Known as the ‘king of spices’, black pepper has remained the most precious and valuable form of spices in the world. It is the 3rd most added ingredient in food among the wide range of spices.
India is one of the largest producers of black pepper and also one of the leading exporters of black pepper in international trade. Black pepper has played a pivotal role in India’s international trade. Black pepper names are taken from the areas where they are grown and differ in terms of color, shape, chemical characteristics, flavor, etc.
Star anise is a spice made from the fruit of the evergreen tree Illicium verum. It’s aptly named for the star-shaped pods from which the spice seeds are harvested and has a flavor that is reminiscent
of licorice. Because of similarities in their flavor and names, star anise is often confused with anise, though the two spices are unrelated. Star anise is famed not only for its distinct flavor and culinary applications but also for its medicinal benefits. it’s an impressive source of several powerful bioactive compounds — all of which are vital contributors to good health.
Clove is one of the oldest spices in the world, is the dried, unopened flower bud of a small evergreen tree. It is indigenous to the Moluccas Islands of Indonesia. In India, cloves come from Mercara
in Karnataka, and Kerala. Cloves both whole and ground are used in baked goods, cakes, confectionery, chocolate, puddings, desserts, sweets, syrups, preserves etc.Clove is used for flavouring curries, gravies, pickles, ketchup and sauces, spice mixtures and pickling spices. Clove goes mainly as an ingredient in beverages, medicines, cosmetics, perfumery and toiletries.
Bay Leaf or Laurel Leaf are dried leaves or an evergreen shrub or more rarely a tree attaining a height of 15 to 20 mtrs. The upper surface of the leaf is glabrous and shiny, olive green, and lower
surface is dull olive to brown with a prominent rib and veins. The aroma of the crushed leaves is delicate & fragrant and taste is aromatic and bitter. The size of the leaves is ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 cms in length and 1.6 to 2.5 cms in breadth. The shape is elliptical and tapering to a point at the base and tip of the leaves. Bay leaves are used as flavouring in soups, stews, meat, fish, sauces and in confectionaries. Both leaves and fruits possess aromatic, stimulant and narcotic properties. Bay leaves are used as flavouring in soups, stews, meat, fish, sauces and in confectionaries. Both leaves and fruits possess aromatic, stimulant and narcotic properties.
Nutmeg & Mace are two distinctly different spices produced from a fruit of an evergreen tree usually 9-12 mtr high. Mace is the dried reticulated ‘aril’ of the fruit and nutmeg is the dried seed kernel of the
fruit. The trees are normally unisexual, bearing either male or female flowers. The male flowers are born in clusters, whereas female flowers are often solitary. Fruit is a fleshy drupe, spherical in shape, pale yellow in colour with a longitudinal groove in the centre. When the fruit mature it burst open along the groove exposing the bright attractive mace, covering the hard black, shiny shell of the seed called nutmeg.The spice in the ground form is mainly used in the food processing industry especially as a standard seasoning in many Dutch dishes.
Oregano is a perennial herb with creeping roots, 30-90 cm high, branched woody stems and opposite, petiolate and hairy leaves (1.5 cm long). The flowers are pale purple and the flowering
period extends from late June to August. Each flower produces four small structures. The foliage is dotted with small glands containing the volatile oil, which gives the plant aroma and colour. Oregano is used in meat, sausages, salads, dressings, stews and soups. In food industry, oregano oil and oleoresin is used in food and beverages. Oregano oil is used in alcoholic beverages and in baked goods. It is a most common spice for pizza. The oregano oil possesses carminative, stomachic, diuretic, diaphoretic properties. It is used in whooping cough and bronchitis. It is also used as an external application for healing wounds. It has antioxidant and anti-microbial properties.
Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. The primary known constituents of Ginger Root include gingerols, zingibain, bisabolenel, oleoresins, starch, essential
oil (zingiberene, zingiberole, camphene, cineol, borneol), mucilage, and protein. Ginger, a knobby, fibrous root, has smooth light brown skin with sheen to it. The flesh of the root is white. Ginger root is a seasoning and flavors sweets, including cakes, cookies, breads, and beverages. It is also good in sauces, and fruit dishes, and is often used heavily in Asian cooking.
Chilli is the dried ripe fruit of the genus Capsicum. Capsicum annuum is an annual sub –shrub, the flowers of which are borne singly and fruits usually pendent, which provide red peppers,
cayenne, paprika and chillies and sweet pepper (bell pepper) a mild form with large inflated fruits. Dry chilly is extensively used as spice in curried dishes. It is also used as an ingredient in curry powder and in seasonings. Bird chilly is used in making hot sauces as pepper sauce and Tabsco sauce. Paprika, Bydagi chilly, Warangal chapatta and similar high colour less pungent varieties are widely used for colour extraction.
Turmeric is the boiled, dried, cleaned and polished rhizomes of Curcuma longa. The plant is a herbaceous perennial, 60-90 cm high, with a short stem and tufted leaf. There are 7 to 12 leaves, the
leaf sheaths forms the pseudo stem. The lamina is green above and pale green below and has a length of 30-40 cm and width 8-12 cm. Inflorescence is a central spike of 10-15 cm length. 1-4 flowers are born in axil of the bract opening one at a time. About 30 flowers are produced in a spike. Seeds are produced in capsules and there will be one to numerous sunken capsules in an inflorescence.
Because of its color, white pepper is ideal for use in white sauces, pasta salads and seafood dishes. White pepper retains the full pungency of black pepper, but has an altered flavour due to partial
loss of aroma compounds. White pepper starts out the same as the black, but is allowed to ripen more fully on the vine, while black pepper is made from green berries. The outer shell is then removed either by soaking the berries in water until the shell falls off, or by placing them under flowing spring water, yielding a whiter, cleaner pepper. White pepper is most often used in white or light-coloured dishes and sauces so there won’t be any black flecks. And what does white pepper taste like? It is a little bit hot, a little bit winey and a great deal earthy. The key distinction between white and black pepper is white pepper’s earthiness.
Cardamom of commerce is the dried ripe fruit (capsules of cardamom plant) often referred as the “Queen of Spices” because of its very pleasant aroma and taste. Cardamom is a perennial, herbaceous, rhizomatous plant. Based on the nature of panicles,
three varieties are recognized viz. Malabar with prostrate panicle, Mysore with erect panicle, and Vazhukka with semi erect panicle. Plants are of medium size (2 to 3 mtr height) with pubescent leaves (on the dorsal side) and fruits globose in the case of Malabar, whereas plant robust (3 to 4 mtr height) with leaves glabrous on both sides with ovoid capsules in the case of Mysore. Vazhukka variety is a mix of both the above in physical characteristics.
Cumin is the dried, white fruit with greyish brown colour of a small slender annual herb. The surface of the fruit has 5 primary ridges, alternatively has 4 less distinct secondary ridges bearing numerous
short hairs. The plant is 15 to 50 cm high. The aromatic seed like fruit is elongated, ovoid, 3 to 6 mm long, slightly bitter and has a warm flavour. The flowers are white or rose coloured in small umbels.Cumin seed have an aromatic odour and bitter taste. It is used as a condiment, and is an ingredient in curry powders, seasonings of breads, cakes and cheese. It is employed in native dishes of Central and South America. In medicine, it is used as a stimulant, carminative, stomachic and astringent. Cumin seed oil is used in perfumery and for flavouring liqueurs and cordials.
The commercial products of cinnamon are quills, quillings, featherings, chips, cinnamon bark oil and cinnamon leaf oil. ‘Quills’ are scraped peel of the inner bark of the mature cinnamon shoots, joined
together with overlapping tubes, the hollow of which has been filled with smaller pieces of cinnamon peels which is dried first in the sun and thereafter in the shade. ‘Quillings’ are broken pieces and splits of all grades of cinnamon quills. ‘Featherings’ are feather like pieces of inner bark consisting of shavings and small pieces of bark left over. Cinnamon ‘chips’ are rough unpeelable barks scraped off from the thicker stems. Cinnamon leaf and bark oil are obtained by distilling the leaf and bark separately. Cinnamon bark is a popular spice with a delicate fragrance and a warm agreeable taste. It is used in the form of small pieces or powder. It is widely used in flavouring confectionary, liquors, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It is found to help diabetics in digestion of sugar. It has astringent; stimulant and carminative properties and can check nausea and vomiting. The cinnamon bark oil has anti-fungal properties and cinnamon leaf oil is widely used in perfumery and cosmetics.
Black cumin or Nigella is widely used in Indian cuisines, particularly in mildly braised lamb dishes such as korma. This spice is not be confused with Shahi Jeera (imperial cumin). Nigella seeds are
sprinkled on to naan bread before baking. It is also added to vegetable and dal dishes as well as in chutneys. Nigella is an ingredient of some garam masalas and is one of the five spices in the Bengali spice mixture panch phoran. The seeds have little bouquet, though when rubbed they give off an aroma reminiscent of oregano. The flavour is lightly bitter and peppery with a crunchy texture. The seeds may be used whole or ground and are usually fried or roasted before use. Black cumin seed (also called black coriander or black seed), comes from the Nigella Sativa plant that is native to Asia, the Mediterranean and Africa. Most people confuse black cumin seed for regular cumin, but it isn’t the same thing. Black cumin seed has been used for thousands of years, dating back to Ancient Egypt. There’s evidence that the seeds were found in ancient Egyptian burial sites (1). Not only that, but the seeds and oil have been used by Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine practitioners for thousands of years to fight disease and help heal the body.
Asafoetida is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula (three of which grow in India), which is a perennial herb (1 to 1.5 mtr.
High) Asafoetida is extensively used for flavouring curries, sauces, and pickles. It is also used in medicines because of its antibiotic properties.Asafoetida is acrid and bitter in taste and emits a strong disagreeable pungent odour due to the presence of sulphur compounds therein. The white or pale variety is water soluble, whereas the dark or black variety is oil soluble. Since pure asafoetida is not preferred due to its strong flavour, it is mixed with starch and gum and sold as compounded asafoetida mostly in bricket form. It is also available in free flowing (Powder form) or in tablet forms. The species are distributed from the Mediterranean region to Central Asia. In India it is grown in Kashmir and in some parts of Punjab. The major supply of asafoetida to India is from Afghanistan and Iran. There are two main varieties of asafoetida ie. Hing Kabuli Sufaid (Milky white asafoetida) and Hing Lal (Red asafoetida).
An erect, glabrous or minutely pubescent, branched annual. The stems are striate; the leaves are rather distant, 2-3-pinnately divided, the segments linear. The flowers occur in terminal or
seemingly-lateral pedunculate, compound umbels, white and small; the fruits are ovoid, muricate, aromatic cremocarps, greyish brown; the mericarps, which are the components of the fruit, are compressed, with distinct ridges and tubercular surface, 1-seeded. It is traditionally used as a digestive aid, relieves abdominal discomfort due to indigestion and antiseptic. In southern parts of India dry ajwain seeds are powdered and soaked in milk, which is then filtered and fed to babies. Many assume that it relieves colic in babies and for kids it also improves digestion and appetite. Ajwain can be used as digestive mixture in large animals. In the northern part of India, Ajwain is often consumed after a heavy meal. It is commonly offered after dinner parties.
Sesame seeds are India’s owns harvesting product since years. We brings to you the premium quality sesame seeds with Auto Dried process. Sesame Seeds are Source of most nutritious seeds because
of its proteins and valuable minerals. The husk hull (upper skin) of these seeds are removed hence are called as Hulled Sesame Seeds. The botanical name of Natural Sesame Seeds is Sesamum indicum and it belongs to family Pedaliaceae. Finest quality of natural sesame seeds are dried and hulled mechanically. Natural sesame seeds can be sundried too to get hulled sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are oxidative and hence can reverse the liver damage. In Arabian countries, Tahini is mixed with Date syrup to make sweet drink. Hulled Sesame Seeds are widely used in breads, burgers, sauces, cereals, crackers, spreads, drinks, granola, candies,food dish garnishing & various other bakery and confectionary products to enrich its taste and nutritional values.
Chia (botanically Salvia Hispanica) is a member of Lamiaceae, mint family. The seeds of Chia plant are commonly used as a super-food for their nutritional and other health benefits. Chia seeds are a rich
source of fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids in form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), calcium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. These seeds have similar health benefits as flax seeds, so chia seeds are considered as the best alternative to flax seeds. Chia seeds contain slightly more fiber content than flax seeds. Chia seeds are beneficial for the skin, digestion, heart, metabolism, bones, muscles and teeth. The omega-3 fatty acids in them improve skin health and promote hair growth. Chia is also beneficial for cardiovascular health and promotes healthy brain functions. It helps to lose weight and prevents heart diseases. The fiber content in chia seeds treats constipation and prevents sudden spikes in blood sugar after eating.
The aroma of nutmeg is as delicious as its taste: it is best used as an addition to sweet recipes like puddings and pies. It can also be used on meat dishes for an added flavour enhancer. In Indian
cuisine, nutmeg is used in many sweet as well as savoury dishes (predominantly in Mughlai cuisine). It may be used in small quantities in garam masala. Nutmeg can be used in preparation of vegetables, too. It works especially well with cheese dishes and is often a part of souffles. Egg dishes respond very well to the addition of nutmeg. It is also added in small quantities as a medicine for infants. After about a thousand years of circulation on the global spice routes, nutmeg has worked its way into a significant number of Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and African cuisines. It seems to go with just about anything, and its rich, fragrant flavour and aroma are intoxicating. Like other sweet spices, it plays nicely with starchy potatoes and squash, and dark meats like lamb and pork. Perhaps more than any other spice, nutmeg needs to be freshly ground from a nutmeg nut. There is nothing like the fantastic scent and flavour of freshly ground nutmeg. And since the whole nuts keep more or less forever, your upkeep is pretty low. It can overwhelm other flavours easily, so add it by the pinch. Nutmeg has a chameleon quality: its flavour blends several other ingredients and unites disparate elements of a dish.
Coriander is an important spice crop having a prime position in flavouring food. The plant is a thin stemmed, small, bushy herb, 25 to 50 cm in height with many branches and umbels. Leaves are
alternate, compound. The whole plant has a pleasant aroma. Inflorescence is a compound umbel comprises 5 smaller umbels. Fruit is globular, 3 to 4 mm diameter, when pressed break into two locules each having one seed. Fruit has delicate fragrance; seeds are pale white to light brown in colour. There are two distinct morphological types, one erect and tall with a comparatively stronger main shoot and the other bushy with a relatively weaker main shoot and longer spreading branches. The young plant is used for flavouring and garnishing curries and soups. The fruits (seeds) are widely used as condiments with or without roasting in the preparation of curry powders, sausages and seasonings. It is an important ingredient in the manufacture of food flavourings, in bakery products, meat products, soda & syrups, puddings, candy preserves and liquors. In medicines it is used as a carminative, refrigerant, diuretic, and aphrodisiac. In household medicines, it is used against seasonal fever, stomach disorders, and nausea. Coriander oil and oleoresins are primarily used in seasonings for sausages and other meat products.
Fenugreek seed is the ripe fruit of an annual herb. This robust herb has light green leaves, is 30-60 cm tall and produces slender, beaked pods, 10-15 cm long, each pod contains 10-20 small hard
yellowish brown seeds, which are smooth and oblong, about 3mm long, each grooved across one corner, giving them a hooked appearance.Fenugreek is used both as a food and food additive as well as in medicines. Fresh tender pods, leaves and shoots are eaten as curried vegetable. As a spice, it flavours food. Powder of dried leaves is also used for garnishing and flavouring variety of food. Fenugreek extract is used as a flavouring agent of imitation maple syrup. It is one of the principle constituent of curry powder. The seeds are used in colic flatulence, dysentery, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, chronic cough and enlargement of liver and spleen, rickets, gout and diabetes. It is also used as a carminative, tonic, and aphrodisiac. Fenugreek oil is used in the manufacture of hair tonics. It is a cold season crop and is fairly tolerant to frost and very low temperature. It is best suited to tracts of moderate to low rainfall and is sown in all types of soil but perform better in loam and clayey loam with proper drainage. It can also be grown on black cotton soils.
Mustard is an annual herb cultivated as oil seed crop or as vegetable or as fodder, of which, 3 species are known for its condiment value. They are pale yellow or white mustard (Brassica hirta), brown
mustard (Brassica juncea) and black mustard (Brassica nigra). The leaves of the plant are alternate, long, bristly branched, petiolate, hairy on both sides. Flowers are small, yellow with 4petals, cruciform. Seeds are 1.5-3mm. The major processed products are mustard powder used in the manufacture of mayonnaise, dried or dehydrated mustard leaves, whole mustard seeds etc. Whole mustard is used as a flavouring agent in Indian cooking, whereas ground mustard provides flavour and consistency in Bengali fish curries. Mustard flour has preservative and antioxidant properties in addition to providing flavour and colour.
It is a biennial, aromatic, stout, glabrous, 1.5 to 1.8 mtr high. The ripe fruit (seed) is small, oblong, cylindrical, 6.8mm long, straight or slightly curved, greenish yellow, deeply furrowed, 5 ridged
and having agreeable aroma.The leaves of fennel is used for garnishing. Leaves and stalks are used in salads. It is an essential ingredient in Italian sausages, widely used to sprinkle on pizza. Dried fruits have fragrant odour and pleasant aromatic taste and therefore used as a masticatory. They are also used for flavouring soups, meat dishes, sauces, pastries, confectionaries and liquors. The fruits are aromatic, stimulant and carminative.
Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world is derived from the dry stigmata of the plant Crocus Sativus. The plant is a bulbous, perennial with globular corms, 15-20 cm high. It has 6 to 10 leaves present
at anthesis, one to two flowers with a lilac-purple colour with perianth segments of 3.5 – 5 cm and style branches of 2.5 – 3.2 cm. The yellow style is deeply divided into three branches and the stigmata are bright red. Flowers are arising directly from the corms. Flowers have tri-lobed stigma, which along with the style tops yield the saffron of commerce.Saffron is used as a culinary seasoning and to colour, cottage cheese, chicken and meat, rise, mayonnaise, liquors and cordials. It is also used in speciality breads, cakes, confectionaries, Mughlai dishes. Saffron is also used as a perfume in cosmetics. In medicine saffron is used in fevers, melancholia, and enlargement of liver and spleen. In Ayurvedic medicine it is used to heal arthritis, impotence and infertility. It has wide range of uses in Chinese and Tibetan medicines.
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