Tag: spices

7 spices of India

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India is the biggest producer, consumer and exporter of spices in the world. India exports about 180 different spices to 150 countries of the world. A wide variety of spices are grown in different parts of the country many of which are native to these places. Others are imported and cultivated locally. Spices have been used in Indian kitchens for centuries, they are one of the most important thing in our daily diet. Spices are added to food to give it flavor, aroma, and to preserve it, also spices are said to be really good for health. Several spices are blended together to give food the known Indian taste. Not only in kitchens but spices play a vital role in pharmaceutical products, medicines, cosmetics, etc. Spices are known to help in curing many deseases like arthritis cancer, diabetes.

Spices add a twist to our foods. Without spices food looks, smells and tastes dull and lifeless, a pinch of common spices is what we all need. Be it cardamom in our tea, turmeric in lentils or curry leaves in curry, all the spices offer something different and are an essential part of our lives. They are known to be effective in gastric problems, blood disorders, infectious diseases. There are 7 spices which are a must to have in indian households. These spices are used for their aroma and spices and for their potential health benefits.

TURMERIC

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Turmeric has been used since ancient times as a healer, coloring agent and most importantly to give a yellow shade to our food and all the health benefits it provides us with consuming just a small amount daily. It is like a sack of nutrients. It has many benefits including, it’s antioxidant and antispetic properties. It has been a prominent ingredient in cosmetic industry as well. Face creams, face washes, etc with the goodness of turmeric are found in abudance. It is grown as a rhizom and can be used as fresh or dried. Cucurmin is the main component of turmeric. It is also helpful in stopping blood for minor cuts. Also known as golden spice or indian saffron. It helps relieve pain, aids digestion and supports immune system. A glass of milk with turmeric can be very effective at night for better sleep and digestion. It is known to provide warmth to the body, clean blood and cure skin realted problems.

CUIMIN

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Cumin consists of oil that provide a particular aroma to the seeds. It is the basic and one of the first ingredient used while cooking. Smal boat shaped seeds is an ancient spice used as whole or powder and is infused with the hot oil or lightly roasted to bring out the flavor. It has an earthy aroma, and is beneficial for heart related diseases due to its antioxidant properties and has various vitamins and minerals in it. Cumin seeds improve taste and craving. Cumin oil posesses antifungal and antimicrobial properties. It is helpful in toothache and jaundice as well and is widely used in pharmaceutical industries.

FENUGREEK

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India accounts for the major production of fenugreek and is derived from various states out of which Rajasthan alone gives 80% of the indian output. The majority is cultivated and consumed in India itself. It is used as a herb dried or fresh in cooking, it possesses bitter taste which is reduced by roasting the seeds. Fenugreek plant is about 2-3 feet tall, it’s green leaves and pods that contain small, golden-brown seeds. For many years it has been used in Chinese medicines to treak skin problems many other diseases. And for similar reasons it has long utilized in households and can be found in shampoos and soaps as well. For it’s nutritious value and sweet nutty taste it has been a must to have spice in Indian kitchens. Fenugreek may be helpful in aiding diabetes and is also taken as supplement.

CORIANDER

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Coriander is one of the most used herb to flavor dishes, the seeds known as Coriander and the leaves as cilantro. Commonly known as dhaniya in india, It is also known as chinese parsley. Used in soups, currie masalas in India, middle, eastern and asian meals. While leaves and dried or ground seeds are used, coriander is useful in lowerin blood sugar, boosting immune system, lower heart related deseases. Both seeds and leaves of coriander are very different in taste. Whole seeds are added to vegetables, pickes, lentils and baked goods. Their aroma is released by warming. While leaves are used to garnish dishes. Coriander seeds are toasted and ground before eating as their texture can be hard to chew. A bright shining green plant. Surprisingly it has several skin benefits. It slowly absorbs the sugar in stomach and stimulates insulin and is found effective in lowering blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

CLOVE

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Clove is grown in Asia and America, its oil, stem, dried flower buds and leaves are used in making medicines. Clove is very effective in dental problems and can cure toothache when applied directly to it. Also used as a flavoring in foods and beverages, toothpaste, perfume, soaps and cigarettes. It resembles a nail in shape. It’s use in culinary is mainly for flavoring as it blends both with sweet and savory dishes. Clove oil has antispetic and antibiotic properties and is used especially in dentistry. Clove is often found in indian cuisine for it aroma and flavor and is a part of garam masala, which is a mixture od different spices.

CINNAMON

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Cinnamon is a spice extracted from bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of the cinnamon tree and has been a part of traditional medicine for thousands for years. It has many health benefits and is also used for flavoring and fragrance. It is effective in blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, stomach issues and obesity. It has antioxidant, antibiotic and anti inflammatory properties and has traces of nutrients in it. In india it is used in making chutneys, meat or rice dishes. Sometimes while cinnamon sticks are also used.

CARDAMOM

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After Saffron and vanilla, cardamom is the most expensive spice in the world. This versatile pod is used in teas, spices and many sweets are garnished using cardamom. In indian cuisine whole pods of cardamom are used in making curry, milk deserts and many other dishes. It is widely used in making chai as it for its aroma and flavor. It benefits in gastric problems, cardiovascular issues, controlling cancer and cholesterol and is rich in nutrients. It is also included in garam masala as an essential ingredient. These small green and black pods have a wide range of uses added to their list.

Indian Spices

Spices plays a vital role in every Indian kitchen since a long time. The spices is used to increase the palatability and as a flavoring, coloring and preservative agents. Indians spices are immunity boosters as well as anti-proliferative, anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-diabetics and anti-inflammatory.

Here are some Indian spices, which you should start adding to your meals :-

  1. Black pepper :- Adding pinch of black pepper promotes weight loss, helps relieve cough and cold, improves digestion, boost metabolism and treats many skin problems.

2.Cloves :- Cloves are antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiseptic. Cloves are antioxidants, rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Clove oil is used as a pain reliever in toothache and stomach pain.

3.Fenugreek :- Fenugreek improves digestion promotes milk flow in mothers, helps those who are suffering from eating disorder and also reduces inflammation.

4.Turmeric :- Turmeric is full of antioxidants, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. It prevents cancer and has healing properties.

5. Mustard :- Mustard protect kidneys. Mustard is a rich sources of MUFA, it lowers bad cholesterol in the body and helps in circulation.

Story of the two most expensive spices

• Saffron

One pound of saffron costs you $5000. It is the most expensive spice next comes vanilla. Saffron is a complicated spice to harvest. Harvesting saffron needs a lot of hand work to pick up the flowers, separate the saffron that is the dried stigma or the female part of the flower. Saffron comes from the saffron crocus flower and each flower has 3 stigmas. The yield of saffron is very low. One pound of saffron requires 170000 flowers. These flowers bloom over a six week period from late September to early December. There is a specific time to day to harvest them. High relative humidity and sunlight can break the chemical structure in the saffron. Early morning is preferably the best time to harvest them.

90% of the world’s saffron is grown in arid fields in Iran. It is so because workers are available and for cheap. But it’s mostly like slavery. Most workers are women getting five dollars a day. Not only Iran, it’s grown in Morocco, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, India and even in United States. Though many Americans have never eaten saffron, the US imports large amount of saffron. Saffron has a resistance to cold weather.

Over centuries saffron has proven useful in many situations. Most commonly used in cooking. Middle east Asian countries have a lot of food containing saffron. When saffron is broken down it creates a golden dye. Which is how when used in cooking it gives a different kind of colour and taste and smell to it.

Saffron contains some chemical components which are really expensive like picrocrocin, crocin and safranal. These are the main components responsible for the taste, smell and colour.

People have tried passing turmeric, red marigold petals, and lily flower stigma as saffron. But the flavour and dye is totally different. In large quantities, saffron can be a potent happiness inducing narcotic. Research suggests it may help reduce the symptoms for Alzheimer’s, depression and PMS.

• Vanilla

From ice cream to cakes and even perfume, vanilla is the go-to flavour of the world. In recent years, the price of natural vanilla has shot up. At one point it was more expensive than silver by weight. 80% of the world’s vanilla is grown in the perfectly suited climate of the north east region of Madagascar. It’s the country’s primary export crop. In 2014, vanilla was $80 a kilo. Three years later it was $600. Today its around $500. The price rise is due in part to global demand. The trend of eating naturally means that food companies have shunned synthetic flavouring in favour of the real deal.

Price fluctuations affect producers of agricultural commodities everywhere but vanilla is particularly volatile. In just a few weeks the price can jump or plummet by over 20%. Liberalisation is one reason for such movements. The Malagasy government once regulated the vanilla industry and it’s price. But now the price is negotiated at the point of sale which makes for a freer market but a more volatile one. It’s also a tiny industry. A single cyclone can knock up the entire crop within Madagascar. It’s also a difficult and delicate crop to grow.

Vanilla is an orchid that needs to be hand pollinated. This is a really labour intensive practice. It takes roughly six months to grow it on the vine and then six months of manual post harvesting. The interesting thing about vanilla is that it needs to be taken off the vine when it is almost rotted!

The growers have to contend with another problem. Thieves are targeting vanilla crops. So Malagasy now have to sleep out in their vanilla fields. They can’t rely on those who are changed from the state to protect them or their crops. Some farmers have resorted to harvesting the beans before they’re ripe but this produces a poorer quality vanilla and ultimately pushes down the price. The combination of deteriorating quality and high prices is having an effect. The vanilla price bubble may burst. If the price continues to stay high there’s a number of scenarios that will play out. Continuation of current situation will cause an unstable market. Otherwise the corporate sectors step in, try to regulate the market in some way that may stabilise prices and also quality. Or the market may crash out.

Big buyers that provide vanilla are now working directly with farmers in a bid to gain greater control over quality. Other companies have started to look elsewhere for their natural vanilla. Indonesia, Uganda and even the Netherlands are growing the crop. For a century Madagascar has enjoyed a near monopoly on vanilla. But this industry maybe in line for radical overhaul.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼