Asafoetida is a resinous gum. It has a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulphur. The smell dissipates with cooking. Flavour is unpleasant, like concentrated rotten garlic. When cooked, it adds onion like flavour. Asafoetida is used mostly in Indian Vegetarian cooking in which the strong onion garlic flavour enhances many dishes. It is also suited to many fish dishes and some pappadums are seasoned with asafoetida. All parts of this plant have the distinctive fetid smell. In March & April just before flowering, the stalks are cut closed to the root. A milky liquid oozees out, which tries to form a resin. This is collected and fresh cut is made.
Have sharp, strong, pungent and bitter taste. It is hard to chew so remove before eating. Bay Leaves are widely used throughout the world. Its used in soups, sauces, stews, an appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Bay Leaves is often included as a pickling spice. Its an important part of garam masala. It gives extra flavour in general cooking.
These seeds are taken from the nigella flower. They are small, matt black grains with a rough surface and an oily white interior. The seeds ahave little odour but develop a scent similar to that of oregano when ground or chewed. The taste is nutty, earthy and peppery. It helps to toast the seeds before using them in order to bring out their flavour. Nigella seeds are widely used in Indian cuisine for eg. korma & in the preparation of garam masala. They are added to vegetable, dhal & chutneys and sprinkle on naan breads before baking.
It is called the "king of spices" because itis one of the oldest spices with an aroma that is universally pleasant and appetising. It is a good stimulant of the digestive juices as well as the nerves and that is why it is a age old remedy for digestive disorders. Pepper contains Iron, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, Thiamine & other minerals. The easiest way to use pepper is to sprinkle the powder over a dish of food.
Its taste like Boiled eggs. It comes in the from of Black Rock and powder Pink in colour. There is no more Boiled egg taste when you cook with it. It can be used raw with salad and yoghut.
Caraway of commerce is the fruit of a biennial herb. The dried fruit is brown in colour has pleasant odour with sharp taste. Seeds are hard and sharp to touch. Mainly producing areas are Holland, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark & Kashmir. Caraway is widely used as a spice for culinary purposes and for flavouring bread, biscuits, cakes and cheese. It is also used for seasoning sausages and as medicine.
The clove of commerce is the air-dried unopened flower bud obtained from evergreen medium sized tree. Its grow in North Molucca Islands of Indonesia, Zanzibar, Madagascar, Malaysia, SriLanka & India.
Globular in shape almost round brown to yellow in colour. Comes from India. Used in Indian curies mostly. It makes the gravy thick, it is useful for vegetables, meat & sea food. It has mild taste.
Produce in India. Slightly bitter in taste and warm flavour. It can easily be grown in many climates an places. Ground cumin is more stronger than whole seeds.
It is a aromatic shrub or small tree, abundantly growing in the rich soils of India & Srilanka. It contains calcium, phosphorous, iron nicotinic acid & vitamin c. Its build up & strengthens the liver and helps in the metabolism of fatty acids.
It contains protein, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus & iron. Regular consumption in the form of sprouts and salad of the leaves, would keep the whole system healthy & thoroughly clean. Fenugreek oil is used in the manufacture of hair tonics.
Produce in India. It is a fibrous root. It eases motion, sickness & aid indigestion. It has curative powers and flavours to many dishes, from sauces to deserts and cocktails. It is good for bad cough, cold, sneeze when it is taken with sugar. Ginger keeps your body warm inside.
Its good for sore throat. It can be used in teas, cookies. It is the rhizome of a bean plant. The dried roots look like pieces of dried wood, very hard and fibrous available as dried, woody pieces of root as a powder. Ninety percent of all natural licorice employed as a flavouring agent is used in tobacco etc.
Nutmeg & Mace are two distinctly different spices produced from a fruit of an evergreen tree usually 9-12 mtr high. Nutmeg tree is indigenous to Moluccas. Its major growing areas are Indonesia & Granada. It also grows on a smaller scale in Sri Lanka, India, China, Malaysia, Zanzibar, Mauritius & Solomon Island.
It comes from Brassica Juncea & brassica hirta. Brown is more stronger than white. Uses in pickles, add mild flavour to meat & vegetables and rice for salad dressings. It is important and specially used in Indian dishes. It comes in black mustard & yellow mustard seeds.
Nutmeg & Mace are two distinctly different spices produced from a fruit of an evergreen tree usually 9-12 mtr high. Nutmeg tree is indigenous to Moluccas. Its major growing areas are Indonesia & Granada. It also grows on a smaller scale in Sri Lanka, India, China, Malaysia, Zanzibar, Mauritius & Solomon Island.
This you can use in place of tomato in your cooking. It gives sour taste. Use for rice. Its producing areas are Southern Europe, India, Iran Afghanistan. This seed dried with pulp is used as a spice in many dishes. The fruit juice is cooling and refrigerant. The fruit rind is useful in chronic dysentery and diarrhoea. The pulp and seeds are stomachic and also used as taxative. The flower buds are used in bronchitis.
It is stigma of crocus flower. Saffron is world's most expensive spice because each flower has only 2 strands of saffron. It is dark orange and maroonish in colour. It produces in spain and in Kashmir (India). Its A grade quality is moongra. It has a strong and spicy flavour with sharp odor and good perfume. Indian people use saffron to mark themselves as the member of healthier caste.
Special Cumin is also called Black Cumin. In India it also called Kashimiri Cumin, is not much known outside Iran, Tajikistan, Afganistan, Pakistan, Kashmir & Punjab. It is mostly used in Nothern Indian meat dishes (korma & biyrani rice).Especially used for rice, mutton & vegetables. It has strong aroma than normal cumin.
Star Anise is the dried, star shaped fruit of Illicium verum. Producing areas are South Eastern China, Vietnam & India. Star anise is one of the signature flavours of Chinese savory cooking. It is used to flavour vegetables, meat and to marinate meat. It is used as a condiment for flavouring curries, confectionaries, spirits, and for pickling. The essential oil of star anise is used to flavour soft drinks, bakery products & liquors.
Tamarind is considered a mild laxative & digestive. Tamarind is from a curved brown bean-pod from the tamarind tree. The pod contains a sticky pulp which is used as a flavouring in for its sweet, sour, fruity aroma and taste. This fruit gives sour taste. It can be used in place of tomato in the cooking.
Important Vanilla producing countries are Mexico, Indonesia & India. Vanilla is used mainly as a flavouring material. It is used in the preparation of ice creams, milk, beverages, candies, confectionaries and various bakery items.
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