Spices of South Asia
The great spice garden: pepper and cardamom from the Malabar coast, chilli, turmeric and the masalas that hold a thousand kitchens together. 75 spices on EveryMasala so far.
Spice cities, markets and growing areas
Kerala 5Manipur 5Goa 4Nagaland 4Maluku Islands 3Assam 2Bombay 2Calicut 2Himachal Pradesh 2Kochi 2Muziris 2Sikkim 2Alexandria 1Almora 1Arambol 1Azamgarh 1Ballia 1Brahmapur 1Byadgi 1Calcutta 1Chhatrapur 1Coimbatore 1Collinsville 1Delhi 1Dhule 1Didwana 1Eau Claire 1Edayur 1Erode 1Ganjam district 1
Blends of the region
Garam masalaChaat masalaSambar powderPanch phoronGoda masalaRasam powderTandoori masalaPav bhaji masalaBiryani masalaChettinad masala
Countries
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreFennel
The anise-scented seeds and crisp bulb of a Mediterranean perennial herbSeed · Anise and liquorice · Sweet and mellow
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBasil
A tender culinary herb with glossy leaves and a licorice-like aroma, native to tropical Asia.Leaf · Anise and liquorice · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇬🇷 Greece and 4 moreParsley
A bright green herb from the celery family, used fresh across Europe and the Middle East.Leaf · Bitter · Herbal and green
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreEast Indian arrowrootകൂവ
A wild South Asian ginger valued for its turmeric-scented foliage and starchy rhizome.Root · Earthy and deep · Herbal and green
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSpearmint
The square-stemmed herb with pointed leaves used for tea and flavouring oil.Leaf
🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 5 moreLovageлюбисток
A tall European herb with celery-like leaves and spicy seeds used in soups and broths.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Herbal and green
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreBay leaf
The dried or fresh leaves of the laurel tree, used to infuse depth into slow-cooked dishes.Leaf · Herbal and green · Sharp and pungent
🇬🇷 Greece and 4 moreThyme
The dried leaves of a Mediterranean mint-family herb, used to perfume stews and baths alike.Leaf · Earthy and deep · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreJimbu
A dried wild onion herb from the Himalayas, used to season lentils and meat.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Herbal and green
🇮🇳 IndiaWild cinnamon
The aromatic leaves and bark of a Western Ghats tree, once known as malabathrum.Leaf · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreLemongrasssereh; tanglad; takhrai; sera
A tropical grass with citrus-scented stalks used in Asian soups and herbal teasLeaf · Citrus and bright · Sweet and mellow
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreGarden cress
A fast-growing edible herb with peppery leaves and seeds used in salads and traditional medicine.Leaf · Sharp and pungent · Sour and tart
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Parsley: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bay leaf: Χρήστης:Andrikkos / The original uploader was Andrikkos at Greek Wikip, Public domain, source
- Jimbu: CJoshi0, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- East Indian arrowroot: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Spearmint: Simon Eugster -- Simon 13:07, 2 July 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thyme: Evan-Amos, CC0, source
- Wild cinnamon: Dinesh Valke, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lemongrass: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Basil: Castielli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fennel: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, source
- Garden cress: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lovage: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source