Unfold the History of Herbs and Spices

Before discovering the rich history of Indian herbs and spices, it is necessary to understand the terms herbs and spices in a more concise manner. Let us begin with the dictionary meaning of herbs – an herb is “a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not become woody.” In addition, spices can be defined as – “any of a variety of dried seeds, pungent or aromatic substances of vegetable origin, as pepper, cinnamon, or cloves, used as seasoning, preservatives, etc.”Image

The history of spices has revolved around South Asia and Middle East countries and their trade practices, which dates back to about 1550 B.C. Kitchen King The use of plants as herbs has been important to all tribes or cultures since long before history was recorded. Formerly, spices were imported from Asia and Africa consequently they were quite expensive as compared to the present prices. In India, hundreds of tribal cultures have used wild and cultivated herbs for medicinal and food purposes since 15th century. Herbs are talked about in Genesis, the first chapter of the Bible, and throughout its content. As civilizations evolved so did the knowledge for the use of herbs. These days, it has been widely used in Ayurvedic medicines, home remedies, and recipes.

 

Food seasonings around the world: Different cooking techniques have adopted world widely, therefore herbs are used in variations to fulfill versatile tastes of people of different countries. Nevertheless, well-practiced use of herbs and spices will do wonders for your cooking. So, it is suggested to know the diverse flavors and properties of seasonings.

 

India: The majorly used spices are Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Ginger, which are used as an integral ingredient in almost all the vegetable or non-vegetable Indian curries.

 

Chinese: In Chinese cooking methods, Fennel, Cloves, Cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, andStar anise are the most used food seasonings.

 

Mexican: Mexicans are well known for the world’s best pizzas; hence, they use Oregano, Cumin, Chili powder, Chat Masala, Cilantro, Coriander in almost all recipes.

 

Thai: Thai cuisine has become well known since 1960s. Coriander, Chili powder, Lemongrass, Turmeric, and Ginger are the most popularly used spices in Thai cuisine.

 

Greek: Basil, Sage, Cumin, Cinnamon, and Dill have gained unambiguousplace in Greek cuisine.

All these spices have long tradition and value in culinary arts of different traditions, regions or countries. PRS spices offers blended Indian spices of high quality and emerged as one of the prime cumin, turmeric, fenugreek suppliers in Indian market.

The 5 Most Popular Indian Spices Powder

India is world-renowned for its traditional culinary practices and the use of enrich spices powder in Indian cooking. The growing demand for Indian spices in foreign countries has prompted spices manufacturers in India to produce high quality spices. In India, people believe that any recipe is incomplete without the essence of spices. On the other hand, manufacturing good quality spices to gain ample share in foreign spices market has become the goal of Indian spices manufacturers .  In addition, spices have medicinal properties and also act as an integral ingredient in many home remedies to cure health disorders. In ancient India, many spices were used in ayurvedic treatise and for preservation purpose because of the medicinal properties. Mustards, cloves and ground mustard were used to preserve food for long period of time.

 

Other curative benefits of the most commonly used spices:

  • Indian garam masala is used to cure digestive ailments.
  • A turmeric paste was applied to burns, itchy skin etc.
  • Ginger was the tried and tested remedy for liver complaints, anaemia and rheumatism.
  • If you suffered from nausea, fever, headaches, or eye diseases, you’d be sure to get a dose of cardamom.
  • Coriander was meted out for insomnia, cloves for spleen, kidney, and intestinal disorders.

 

The 5000-year old history of Indian spices unfolds story of its evolution, today you can get various spices at affordable prices but there was a time in Indian spices history when they were treasured as highly as silver or gold Indian recipes masala . Malabar Coast and Cochin were the destinations for European traders at that point of time.

 

Exporters of Indian spices have increased considerably to encourage spice trade all over the world. Most of the spices are used either in powder form or in blended form to give the necessary aroma or flavor to the recipes. Most commonly used is Garam Masala which is a useful spice mix called for in a variety of Indian dishes, from butter chicken to tandoori chicken to a variety of curries. The top most 5 Indian spices that have been using in various cuisines all over the world are as follows:

  • Turmeric/ Curcumin
  • Cinnamon
  • Cumin seeds
  • Fenugreek
  • Garam masala Powder / Pepper

 

Sterling Groceries Pvt Limited is one of the leading spices manufacturers in India that offers fine quality turmeric powder, coriander powder, red-chili powder, bay leaves, mustard seeds, Garam masala Powder, fenugreek, cloves, cumin seeds, black pepper, cardamom, tamarind, cinnamon, saffron, fennel seeds and chat masala.