Savour The Taste Of Majestic Spices

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India has always been famous for its hot and spicy food, but do you know in the past most of the spices that Indians used in cooking their food used to come from Pakistan and other gulf countries. And most of the trade activities would take place under the carpet, as crossing border for trade was illegal. Still the need as well as the greed for getting a good price for their yield made them to take the risk of their life. Other than money the trade was also done on barter system. Barter system is a way of trading where two parties exchange articles or commodities with each other.

The number of spices came from Pakistan are as follows: Carom Seeds (Ajwain), Allspice (Kabab Cheene), Aniseed or Fennel Seed (Sonf or Saunf), Asafoetida (Hing), Bay Leaf (Tej Patta), Black Pepper (Kali Mirch), Black Salt (Kala Namak), Caraway Seeds (Shahjeera), Cardamom (Elaichi), Chaat Masala, Cinnamon (Dhal Chini), Cloves (Laung), Coriander (Dhaniya), Cumin (Jeera/Zeera).

And the spices that had been exchanged from India were: Curry Leaves (Curry Patha), Dry Mango Powder (Amchur), Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi), Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Dana), Garam Masala, Ground Mixed Spice, Dried Ginger (Saunt), Mustard Seed (Rai or Sarson), Onion Seeds also known as Nigella Seeds (Kalonji), Paprika (Deghi Mirchi), Pomegranate Seeds (Anardana), Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus), Red Chilli (Lal Mirch), Saffron (Kessar or Zafran), Sesame Seeds (Til or Thil), Star Anise (Badiyan or Chakri Phool or Anas phal), and Turmeric (Haldi).

As the time passed by, people of both the countries had started growing these different species, so now all these are easily available in Indian and Pakistani markets. Though, these species differs in their quality because of geographical conditions. To understand it better you take the example of onion. The best onion in the world comes from Nasik, Maharashtra in India. And similarly, the best oranges come from Nagpur, India. Quality of a fruit, vegetable or spice depends on its geographical condition and temperature.

There are few more examples that will help you know what impact a particular state or place can bring to a vegetable, fruit, or grain. Take the take example of dates (khajur). Dates are easily available in many places, but these dates are no match with the dates that come from Arab. In the same way, coco beans are easily available in almost all countries across the world, but the best coco beans can only be found in Ghana, in the African continent.

Let us come back to the topic we were discussing i.e. Spices. It is because of these spices we have some of the best food dishes in the world that have made their presence felt globally for their mouth-watering aroma and lip-smacking tastes. But there is more to Indian food, and without which Indian food cannot be complete or in other words, they complement the Indian food. These food items are popularly known as Papad, Pickle, and Chutney. The main ingredients of all three items are various spices that have been explained above.