Indian Spices in food are used subtly and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. Curry powder is the definition of fine spices roasted, combined and ground dry. Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, and family.
The role of spices and herbs goes beyond just cooking. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe the herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years, list the preventive and curative properties of various spices.
1. Curative Properties: Most spices used in Indian cooking are very healthy, and make the digestion process much easier. The typical Indian cook has learnt to use this knowledge and weave them into everyday dishes. Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension, and fenugreek is a good resistance builder. Pepper is often served as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and for glow of the skin.
2. Preserving Foods: Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigerators were not avaialable.
3. Aiding Digestion: In the Western part of the world, after dinner mints are usually given at a restaurant. Indian restaurants serve fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom or cloves. Not only are they great mouth fresheners, but they aid digestion, prevent heartburn and curb nausea. Others such as asafetida and ginger root, have been known to counteract flatulence and colic, and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.
4. Balancing Tastes and Properties of Food: Each spice has a property-not just a taste property, but a warm or cooling property to it, along with many others. The cook generally understands these properties and cooking is elevated to yet another level by using this knowledge of spices into the cooking.
Masala is a word that is often used in an Indian kitchen. It means a 'blend of several spices.' Garam (hot) masala is the most important blend masala and an absolute essential to north Indian preparations, added just before serving the dish to enhance its flavor. The Garam masala is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Masala may be in dry, roasted ground or paste form. Each State in India has its own particular blend, and furthermore, each family is partial to their own blend, as well as each cook is partial to his blend.
South India has a wonderful blend of 'wet spices' where the spices are ground with various combinations of spices, fresh herbs and nuts. Below are names of spice blends.
Indian Spices - Indian spice names and Indian spice descriptions are also mentioned
Spice Expeditions came to the Indian Malabar coast throughout history. The Chinese, Greek, Roman traders landed in India in search of silk and spice. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper were as prized as precious stones. The arrival of Vasco da Gama in 1498, established the Portuguese in control over the lucrative spice trade to Europe upsetting the Arab control. Today India produces 2.5 million tonnes of spices every year and exports about 200,000 tonnes out of the world total trade estimated at 450,000 tonnes.
Spices are important for medicinal, preservative, and seasoning foods.
Spices have medicinal value as they heal, soothe and rejuvenate us. Ayurveda, the indigenous system of Indian medicine, uses a large number of spices in its combination of preventive and curative medicines. Ancient Ayurvedic treatise lists numerous spices for their medicinal properties. Pepper for digestive ailments. turmeric paste for burns, itchy skin, Ginger for tested remedy for liver complaints, anaemia and rheumatism, cadamom for nausea, fever, headaches, or eye diseases, coriander for insomnia, cloves for spleen, kidney, and intestinal disorders.
A blend of spices/masalas and herbs are ground together to form the basis for Indian sauces. Wet masala is ground in a stone mortar along with water, nuts, coconut, onion or garlic. Chaunk or tadka is a spice garnish where Whole dried spices like kashmiri chillies, cumin and coriander seeds, karipatta are added one by one to hot oil until they begin to sputter or pop. This tempering is then poured over dals and raitas.