Key notes on some of the most common Spices

While a wide variety of spices is used in Indian cooking, they should never be allowed to kill the flavour or destroy the nutritive value of the food. Their judicious use in the diet improves the appetite and the digestion. They react during digestion and stimulate the production of natural juices which maintain the normal working of the body.

Some of the common spices used are discussed briefly below.

Cumin Seeds (Zira)

Are obtained from a herb of the carraway type. They have a pleasant odour and are added to curries and used whole in savouries, biscuits and fried rice. They are commonly used for seasoning dals and vegetables.

Fenugreek Seeds (Methidana)

Are obtained from an annual plant which grows in India and many European countries. They are used in making masala powders, seasoning curries and vegetables and for pickles. The fresh leaves and tender stalks of the plant are popular as a vegetable.

Pepper

Is obtained from the pods of the pepper-vine. This is grown extensively in South India, especially in Kerala. South-East Asian countries like Malaya, Borneo, Sumatra and Thailand are other sources of pepper. The berries are plucked and dried in the sun to obtain the familiar black peppercorns. White pepper is the central portion of the fully ripened pod. It is milder and more aromatic than the black pepper. The flavour of pepper is universally liked and it is widely used in both Indian and Western style cooking.

Mustard (Rai or Sarson)

Is commonly grown in most parts of our country. The plant bears distinctive yellow flowers which may be seen at the start of Spring (in North India). Mustard seeds are widely used for seasoning vegetables, curries, dals and chutneys. Mustard is often an important ingredient in masala powders. It is also used in pickles. The leaves and stalks are used as a vegetable in North India.

Mustard paste is used with roast meat, in cold salads and in sandwiches. Numerous varieties of prepared mustard pastes are available commercially. By blending with other substances the pungency of the mustard can be reduced.

Coriander (Dhania)

Is used both as green leaves and as dried seeds. Leaves and tender stalks of young plants are finely chopped and used as a garnish for details and vegetable. They are also popular in chutneys.

Dry coriander seeds from an important part of many Masalas.

Chillies (Mirch)

Are the fruit of annual and perennial herbs which are grown throughout the country. There are many district varieties. Usually the small fruits are pungent and hot. Larger fruits, also called capsicums, are mild in flavour and thick skinned. They are often eaten as vegetable.

When ripe the fruits change colour from green to red. These fruit are then sun-dried. Dried red chillies are pounded to a fine powder and extensively used in masala and pickles. Green chillies are also pickled, often with lime and ginger.

Turmeric (Haldi)

Is the aromatic rootstock of a plant which grows in India and also in the West Indies. Its colour varies from a dark orange to a deep raddish brown. The power has a characteristic yellow colour. It is widely used in curries and vegetable and in some Ayurvedic medicines as well.

Ginger (Adrak)

Is the root of another plant. It stimulates the digestion and is often used medically. It forms a part of some masalas and is also used in soft drinks, pickles and preserves (ginger candy)

Garlic (Lehsun or Lasun)

Is a bulb (like the onion). When ripe, the bulb is dried in the sun and stored. It keeps for very long. It has a strong, pungent smell and needs to be used with discretion in cooking. It is used to flavour curries, vegetables, meat dishes, pickles and chutneys.

Asafoetida (Hing)

Is a gummy resin obtained from certain plants which grow in Central Asia. It varies from whitish to dark brown in colour. It has a bitter taste and a very strong, distinctive flavour. It is said to improve the digestion and finds use in medicinal preparations, apart from vegetables, sambhar, rasam and some pickles.

Aniseed (Saunf)

Is obtained from plants that grow in many parts of Europe and Asia. The seeds are used to flavour many desserts, and for making cordials and liquors. In Indian homes it is often roasted and eaten after meals to help digestion.

Poppy Seeds (Khuskhus)

Are usually added to thicken and flavour gravies. They are also added to sweetmeats.

Cloves (Lavang)

Are obtained from a tree which grows largely in Kerala. Other countries of South-East Asia which have a warm humid climate also grow cloves. The unopened flowers of the tree are carefully harvested and dried. They change colour from green to dark brown and become very light.

An expensive spice, it is used sparingly in some masalas, for cooking meat and making pickles. Clove oil has long been used as a cure for toothaches.

Cardamoms (Elayichi)

Aare the fruits of a reed-like plant found in Kerala in India and other hot-wet countries. The pod is plucked and dried. The seeds within have a strong, aromatic flavour and are used in curries and pulaos, sweets, cakes, puddings, khir and halwas. It has medicinal value as well.

Cinnamon (Dalchini)

Is the inner bark of a tree grown chiefly in Ceylon and the West Indies. It has a strong flavour and is used sparingly in cakes, pickles, curries and pulaos. It is sometimes blended with other drugs to obtain medicines for fever.

Saffron (Kesar or Zaffran)

Is obtained from a crocus-like flower. Each flower yields only three saffron hairs and hence over 75,000 flowers have to be harvested to produce about 500 gm of saffron. In India, Kashmir is the only source of saffron. It grows in Spain, Portugal and Italy too.

Its pleasant delicate flavour makes it very popular in, curries, cakes, and other sweetmeats. It is used in minute amounts and is very costly.

Nutmeg and Mace (Jaiphal and Javitri)

Aare two different spices obtained from the same fruit. The tree grows widely in Sri Lanka. Nutmeg is the seed which is protected by a thin, hard shell. This shell has an orangish fleshy coat which dries into mace. The two spices have a similar aroma but they are put to different uses. Nutmeg is used in combination with other spices in puddings and sweets, to flavour milk, eggs and plantain preparations. Nutmeg and mace form an important part of garam masala. These spices improve the flavour and aroma of the dishes in which they are used. These are also known to be having medicinal value.