When one thinks of Indian food, it is the spices that stand out as one of the most distinctive features & infinite variations available from varying the spices bring incredible variety to the Indian cuisine.
Many spices have originated in India, sourcing different varieties of spices. It was both difficult and risky for India as it was embarking its spices on long and difficult sea voyages - as well as withstanding intense competition from other powerful empires eager to dominate spice trade.
Susruta, was an ancient Indian physician known as the main author of the treatise The Compendium of Suśruta (around 4th century BC) used white mustard and other aromatic plants in bed sheets to ward off malignant spirits & also applied a poultice from sesame to post operation wounds which may have acted as an antiseptic those days. Spices are used & cultivated throughout India, but each region has its own characteristic spices and spice mixtures that define its cuisine. Spices like cardamom and turmeric were cultivated as early as the 8th century BC in the gardens of Babylon (Sinha, 2003; Tapsell, 2006). Spices such as cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cumin, and mustard seed were included in ancient herbal medicines for health benefits. In Ayurveda medicine, cloves and cardamom were wrapped in betel-nut leaves and chewed after meals to increase the flow of saliva and aid digestion.
Many spices have originated in India, sourcing different varieties of spices. It was both difficult and risky for India as it was embarking its spices on long and difficult sea voyages - as well as withstanding intense competition from other powerful empires eager to dominate spice trade.
Susruta, was an ancient Indian physician known as the main author of the treatise The Compendium of Suśruta (around 4th century BC) used white mustard and other aromatic plants in bed sheets to ward off malignant spirits & also applied a poultice from sesame to post operation wounds which may have acted as an antiseptic those days. Spices are used & cultivated throughout India, but each region has its own characteristic spices and spice mixtures that define its cuisine. Spices like cardamom and turmeric were cultivated as early as the 8th century BC in the gardens of Babylon (Sinha, 2003; Tapsell, 2006). Spices such as cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cumin, and mustard seed were included in ancient herbal medicines for health benefits. In Ayurveda medicine, cloves and cardamom were wrapped in betel-nut leaves and chewed after meals to increase the flow of saliva and aid digestion.
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