Spices: Definition, Classification, History, and Role in Indian Life

Spices are natural products of plant origin, used primarily for flavoring and seasoning or for adding pungency and color to foods and beverages. The use of spices is an exclusive quality of the humans. No species other than humans have learned the art of making a food by mixing various ingredients, and naturally humans are the only member of the animal kingdom making use of spices in their food. The recorded history of the use of spices goes back to about 6200 years based on our present knowledge, and a small herb, the garlic mustard, was the first spice used by humans, as discovered by archaeologists through their excavations in Germany and Denmark. There are evidences dating back to 2700 BCE, from India and China on the use of sesamum, cinnamon, and ginger and from the ancient Aryan homeland in Central Asia on the use of “hing.” From such a humble beginning, the use of spices has grown enormously capturing human taste and kitchen shelves. The number of plants and plant products used as spices by humans is more than 270 species. The spices that we use are the products that plants produce for their self-defense from herbivores and insects. The war between the fauna and flora is still going on, and perhaps one can expect the evolution of new chemicals and new flavors for the future culinary use of humans. This chapter looks at spices and culinary herbs from various angles. It provides the scientific definitions for spices, herbs, condiments, and seasonings, and different classifications of spices that are used by spices workers, traders, and consumers, and the geographical distribution of spices as we know today. The early spices trade between the east and the west is dealt with briefly, which includes the trade between the Malabar Coast and the Greek, and Roman empires, and of the ancient monopoly that the Arabs held on the spice trade, and its end with the discovery of the sea route in AD 40. But the knowledge of this sea route vanished after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, which signaled the end of the Ancient Age. That event made way for the ushering in of the Middle Age with the beginning of the sixth century (500 AD) that lasted till the Renaissance and the discovery of the New World and sea route to India and came to an end in 1500. The early history of spices is briefly discussed including the discovery of the sea route by Vasco da Gama in 1498, an event that catapulted the Indian subcontinent to the Modern Age. The chapter further presents the history of spices under the Mughals, and in later centuries, when the foreign powers, mainly the British, who held the monopoly of spices trade for three centuries as India slipped into the colonial rule under the British Raj. The chapter also presents briefly the spices production under the colonial rule and the extensive spread of black pepper, cardamom, chilies, turmeric, and ginger in the subcontinent during the British Raj. This introductory chapter also presents how spices were intimately related to the sociocultural life of the Indian people. The role of spices in Indian traditional medicine and their role in Indian culinary art are briefly presented. Spices products and value addition are dealt with briefly, and also the role of spices in food preservation. The chapter also presents briefly the patterns of spice utilization in India. The nutraceutical properties of spices are mentioned briefly and also the safety issues and toxicological aspects.