The Spice Box of India
A Doctor in the Kitchen
It is lunchtime in India. In countless home kitchens even today, across this ancient land, women of the household are busy serving up fragrant, freshly-prepared dishes. Hungry children just back from school, husbands who come home for lunch, older relatives or guests who have dropped by — all are welcome to partake of the meal, for in India, we believe that every grain has the name of the person who will eat it.
What a meal it promises to be — the steaming rice, roti (unleavened flat bread) or dosa (rice pancakes) accompanied by a variety of cooked vegetables, spiced lightly or heavily depending on the region, bowlfuls of nourishing lentil daals (akin to a sauce), fresh salad, yogurt made at home, tempting sweet or sour pickles and, if the household eats non-vegetarian food, an appetizing meat or fish curry. Nothing comes out of tins or packets or the freezer — everything is freshly cooked, with the minimum of chemical additives but with plenty of flavors and aromas, thanks to the myriad varieties of spices used in Indian cooking.
Food for us in India is a serious matter, a sacred part of our lives. There are rituals and ceremonies galore, which mark the auspiciousness of food in human life. Our famed spices, the stuff of legends and fables since times immemorial, drawing adventurers and merchants since antiquity, are central to our cuisines, be they from North, South, East, West or Central India. A country of tremendous cultural, religious and ethnic diversity, we have no pan-Indian cuisine. Every few kilometers, our food habits and preferences change, dependent on geographical and climatic conditions and the availability, or non-availability, of food types in the region. Religion also determines food to a great extent — many devout followers of Hinduism and Jainism are strict vegetarians, eschewing even garlic and onion, which are considered "heating" foods, while Muslims do not consume pork. However, what is common to all Indian cuisines is the felicity with which spices are used, alone or in combination, to create tasty dishes.
So crucial is the act of spicing to our daily cooking that most Indian kitchens will have a spice box or masal-daan or masala dabba. This is a large, lidded container with many compartments or smaller containers in which little amounts of spices are kept for daily use, refilled every time a particular condiment is over. Traditionally made from wood, copper or brass (or silver and gold for nobility), spice boxes are now available in stainless steel and plastic. The spice box offers many advantages - the spices are always close at hand and in such little quantities, that they will not get spoiled or lose their flavor quickly. The rest of the spices can be safely stored in airtight jars in a cool place, a necessary requirement in a hot and humid country like India. The spice box looks pretty too, fulfilling the traditional Indian desire for beauty in every aspect of life. Imagine the yellow of the powdered turmeric nestling close to the red of the ground chilli, the small tapered seeds of cumin a sharp contrast to the rounded forms of mustard and coriander seeds, the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom sharing a fragrant corner of their own and in the middle, a mound of black pepper.
Spices in India are used fresh or dry (whole or as fine powder). These spice mixtures, or masalas, as we call them, are at the heart of all our cooking — how much or little, what combinations, what form (whole, crushed, fine powder or a paste made with water or yogurt) determines the taste, texture and appearance of the curries, dry vegetables or daals. A popular method of using spices is "Tadka," a remarkably simple but effective way to extract maximum flavour with minimum fuss — simply heat some oil until very hot and then drop in a combination of spices and herbs. This spicy oil mixture is then poured onto the cooked vegetables or lentils. To make curries, ground spices, either as a dry powder or a wet paste, are fried along with onions, ginger and garlic until the mixture is well-cooked and fragrant. Only then is the meat, fish, or vegetable added to the masala along with water or stock.
These spices are not just for flavoring the food, though — each one of them has remarkable medicinal properties, ideally suited to the hot, tropical conditions in which food is prepared, stored and consumed in India. These spices safeguard the body from a host of diseases and can be safely used as immediate cures for a variety of ailments. Little wonder that having a spice box is akin to having a doctor in the kitchen. The healing properties of these spices definitely make the spice box, a medicinal treasure house, part of every household's daily survival kit. Though the contents of the spice box will vary, depending on which part of India the box is used in, there is little doubt that the contents will be ideally suited to the climate and food requirements of the region.
Many of the following spices can be found in spice boxes across India, along with others, more specific to the regions where they reside. All these spices contain vitamins and minerals extremely beneficial to the body. Some of the healing properties associated with each spice are given in detail in the following table.
| Common Name | Botanical Name | Part of plant used as spice | Healing properties / Medicinal uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Dried inner bark | Improves memory, helps fight halitosis, aids digestion, relieves flatulence. Cinnamon-pepper-honey gargles are an effective aid against influenza, sore throat and common cold. |
| Cloves | Syzygium aromaticum | Dried unopened flower bud | Stimulates digestive functioning, prevents flatulence, promotes proper blood circulation and controls vomiting tendencies. Chewing a clove or applying clove oil is an effective remedy for toothache and coughing bouts. |
| Coriander | Coriandrum sativum | Dried ripened seeds | A diuretic that stimulates proper functioning of the kidneys, relieves flatulence and aids digestion. Helps to counter high acidity and prevents abdominal pain. |
| Cumin | Cuminum cyminum | Dried seeds | Strengthens the stomach, effective remedy for any digestive disorder, prevents hookworm infections, stimulates the kidney. |
| Fenugreek | Trigonella foenum graecum | Dried seeds | Effective cleansers of internal glands and organs as seeds are mucilaginous and can dissolve accumulated mucus in the body. Effective in combating anemia, respiratory infections, digestive disorders, mouth ulcers and as a beauty aid (a paste of the seeds applied to the hair helps remove dandruff). |
| Turmeric | Curcuma longa | Dried rhizomes powdered | Aids digestion, prevents flatulence, effective intestinal antiseptic, helps to counter anemia and diarrhea. A paste of turmeric applied onto the skin is effective against skin ailments such as boils, scabies and ringworms. |
| Cardamom | Elettaria Cardomomum | Dried fruits | Increases appetite, soothes the stomach, prevents indigestion, is an effective breath freshener, helps to combat depression. |
| Black Pepper | Piper Nigrum | Whole Dried fruit | Helps to increase flow of saliva and gastric juices, relieves flatulence, aids digestion, effective remedy for coughs and colds. |
The spice box is a mini-dispensary of sorts and the regular use of the spices contained within helps to keep the body healthy and fit. The spice box is, indeed, a doctor in the kitchen.