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Anistar has a sweet, licorice-like flavor. The Romans used anistar as a food flavoring in the middle ages. In England, it was used to perfume the clothing worn by King Edward IV. Kept under a pillow, it was supposed to prevent bad dreams.
Turkey, Spain and Egypt are the chief sources of anistar. In India, it is cultivated in some parts of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
Asafoetida is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula (three of which grow in India), which is a perennial herb (1 to 1.5 mtr. high).
There are two main varieties of asafoetida i.e. Hing Kabuli Sufaid (Milky white asafoetida) and Hing Lal (Red asafoetida). Asafoetida is acrid and bitter in taste and emits a strong disagreeable pungent odour due to the presence of sulphur compounds therein. It is available in three forms i.e. ‘Tears’, ‘Mass’ and ‘Paste’. ‘Tears’, is the purest form of resin, rounded or flattened, 5 to 30 mm in diameter and a greyish or dull yellow in colour. ‘Mass’ asafoetida is the common commercial form, uniform in mass. ‘Paste’ form contains extraneous matter.
In India, it is grown in Kashmir and in some parts of Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh. The major supply of asafoetida to India is from Afghanistan and Iran.
The leaves of this tree is the spice having clove like taste and a faintly pepper-like odour. The tree has a height up to 7.5 mtr with zigzag branching, trunk up to 95 cm girth, bark rough, dark grey to reddish brown in colour. Bay leaves have a mild and sweet taste
Chilli is a heating spice and comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and degrees of pungency. Chilli is America’s most important contribution to the world of spices, though today it is one of India’s major export attractions.
Indian chilli is grown in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and a number of other states. The highly pungent ‘Guntur’ and the mildly pungent ‘Byadgi’ chillies are internationally recognised as the finest in quality.
Cinnamon has a woody, earthy, sweet flavor. It’s a warming spice. Cinnamon was one of the major goals of world exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries and played an important role in the discovery of America.
The Romans believed its fragrance was sacred. Emperor Nero burned a year’s supply of the city’s cinnamon at the funeral rites of his wife, Poppaea. Indonesia and China are the chief sources of cinnamon. In India cinnamon is mostly grown in Kerala.
Cloves have an astringent, sweet-hot, fruity flavor that leaves a numbing sensation in the mouth. It’s a warming spice. In Chinese history, during the Han period (220-206 BC) court officials had to hold whole cloves in their mouths when addressing the Emperor – to make sure their breaths were clean.
Cloves were the most prized of all spices in the western world. Columbus and Magellan and other explorers sought it in the age of discovery. Cloves were introduced into India along with nutmeg by the British East India Company during the 19th Century. In India, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are the main clove-producing states.
Coriander has a flavour that combines lemon and sage, with a sweet note as an undertone. It’s a cooling spice. The Greeks and Romans thought it to be an aphrodisiac. By the third Century B.C, the Romans knew it was an excellent seasoning for food.
Coriander is native to the Mediterranean area. In India, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh are the major producers.
Cumin seeds have a penetrating musty, earthy flavor. It’s a cooling spice. In the middle ages, cumin was believed to keep lovers faithful and chickens from straying. More recently, cumin has become popular because of its use in Mexican cooking.
A native of Egypt and the Mediterranean, cumin is now mostly produced in India. Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are the prominent producers.
The fennel seed has a sweet agreeable flavor and an odor similar to aniseed. It’s a cooling spice. In ancient times, fennel was considered to increase strength. Roman gladiators mixed it with their food before entering the arena. The famous battle of Marathon in 490 B.C, was fought on a fennel field. Fennel is a native of Europe and Asia Minor.
Today, India is by far the largest source of fennel along with Egypt and China. In India, it thrives in the sunny, limey well-drained loams of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Fenugreek has a strong, pleasant, and peculiar odor reminiscent of maple. It’s a warming spice. The ancient Egyptians used it as food and as an embalming agent. The Romans used it as cattle feed. In India, fenugreek is a cover crop. Major producers are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh & Tamil Nadu.
Ginger has a pungent-lemony, warm-sweet flavor. It’s a warming spice. In the middle ages, ginger was valued on par with black pepper. A pound of it was worth the price of a sheep.
India is the world’s largest ginger producer. The finest quality ginger – Cochin ginger and Calicut ginger – comes from Kerala.
The brilliant red, lacy, net-like membrane covering the nutmeg, is the spice called mace. It’s a warming spice. Nutmeg has a piney, sweet-bitter taste. The flavor of mace is similar but more delicate.
Until the 18th century, the world’s only source of nutmeg was Indonesia. The British introduced the spice into India towards the end of the 19th century, though the spice finds mention in Indian Vedic literature. In India, Kerala and Karnataka are the main producers.
Mustard has a pungent, biting flavor. It is a warming spice. Jesus immortalized mustard when he compared the power of faith, even if only as tiny as a mustard seed.
In India mustard is cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal & Punjab. Unlike most aromatic spices, ground mustard has no aroma when dry. It must be moistened for about 10 minutes to develop its sharp, hot, tangy flavor.
The brilliant red, lacy, net-like membrane covering the nutmeg, is the spice called mace. It’s a warming spice. Nutmeg has a piney, sweet-bitter taste. The flavor of mace is similar but more delicate.
Until the 18th century, the world’s only source of nutmeg was Indonesia. The British introduced the spice into India towards the end of the 19th century, though the spice finds mention in Indian Vedic literature. In India, Kerala and Karnataka are the main producers.
Pepper has a sharp, hot, and biting taste. It’s a warming spice. It is one of the oldest and most important spices in the world. So important, that in ancient times it was used to pay taxes. In 410 A.D, when the Huns lay siege of Rome, 3000 pounds of pepper was demanded as ransom.
India holds a supreme position in the production of pepper. Two of its celebrated varieties are `Malabar Garbled’ and `Tellichery Extra Bold’. The finest Indian pepper is grown in the monsoon forests of the Malabar coast in Kerala.
Saffron has a pleasantly bitter flavor. It’s a cooling spice. It is one of the most expensive spices in the world. 225,000 stigmas of the crocus flower go to make one pound of saffron. The Greeks and Romans used saffron to perfume their baths. Saffron is also useful as a dye.
Found in the Mediterranean area, Spain is the main exporter. Indian saffron is cultivated chiefly in the Jammu & Kashmir valley. Moderate climate, organic-rich soil, and excellent drainage in the valley make Indian saffron superior to its foreign counterparts.