Chillies

 

Chillies show more or less the same aroma components as paprika, but their content in capsaicin (the amide of 3-hydroxy 2 methoxy benzylamine with 8-methyl-6-noneneoic acid) and related compounds.An indispensable and probably the most popular culinary spice in the world, chilly, has a pungent flavor. India is the largest exporter of this widely used spice.

Scientific Name: Capsicum Annuum / Capsicum Frutescens
 
Family Name: Capsicum frutescens L.
 
Commercial part: Solanaceae Green as well as ripe and dried pod (Fruit)

 

 


Turmeric
Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae or the ginger family. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems have been used since ancient times as a condiment, atextile dye, and as medicine.

Turmeric is used most in the powder form. It is bright yellow in colour, has an earthy, acrid aroma and a pungent, slightly bitter flavor.

Whole turmeric contains an essential oil with a variety of sesquiterpenes. The colour and the taste come from conjugated diarylheptanoids.
       



Coriander

 

Among one of the first spices used by mankind, coriander seeds, is the seed of coriandrum sativum, which belongs to the parsley family. The coriander seeds are almost round in shape and brown to yellowish red in color.

 

It is a fragrant spice, with a mild, distinctive taste. It is widely used as a condiment in foods, beverages, marinades, desserts and sweet pastries and American cigarettes. It is also valued for its medicinal properties.

 

Botanical Name: Coriandrum Sativum, Linn

 



Celery Seeds

 

Celery leaf stalks and roots are used around the world as a vegetable. Celery seeds are used as flavoring or spice, either as whole seeds or as celery salt, ground and mixed with salt. It is an important ingredient of Indian and European cuisine.

It is valuable in weight-loss diets. The common belief is that celery yields negative calories because it is very difficult for humans to digest.

 

Botanical Name: Apium Graveolens
       



Fenugreek Seeds

 

A plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, fenugreek leaves are used as a herb and the seeds as a spice. India is the largest fenugreek producer in the world.

Fenugreek seeds are hard, stony, yellowish brown and angular. They have a warm and penetrating aroma, which becomes more pronounced on roasting. Fenugreek leaves a strong bitter aftertaste.

 

Botanical Name: Trigonella Foenium Graceum,Linn

 

 



Fennel Seeds

 

Fennel seeds is an ancient and common plant known to the Greeks and spread throughout Europe by Imperial Rome. The name comes from the Latin foeniculum, meaning "little hay".

Almost all parts of the plant are useful. Fennel leaves are used in French and Italian cuisine. It is traditionally considered one of the best herbs for fish preparations.

Botanical Name: Foeniculum Vulgare


 
       



Dill Seeds


In Norse, "dill" means "to lull". Dill tea is believed to cure insomnia. The seed is'light brown, winged and oval, with one side flat having two ridges. The other side is convex with three ridges and three oil channels. The leaves and stalks are aromatic and are used fresh or for pickling.

Whole dill seeds has a somewhat sweet aroma but is slightly bitter in taste. The seeds contain carvone as an essential oil. Dill is considered a carminative.


Botanical Name: Anethum Graveolens

 



Cumin Seeds


Cumin is native to the Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries, especially India, North Africa, china and the Americas. The spice is especially associated with morocco, where it is often smelt in the abundant street cookery of the medians.

 

Botanical Name: Cuminum Sativum

 

 
       



Black Pepper

 

Indian pepper had a profound influence on the European economy of the Middle Ages.Many western countries owed their prosperity to this spice which fetched them a very high price. Easily the finest in quality anywhere, Indian pepper is grown in the monsoon forests along the Malabar coast in South India. Here, a combination of natural adavantages and organic techniques produces bigger, better-shaped, more aromatic and flavourful berries.

 

Scientific Name: Piper nigrum L.
 
Family Name: Piperaceae
 
Commercial part: Fruit

 

 



Tamarind

 

Tamarind is a sticky, sweet-sour fruit that grows in long, bean-like pods.The fruit is mixed with sugar and dried in strips to make candy, or rendered into paste. Tamarind paste is a staple of Indian, Thai and Vietnamese cooking. It is used in many barbecue sauces.

 

 

 
       



Ginger

 

Ginger is a plant that grows the best in the warm climates of China, India and Jamaica. Ginger flowers have an aromatic smell and the bruised stem a characteristic fragrance, but the root is considered the most useful part of the plant, and must not be used under a year's growth. Dry Ginger is emollient, appetiser, laxative, stomachic, stimulant, rubefacient, aphrodisiac, expectorant and carminative. Powdered Ginger is obtained by pulverizing dried ripe fruits of Zingiber Officinale. The fine-ground, light yellow ginger powder is renowned for its subtle lemon like aroma and sharp biting flavor.

 

Scientific Name: Zingiber Officinale