Spices

In India, Spices are considered to be an important group of horticultural crops. They are also synonymously known as vegetable products or mixture thereof. The Indian spices are free from any sort of extraneous matter. These spices have many uses. The Indian spices can be used for flavoring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foods. Spices are available in the whole form or in grounded form. India is a major cultivator of spices. India is known to produce a wide variety of spices. These spices include cardamom (small and large), black pepper, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chili as well as a large variety of tree and seed spices.

India is a country which is considered to be one of the largest consumer, producer as well as exporter of spices and spice products. India’s total production of spices is 4.3 million metric tonnes in an area of 2.56 million hectares.

Spices can be used in many different varieties  such as chopped, whole, roasted,  ground, fried, sautéed and also as a topping. Spices can be blended to food to extract the nutrients in order to bind them in a palatable form. There are many Indian spices which are added at the end as flavoring. These types of spices are heated in a pan with ghee or cooking oil before being added to the dish. The lighter Indian spices are generally added in the last. On the other hand, the spices having a strong aroma should be added first. Curry is not considered as a spice rather it is a term which is used by western people and refers to any dish in Indian cuisine as it has lots of spices been blended together. This mixture could act as a gravy base or a dry item.

List of Spices in India

• Pepper
• Cardamom
• Chillies
• Ginger
• Black Pepper
• Charoli
• Indian Bay Leaf or Tejpat
• Clove
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Curry Tree
• Fenugreek
• Garam Masala
• Kokum
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Elettaria or Green Cardamom
• Tulsi
• Saffron
• Carom Seed
• Tamarind
• Turmeric

Cardamom

Cardamom can be referred as a spice which is found in the genera of Amomum and Elettaria in the ginger family of Zingiberaceae. Both of these types of genera are native to India, Nepal and Bhutan. The reason for this is because they can be easily recognized because of their triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, small seed pods having a thin and papery outer shell and also small black seeds. Guatemala is considered to be the big producer and exporters of cardamom followed by India. Many of the other countries of the world including Sri Lanka have also begun to cultivate it. Cardamom is considered to be the world's third most expensive spice by weight.

As a spice, it is possible to use Turmeric in powder form in almost all of the vegetable preparations. On adding Turmeric, it will give you the color and it is also used to preserve pickles for a longer duration.

It is from the flower of Crocus sativus that we get Saffron. Crocus is a gene in the family Iridaceae. It can be grown to 20–30 cm (8–12 in). The Saffron Crocus can grow up to four flowers, each of them having three vivid crimson stigmas, which are at the distal end of a carpel.

Garam masala is a mixture of ground spices which is most commonly found in South Asian and other North Indian cuisines. You can easily use Garam masala alone or with other seasonings.

Aromatic flower buds are known as Cloves. They can be found growing in the countries of India, Indonesia, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The largest producer of clove is Pemba Island, just off the coast of Tanzania. The clove tree grows at a height of 8–12 m tall. It has sanguine flowers and large leaves which are grouped in terminal clusters. In the beginning, the flower buds have a pale hue color before they gradually turn green. The flowers later on take a transition to bright red and are ready for collection. It is possible to harvest the cloves when they are 1.5–2 cm long.

The dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum is what gives us Cumin. It can grow to a height of 30–50 cm (0.98–1.6 ft) tall. Cumin can only be harvested by hand. Cumin is considered to be an annual herbaceous plant having a slender branched stem. Each branch has 2 to 3 sub-branches. All of the branches of Cumin attain the same height; therefore the plant has a uniform canopy.

Tulsi in Hindu belief is considered to be a sacred plant. It is considered to be the manifestation of goddess Tulsi who is regarded as a consort of god Vishnu. Offering Tulsi leaves is considered to be a sacred ritual in the worship of God Vishnu and his many forms such as Krishna and Vithoba.

In India, you will come across many Hindu families having a Tulsi plant growing or near their homes or in front of them, often in a special small masonry structures or special pots. You will find Tulsi growing traditionally in the center central courtyard of the Hindu houses. Tulsi is cultivated for its religious and also for its medicinal purposes. It is also cultivated to extract Tulsi oil. All across South Asia, Tulsi is known to be used as an herbal tea and also as a medicinal plant commonly used in Ayurveda.

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