Introduction
India is known as a country of diverse culture and rich traditions with a great historical heritage. At the same time, Indian food preparations and recipes have a rich cultural heritage too with an astounding history. Indian food is famous worldwide for its rich flavours and delightful tastes with a blend of various Indian spices that are ingredients to almost every Indian dish.
In this blog, we will be discussing the variety of Indian spices and how they are used in Indian food preparations to add flavorful tastes that you won’t be able to resist. One of the key ingredients in Indian dishes is the perfect spice blend known as the garam masala. We will talk about everything in detail, so let’s explore the world of Indian spices.
Rich History of Indian Spices
Talking about the rich history of Indian spices we need to keep in mind that, here we are talking about a country that has a rich cultural heritage and history like no other country in the world. Dating back to ancient times, to the time of “ the Silk Road “ and the world famous “ Spice Trade “marked the origin of Indian spices. During these times, Indian spices were also a form of currency in the world’s biggest industry.
The secret ingredients behind the world famous Indian cuisines is the use of aromatic spices that have a lot of health benefits too. Indian spices have been cultivated for centuries and were grown from a variety of aromatic plants found mostly in the Indian subcontinent. So, you can understand that the origin of Indian spices goes way back to centuries ago. Talking about history, the “ Silk Road “ connected Europe’s mediterranean regions with Asia. You can say the “ Silk Road “ had influenced the fall and rise of different empires and civilizations. It was also a key factor behind the development of various traditions and cultures throughout China, India, Egypt, Persia, Arabia and even parts of Rome.
Various Types of Indian Spices and their Uses
You cannot ignore the perfect Indian spice blend when you are talking about various Indian spices that add more flavours to Indian cuisines. Yes, we are talking about the famous garam masala. Adding a perfectly blended garam masala to your food preparation can make a difference between a tasty or a bland mutton curry.
So what is a garam masala basically? Well, it is an Indian spice blend that is adding to Indian cuisine for a better taste and colour. Various spices like cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom, mace, cumin seeds and peppercorns are taken in a pan and heated up or toasted that releases the aromatic flavours and then it is powdered.
Let’s discuss the various ingredients used in garam masala blend at the same time we will be talking about different kinds of Indian spices along with their uses. We will have a better understanding with the help of a table.
INGREDIENT SPICES | WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? |
Coriander seeds | They are the base of any garam masala. Apart from adding volume to your dishes it also helps in digestion and helps to maintain a balance of the “pitta dosha” in the human body. |
Cumin seeds | These seeds are a great digestive catalyst and also helps to get rid of toxins in the body and adds an earthy aroma to the garam masala. |
Cinnamon | Cinnamon is widely used in almost all Indian dishes to add some more flavour to it. It is mostly used in all types of curries and stews. |
Cloves | A very important warming spice that helps to increase the metabolism of the body and remove toxins from the body. |
Mace | Popularly known as javitri in India, this spice gives the garam masala a strong aroma. It is actually a flower. |
Black cardamom | Most of us are very familiar with the word “elaichi”. But black cardamom is basically masala elaichi not used in many dishes but can be added for a strong flavour and a smoky aroma. |
Bay leaf | We Indians call it the “tej patta”, You will find a bay leaf in almost every rich Indian dish that gives a taste and aroma boost to the masala. |
Conclusion
A country with cultural diversities and rich traditions, India is also home to a variety of flavourful spices that have a rich heritage and adds a delightful flavour to Indian cuisines making them one of a kind. Not only flavours, we have also talked about the health benefits of various spices and their uses in Indian food preparations. Indian food is famous worldwide for its rich flavours and delightful tastes with a blend of various Indian spices that are ingredients to almost every Indian dish.
FAQs
Q 1. What is the golden spice of India?
Answer : Turmeric is the golden spice of India
Q 2. Which spice is mostly used in India?
Answer : Garam masala is the spice that is basically a spice blend which is used mostly in India.
Q 3. What is the Queen of all spices?
Answer : Cardamom is referred to as the queen of all spices.
Q 4. Why is India famous for spices?
Answer : India is believed to produce 75 out of the 109 total variety of spices and Indian cuisine is cherished worldwide for the flavour and exquisite taste of its spices.
Q 5. What are the rarest spices ?
Answer : Anardana, saffron, sumac and grains of paradise are the rarest spices.