What are Spices?

Let us start with the dictionary definition of SPICES. 

"Spices are an Aromatic or pungent vegetable substances used to flavour food"

How did it the usage of spices start?

Millions of years ago, humans co-evolved with the flowering plants in the world around them. 

For early humans, the basic use of the spices were as a flavour enhancers. Hunters and gatherers of early ages wrapped the meat with leaves of bushes accidentally discovering that it enhanced the flavour of the meat. It was the same reason for using nuts, roots, pods, flowers, berries and barks. 

They started using the spices mainly to mask the odors of food and unpleasant taste of food.

Spices and herbs were mostly used for medicinal purposes than as flavour enhancers.

All the spices and herbs with pleasant odor and agreeable taste gradually became part of the food culture as flavour enhancers. Those are the beginning of the inclusions of spices and herbs in our food.

Now. What are exactly are spices?

Spices are the bark, buds, roots, leaves, berries, seeds of the plants that are harvested for use in flavouring cooking.

Throughout the world there are different ways in which spices have been used. They are used in religious offerings, burial rituals, medicines, trade and seasoning or colouring food. 

Spices are in use for various purposes during Biblical times as well as in ancient Egypt. Egyptians used spices for mummification and the increase in demand for exotic herbs and spices helped stimulate world trade. 

Black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves were in great demand and were very expensive products available in Europe In the Middle ages (5th to 15th century).

Spices were all imported from plantations in Asia and Africa, which made them expensive. 

India and Spices 

Herbs and spices are in use in India for thousands of years. The use of Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Cardamom etc have been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes.

Modern Spice Usage

Apart from culinary usages, which improves the flavour and provides it with great taste, spices are also used in cosmetics or perfume production.

Few amazing spices we sell on Angadi of Spices, has made their way on our platform because of the specialty of the place it originates from

Tellicherry Black Peppercorns of Export quality on Angadi of Spices

Turmeric from the region of Alleppey

Cinnamon rolls from Ceylon (Srilanka) 

Cinnamon Powder from Ceylon (Srilanka) 

White peppercorns from Malabar Region

Check the spices collection here

It is very important to choose your spices right! All the spices available in the market are not very safe. Mostly the ones you buy it from supermarket/grocery stores for the sole reason that the companies manufacture in bulk and store it for a very long time before selling them. They all get packed and stored bulk as they can not take the chance to loose out on the customer.

We advice you to buy from the stores which specializes in spices as they give more prominence to the fact that the spices are fresh and are of good quality.

Pay a thought before buying your spices!