INDIAN SPICES

ABOUT SPICES
• Spices And Aromatics Are The Very Heart Of Indian Cooking. They Have Been Used Since Ancient Times.
They Were Mentioned In The Ancient Hindu Scriptures Called The Vedas, Ancient Egyptian Papyruses
And The Old Testament.
• Spices Have Always Been Believed To Have Healing And Magical Qualities.
• The Word Spice Comes From Latin Species, Meaning A Commodity Of Value And Distinction.
• During Their Long And Fascinating History, Spices Have Often Been More Valuable Than Gold Or
Precious Stones, And The Trade Of Spices Has Been An Extraordinarily Influential Factor In History.
• Many Researchers Have Attempted To Explain Why Hot Spices Are Pleasant To Taste. It Seems The
Burning Sensation Is The Pain Of Nerve Endings On The Tongue.
• Flowers, Leaves, Roots, Bark, Seeds And Bulbs (The Simplest Of Natural Ingredients) Are Used In Endless
Combinations To Produce An Infinite Variety Of Flavours: Sweet, Sharp, Hot, Sour, Spicy, Aromatic, Tart,
Mild, Fragrant Or Pungent.
• Indian Spices Offer Significant Health Benefits And Contribute Towards An Individual's Healthy Life. They
Add Flavour And Nutrients To Dishes Without Fat Or Calories!
TYPES OF SPICES
• SEED TYPE SPICES

• LEAF TYPE SPICES

• ROOT TYPE SPICES

• FRUITS TYPE SPICES

• PEPPER TYPE SPICES

• BARK TYPE SPICES

• FLOWER TYPE SPICES

• MISCELLANEOUS SPICES
 SEED SPICES
• Seed Type Spices come in the form of
seeds such as aniseed, caraway, celery and
coriander. These spices are used in their
original forms to enhance the flavours of
certain food items and at times these are
grounded and made into a powdered form
or a paste and then used. The seeds are
also the fruits of that particular plant but
because of their tiny size they are referred
to as seeds. The seed type spices have a
number of medicinal virtues.
• Some of the common seed type spices
include ajwain seeds, anardana, caraway,
celery and many more.
 AJWAIN
SEEDS
Ajwain seeds, like other
seed type spices, are not
viewed nutritionally. They
are known as oxidants, as
preservatives, or in
medicine or for the
manufacture of essential
oils for ultimate use in
perfumery, essences,
medicines, etc.
 CORIANDE
R SEEDS
Coriander seeds vary depending
upon its country of origin and
the agro climatic conditions
under which it is grown. The
aromatic odour and taste of
coriander fruits (seeds) is due to
an essential oil. Besides being
used as a fragrant flavour,
Coriander seeds also have a
health-supporting reputation
 SEED
S
Cumin is a seed spice well
known for its medicinal
properties in India. It helps
to add an earthy and
warming feeling to
cooking, making it a staple
in certain stews and soups,
as well as curries and chilli.
 SEED
S
In India, fennel seeds are
classified in the group of seed
type spices for trade purposes
according to their place of origin.
Some of the well-known types
are Mumbai, Bihar and U.P
fennels. Fennels from Lucknow
are considered to be the best and
are priced higher than those from
other areas.
FENUGREEK
SEEDS
Fenugreek seed is mainly used in
spices or curry powder and
excellent for fish and sea food
dishes, candy, baked goods, ice
cream, chewing gum and soft
drinks. It also has medicinal
benefits like it is used in reducing
the blood sugar level and blood
pressure. Fenugreek seeds are rich
in essential amino acids.
 RD
SEEDS
Mustard is also a type of seed used
as a whole spice and as well as
paste to flavour curries. Mustard
paste is also used as a sauce to add
taste to fried dishes. The high
source of magnesium in mustard
seeds helps reducing the severity
of asthma attacks and certain
symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
and lowering blood pressure.
 LEAF TYPE SPICES
• Leaf Type Spices, derived from the leaves of some
plants are used as flavouring agents. These leaf
type spices have a distinguishing flavour and when
added to some other food, they lend their flavour
making it more tasty and delectable. Various leaves
are used all over the world for culinary, medicinal
and many other uses.
• Some leaves are eaten fresh, incorporated in salads
and used as an ingredient of sauces, stews and
soups. Fresh leaves mask even strong culinary
odours and are commonly used for garnishing and
seasoning. The leaf type spices are also employed
to make a sort of tea, which is thought to possess
anti-scorbutic properties since it is very rich source
of vitamin C.
 LEAVE
S
Mint leaves or ‘Pudina’ is known
to almost all the Indians as a leaf
type spice. It is used in chutney as
an old popular remedy for
relieving stomach complaints and
cough and cold. The taste is
fragrant, spicy, warm, pungent and
bitter. The plant owes its
usefulness as a culinary herb to its
volatile oil.
 LEAV
ES
Bay leaves are another leaf type
spice is among the world’s oldest
herbs. They are also used in
flavouring of soups, stews, meat
dishes, fish and sauces, pickling,
spice and so on. These are used
extensively in Northern and
Eastern India as a leave type spice.
 CURRY
LEAVES
Curry leaves are leaf type spices
and a fair source of vitamin A and
also a rich source of calcium.
Curry leaves are natural flavouring
agents with a number of important
health benefits, which make the
food both healthy and tasty along
with the pleasant aroma.
 ROOT TYPE SPICES
• Root Type Spices Are Extensively Used To Make
Food Tasty And Delicious. These Spices Have A
Sharp Taste And Thus Make The Predominant Taste
In The Dish, Yet In A Subdued Form. These Plants
Mostly Grow From Thickened Aromatic Rhizomes
With Large, Upright, Alternate Leaves. They Are
Mostly Found In Tropical And Subtropical Regions
In India.

• Some Of The Best-known Root Type Spices In India

Are Galangal, Ginger, Horseradish, Leek And
Others.
 Turmer
ic
Turmeric is one of the most
popular root type spices in India.
It is also popular as medicine
popularly used as part of home
remedy. Almost in every dish
prepared in India Turmeric is
added. Further, it is also regarded
by the Hindus as ‘sacred’ for use
in ceremonial and religious
functions.
GINGER
Ginger or ‘Adrak’ is the dried
underground stem or rhizome of
the plant, which constitutes one
of the most important major
spices of India. It is widely used
as a spice as well as a folk
medicine. The ginger can be
consumed fresh, powdered, dried
as a spice, in oil form, or as juice.
GALAN
GAL
Galangal, one of the widely used
root type spices in India, is the
dried rhizome or root of the plant,
which grows mainly in the Eastern
Himalayas and South West India.
Galangal has a distinct peppery
flavour and is widely used as a
food flavouring and spice in stir
fried dishes and soups.
 FRUITS TYPE SPICES
• Fruits Type Spices are actually the dried
form of certain fruits which are being used as
spice in the Indian Cuisine. Spices derived
from berries and fruits of plants are used in
very less quantity as it contains very high
amount of flavouring agents. This may cause
the dish turn into bitter or sour in taste.
When used right, small amounts of carefully
considered spices can heighten, compliment
and add complexity to the flavours of the
fruit
CARDAMOM
Cardamoms are the dried fruits
which are used as fruits type
spices. It is derived from a small
group of species or plants
belonging to the family
‘Zingiberaceae’, which contains
seeds possessing a pleasant
characteristic aroma. Broadly there
are two types of Cardamoms, such
as Small or Green Cardamom and
Large or Black Cardamom
 KOKA
M
Juniper fruits, also known as
Kokam in India are one of the
fruits type spices that are obtained
by drying the ripe fruits. Kokam is
better known for its edible fruits;
this fruits type spice is consumed
as fruit and vegetable and when
dry used as popular spice in the
west coast of India.
G&
MACE
Nutmeg and Mace are two
distinctly different fruits type
spices produced from a single
fruit. Mace is the dried
reticulated aril of nutmeg. When
the nutmeg bursts open, the Mace
is seen as an attractive bright
scarlet cage closely enveloping
the hard, thin, black shining shell
of the seed called Nutmeg.
 ANISE
Star Anise is a fruits type spices
and has an agreeable, aromatic,
sweet taste and a pleasant odour
resembling anise. It is used as a
condiment for flavouring curries,
confectioneries and for pickling. It
is also used in perfumery. This
fruit type spice is chewed to
sweeten the bad breath and help in
digestion.
 TAMARIN
D PULP
The pulp of ripe fruit of Tamarind
is commonly used as condiment
in many Indian dishes
particularly South Indian dishes.
 VANI
LLA
Vanilla is a fruit type spice
which was popularised in India
for flavouring some traditional
sweets, cakes and many others.
 PEPPER TYPE SPICES
• Pepper Type Spices are a very
important and well-known spice in the
culinary circle of India as well as
abroad. During the olden times when
pepper type spices were newly being
introduced, Black Pepper was the most
expensive spice. There are many
varieties of pepper type spices. It is an
indispensable ingredient of Indian
cooking.
 PEPPE
R
Black pepper is considered as the
‘King of Spices’ amongst the
pepper type spices. In addition to
black pepper, pepper is also sold in
the processed forms like white
pepper and green pepper.
 LONG PEPPER
Long Pepper is used as pepper type
spices and also in pickles and
preserves. They have a pungent
pepper like taste and produce
salivation and numbness of the
mouth. In Jharkhand, the root is used
to ferment rice beer. In Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, the leaves are
chewed like betel leaves. Indian long
pepper is mostly derived from the
wild plants, the main sources of
supply being Assam, West Bengal
and Uttar Pradesh including
Uttarakhand
CHABIKA
Chabika is a wild grown
creeper found almost all over
India, belonging to the family
of pepper type spices. In West
Bengal and North Eastern
India, it is added to food
items for the purpose of
adding flavour.
 BARK TYPE SPICES
• Bark Type Spices constitute the
bark of a plant which is used as a
culinary ingredient. These bark
type spices are highly flavoured
and impart taste to the food, it is
mixed with. The two very common
Bark type spices are Cinnamon
and Cassia.
 CINNA
MON
Cinnamon or ‘Darchini’ is a very popular
spice and commonly used in the Indian
dietary. It is one of the oldest spices known
to mankind. It is one of the highly prized
spices that have been in use for its
fragrance, medicinal and culinary
properties. This spice is traditionally
obtained from the inner brown bark of
‘Cinnamomum’ trees. Pure cinnamon is
free from any admixture with cassia, which
is considered inferior to the former in
appearance, flavour and odour
 CASSI
A
Cassia is one of the important and a
distinguished Bark type spices in India.
Cassia, also called ‘Chinese Cinnamon’,
spice consisting of the aromatic bark of the
‘Cinnamomum cassia’ plant of the family
‘Lauraceae’. Similar to true cinnamon, cassia
bark has a more pungent, less delicate
flavour and is thicker than cinnamon bark. Its
bark is darker, thicker and coarser, and the
corky outer bark is often left on. The outer
surface is rough and greyish brown; the
inside of the bark is smoother and reddish-
brown. It is less costly than cinnamon.
 FLOWER TYPE SPICES
• Flower Type Spices have a certain
flavour and taste which they lend to
the ingredients they are used with.
Some flowers of a certain plant are
used to make flower type spices.
Some common Flower type spices
that are used in Indian foods are
rose, saffron and clove.
 ROSE
Roses have a long history in the
kitchen as well as in the decoration.
The food-safe and edible rose petals
are suitable for use as an ingredient, a
garnish or as a bed for food that
needs to be extra special. Yet, its
essential oil is added to many food
items for flavouring purposes at least
 SAFF
RON
Saffron is another Flower type spices,
consists the dried stigmas of the plant.
It is cultivated for its large, scented,
blue or lavender flowers. Saffron is
well known all over the world added to
various food items for colouring,
flavouring and for taste. Saffron is one
of the oldest and certainly among the
world’s most expensive Flower type
spices.
 KEWR
A
Kewra flowers have a sweet,
perfumed odour with a pleasant
quality similar to rose flowers,
but kewra is fruitier. The kewra
water or syrup can be sprinkled
over a Pulao or any rice dish to
give it a hint of sweet or to
balance out the spice. Kewra
syrup has its use in sweet dishes
like Gulab Jamun.
 CLOV
E
Clove is one of the most ancient and
valuable flower type spices in the
entire world, known as far back as
the 1st Century B.C. Clove was
imported to Europe in 1265 A.D. Its
source and place of origin were
shrouded in mystery until the
Portuguese discovered the Moluoca
Island in the 16th century. As a
spice, in whole or powder form,
cloves are used in cuisines all around
the world. They are also used as a
food preservative.
 MISCELLANEOUS SPICES
• Miscellaneous Spices Are The Various
Spices That Do Not Come Under Any
Category Of Seed, Fruit And Others But
Yet Belong To The Family Of Spices.
Spices Are Distinguished From Herbs,
Which Are The Leaves, Flowers Or
Stems From Plants Used For Flavouring
Or As A Garnish. Miscellaneous Spices
Are Used To Impart Flavour And Taste
To The Food. Some Common
Miscellaneous Spices Include Amchur,
Camphor, Arrowroot And Others.
 AMCHUR
Amchur is not a product of ripe mango.
It is the dried or dehydrated product
prepared from unripe mango flesh in
the form of peeled slices or powder
used for acidification of curries etc.
Invariably under-ripe and wind fallen
seedlings or country mangoes are
utilized for the manufacture of Amchur.
Amchur is one of the important
miscellaneous spices that are produced
mostly in the northern states of India.
 ARROWR
OOT
Arrowroot is also known as tapioca
flour and can be used as a thickening
agent for sauces, pudding, pie fillings
and gravies. Unlike corn-starch, it
doesn’t have a chalky taste when
undercooked. Arrowroot is tasteless
and becomes clear when cooked. It has
the unique characteristic of adding a
glossy sheen to the food.
 ASAFOET
IDA
Asafoetida is also known as Hing,
this is a crucial ingredient in Indian
cooking especially vegetarian dishes.
It has a unique smell and flavour,
unpleasantly strong while raw but
mellow and garlic type when cooked.
It adds a strong pungent smell and
mysterious flavour to dishes.