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| Indian Recipes And Indian Spices: History, Present, And Benefits |
For centuries south Asian region has been rich. Rich with its spices and food recipes. For years, the part lured various crusaders to invade the area. Beginning from the 14th century, the Moghuls invaded and ruled the Indian subcontinent for three centuries. And then came the extraordinary voyages of Christopher Columbus taking upon the long, arduous journey and Vasco De Gama of Portugal, all because of the lure of a wide variety of spices in the sub-continent.
Vast fortunes have been made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured, and nations discovered. All in the name of spices. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. Spices flatter our senses; our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances, and our taste with their distinct unique flavors.
Today, India is one of the largest exporting nations of spices globally. A wide variety of herbs grow due to natural conditions available in various parts of India. The principal western, south-west, south, and south-east is tropical in weather conditions, north-west, north is dry with less humidity, and north-east and east have pre-dominantly high-rainy seasons.
Due to the abundance of spices in India, Indian food is never bland. Most of the recipes originating from the Indian sub-continent contain herbs in the list of ingredients. Spices in Indian food are not heavy, and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. However, there are many delicacies in Indian recipes due to the inclusion of various spices. Curry powder sitting on the grocer's shelf maybe like sawdust compared to the delicate spices roasted, combined, and dry ground or wet ground in the traditional Indian traditions. Today one of the most famous entre in the west consists of curry; a blend created mixing various ground spices in proper proportions with the water.
Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, individual, and family. Some of the common Indian spices available are red chili pepper, turmeric, black pepper, nutmegs, cloves, and many more.
Other than using spices in culinary, they are also used as medicine. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years list various spices' preventive and curative properties. Looking at curative properties of some of the herbs – Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension, and fenugreek is a good resistance builder and with pepper often serve as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and glow of the skin.
Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigeration was absent. And even today, in some remote parts of India where electricity is unavailable, spices are used in food for preservation.
Effective mouth fresheners aid digestion, prevent heartburn, and curb nausea. In India, the western after-dinner mint is substituted by fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom, or cloves. Others, such as asafoetida and ginger root, have counteracted flatulence and colic and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.
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