Indian food has been using the limitless assemblage of spices- both grounded and whole, to make edibles more palatable. India is known for many extraordinary things, and the Indian spices are also well-known to the world, for their aroma, flavour, and richness. Well, not only do Indian spices aid in making food tasty but have innumerable health benefits.
Some of the benefits of Indian spices are as follows:
- Turmeric: This pungent, fragrant rhizome, is assumedly found in every Indian kitchen. Apart from enhancing the taste and looks of the food, it is an antioxidant, cleanses toxins, and keeps our liver safe. It also fights cancer, strengthens our immune system, and prevents Alzheimer’s disease, and inflammation of joints.
- Cardamom: The sweet, light green cardamom or powerful black cardamom adds to the richness of the food. Like ginger, it has healing properties. This spice can be used in both spicy and sweet dishes.
- Black Pepper: Generally sourced from the Malabar region and the Western Ghats, this spice has great medicinal properties and cures gangrene, heart diseases, earache, constipation, and diarrhea along with its flavor.
- Cinnamon: This spice helps in the control of blood glucose, and diabetes.
- Cloves: It has a sweet, aromatic taste, and medicinal flavor, and being technically a flower, produces oils that offer medicinal attributes. It helps in digestion and helps in the immune system.
- Cumin seeds: Smoky and intensely fragrant seeds, can be incorporated in any dish. It helps in digestion, boosts the immune system, and relieves pain and nausea.
- Mustard seeds: The nutty, smoky flavor adds richness to the curries, also mustard oils are used for cooking in India. It is full of B-complex vitamins and helps in controlling asthma.
- Asafoetida: Apart from being a strong, pungent flavored spice, it treats bronchitis, asthma, coughs, and digestion, and relieves menstrual pain. This spice can alter the smell and taste of any dish.
- Coriander: It treats diabetes, and cleanses toxins from the body. This has been available for more than 7000 years and Indian spices up any food.
It’s important to exercise caution when purchasing Indian spices, as adulteration has become a common issue. Along with genuine Indian spices, various harmful substances can be mixed in to cut costs and increase profits. For instance, red dyes are sometimes added to chili powder, lead chromate to turmeric, and papaya seeds or sawdust to black pepper. These adulterants not only degrade the quality of the Indian spices but also pose significant health risks.
Consuming adulterated Indian spices can lead to a range of severe health issues, including cancer, ulcers, diarrhea, neurotoxicity, and liver and skin disorders. These harmful additives compromise the safety of the spices and can have long-term adverse effects on your health. Therefore, it’s crucial to source spices from reputable suppliers and remain vigilant about the quality of the products you purchase.
It is advised for you to check whether the manufacturer of spice has the following aspects:
- Has AGMARK logo
- FSSAI license number
- Accurate manufacturing date,
details, and expiring date - Proper and hygienic packaging
- Sans unpleasant odor and bright
colors
The best spice brand will include:
- Pleasant aroma
- Fresh and unclamped powder
- Hygienic packaging
- Quality certification
In India, the best quality, hygienic spices can be purchased from various popular Brands like:
Sahibaa Spices
MDH
Everest and more.
These branded spices have a variety of blended or whole spices, which add richness, aroma, and flavor to your dishes. These properly manufactured spices will have no filler or artificial colors, that might make you diseased. Such pure spices enhance the taste and flavor of the food, unlike the adulterated ones, which only add brightness. Hence, it’s advised for you to always check the details of the spices while purchasing them. Also, avoid purchasing lost spices without any details about them.
