Galangal, Caper, Indian Borage, Long Pepper, Pomegranate, and Poppy Seed

This chapter presents brief discussions on six spices, namely galangal (Alpinia galangal), caper (Capparis spinosa), Indian borage (Plectranthus amboinicus), long pepper (Piper nigrum), pomegranate (Punica granatum), and poppy seed (Papavar somniferum). All of them are used in Indian cuisine, and some like the long pepper are used by the people of northeast regions as a local substitute of black pepper. Galangal is more important in Thai cuisine, horse radish in Western cuisine, poppy seeds in European as well as in Asian cuisine. All of them play important roles in exotic cuisines of the star hotels and are relished by the connoisseurs of food. Concise reviews are presented in this chapter on the aforementioned six spices. Each spice is discussed under taxonomy, botanical notes, chemical notes, functional properties, medicinal uses, culinary uses, and toxicological /safety issues associated with each of them. These reviews are adapted from the concise treatment of these spices in the author’s encyclopedia of herbs and spices (Ravindran 2017). Individual introductions are also provided. The references are given cropwise at the end.