5 Ingredients Spice That Make Indian Cuisine what It Is Today

Ever wondered what is one of those things that make Indian Spice different from the rest of the world.

No, it is not green chillies as South American countries use it as extensively as us. Yes, it is spice of India. It's such a household thing that we even have an airline named Spice Jet. Jokes apart, It is one thing that is mandatory in every kitchen in India. And the king amongst all grounded spices is Garam Masala. But how did it come to picture? Let's take a look on the origination and their becoming an integral part of our food culture.

Black Pepper

It is the most used and circulated spice all over the world. You would find its powdered version on every dining table next to the salt. Its Hindi name was taken from a Sanskrit word ‘Marich’ which meant sun and English name from ‘Pipli’ which means energy in Dravidian language. It was also known as black gold at that time due to its demand, price, and usage in the barter system.

Cloves

At first, it was found in a ceramic vessel in Syria. But its cultivation roots lie in Maluku Island, which is in Indonesia. It was first cultivated in India in 1850 AD in Tamil Nadu. It was exported by Arabs but they couldn’t popularize it as much as the Portuguese. There was a time in Europe when Cloves used to be priced at the same rate of gold by quantity. Cloves are used for its medicinal property as well. Not only in savory but it's also used in sweet dishes.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon was reintroduced in India by the British East India company in the 1760’s by Lord Brown. It was brought from Sri Lanka and cultivated in Kerala. Before all these, Cinnamon was used in ayurvedic medicine in India in 2000 BC. But when it was founded so many years ago, why was it reintroduced? The Sri Lankan Cinnamon had much more quality than those cultivated in India. The Britishers wanted to use the superior quality and thus exported the inferior ones grown in Kerala and earned a lot.

Cardamom

Cardamom has first introduced in India in the southern rainforests about 2000 years ago. It was not only used for its medicinal value but was also used to gift according to Chanakya’s Arthashastra. It found its usage in some religious practices in Egypt as well. Its essential oils were also used as perfumes. Thanks to Mughals, cardamom found its usage in sweets and mouth fresheners. It's world’s third most expensive spice yet its demand always scores high.

Cumin

Historians in India believe that cumin finds its usage in India from 2^nd millennium BC. Egyptians used it in the procedure of making the mummy. Europeans used Cumin in weddings and wars for good luck. We Indians love it so much, we use it every day in Tadka for our Dal. It has found usage in all parts of the world from less than a 1000 years. Cumin is used in various ways, its used to prepare cumin tea and cold Jal jeera.Cumin apart from everything else is known for its digestive property. Interesting, ain’t it? So, the next time you get into the kitchen you have a lot to tell to your mother. Now you know, what made Garam Masala a ‘hot’ property.