has been writing content for websites since 2003 for companies like TextBroker and Need an Article, as well as ghost writing for UAW and EZineArticles and websites. For relaxation, she writes light historical and paranormal fiction under the pseudonym of Nina Brar. Her Bhawanigir Were-tiger Series -published by Hearts on Fire Books Missouri- has been on book Café and Amazon.com since 2004. Besides that, she is working on her bilingual French/English poetry book (Rigoles-Mele-toi de tes oignons-Pepe Prevert!) to be published in December.
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