The Spice Mart

Recipes - Chocolate Burfi

2008-07-04T18:37:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Burfi

Have you thought about how you could make those special burfis, or simply known as candies in most of the Indian sweet shops?

Its really simple - not rocket science at all.. I will show you just so plainly and simply how you could do the same and then maybe you don't have to worry about waiting the whole week to buy burfis!

Ingredients

2 litres of fresh milk

1 slab of milk chocolate melted over hot water.

1 small slab of chocolate chopped

125gms sugar

100gms mixed sliced nuts, i.e almonds, pistachio, cashewnuts, walnuts

2 tbl spoon raisins

A few drops of vanilla essence

Silver warq

Instructions

1. Heat milk and sugar together and keep on stirring until mixture becomes thick.

2. Mix in the rest of the above ingredients with the exception of warq.

3. Pour the contents onto a lightly greased long plate.

4. Level the surface gently and decorate with warq.

5. Leave to cool in refrigerator.

6. Once cool, cut into pieces and serve.

Recipes - Masala Idly

2008-07-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Masala Idly

Idly is a south-Indian dish that is predominantly had for breakfast. This however is not necessarily true, as it is also eaten for dinner and even tea time.

It's a great meal, and suprisingly these small fluffy buns makes the tummy full with just a few pieces. Today, I will show you how to make Masala Idli, and I bet you will love it!

Ingredients:

250gms raw rice

25gms Urad Dhall (Whole White Dhall)

1/2 coconut scrapped

1 small onion

2 green chillies

A few coriander leaves chopped

Some tamarind

Salt and chilli powder to taste

Instructions

1. Wash and soak the rice and whole white dhall in water for about 6 hours.

2. Drain out the water and grind the dhall and rice together until they become a smooth paste.

3. Add the coconut and tamarind and grind once again until they become smooth.

4. Mix in the rest of the above ingredients and then add enough water to form a thick batter.

5. Lightly grease the cups of the 'Idli Stand'.

6. Put 1 large cup of water in the pressure cooker.

7. Fill the cups of the Idli stand with batter and place the stand in the cooker.

8. Close the lid, do not use the regulator for making the idlis.

9. Let the fire be slow within 6-8 minutes, and the idlis would be ready.

10. Serve hot with either chuntey or sambar.

Spices & Condiments - Nutmeg

2008-06-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Nutmeg
Botanical Name: Myristica fragrans Hout.
Family: Myristicaceae
Names: Hindi: Jaiphal; Kannada: Jayikai; Malayalam: Jathikka; Sanskrit: Jathiphala; Tamil: Jathikai; English: Nutmeg; Malay: Buah Pala; Chinese: Rou Dou Kou

Composition
Moisture: 14.3%; protein: 7.5%; ether extract: 36.4%; carbohydrates: 28.5%; fibre: 11.6%; mineral matter: 1.7%; calcium: 0.12%; phosphorus: 0.24%; iron: 4.6mg; volatile oil: 6-16%; starch: 14.6-24.2%; pentosans: 2.25%; furfural: 1.5%; pectin: 0.6%.
* Nutmeg is only a fair source of vitamins. The principal constituents are fixed oil, volatile oil and starch. The flavour and therapeutic actions are due to the volatile oil.

History of Nutmeg
A spice that has long been prized for it’s medicinal properties, the history of nutmeg goes back to the 1st Century as evidenced in writings by Pliny, the Roman philosopher. In Indian Vedic writings it is recommended for headaches, fever and bad breath, while Arabian writing praises it for stomach ailments and as an aphrodisiac.

Nutmeg is actually the seed from an evergreen tree. The scientific name for the most common type is Myristica fragrans. This plant actually produces both nutmeg and mace. The tree is indigenous to Australasia and tropical regions of Southeast Asia. There are a couple of species of trees used to produce nutmeg, the Fragrant Nutmeg is the most common, the Papuan Nutmeg and Bombay Nutmeg are less common.

Prized in medieval times for it’s uses in cuisine, nutmeg was traded in the middle ages by the Arabs. The spice has always been very popular and was even rumored to ward off the plague and cause self-abortions. While it might not ward off the plague, it is an abortifacient, and pregnant women should probably avoid nutmeg. Nutmeg in high doses can be toxic so it might be best to stick to a little sprinkle here and there.

Nutmeg is native to the Banda islands of Indonesia and, as is the history with many spices, the trade in nutmeg was dominated by Portugal in the 15th century. Then, in the 17th century the Dutch became the predominant traders of this precious spice. Back then, the only source of nutmeg was on Run Island and there were many struggles between the British and the Dutch over control of the Island and the nutmeg trade.

During the Napoleonic wars, the English did gain control and proceeded to plant nutmeg trees in Grenada and Zanzibar. This ensured that the British would not lose complete control of the Nutmeg trade should they ever decide to give up the island again. The expansion of nutmeg production also had the effect of making nutmeg accessible to more people at lower prices.

Today, nutmeg is produced in many places including the India, Malaysia, various Caribbean islands, New Guinea, and Sri Lanka. About 10,000 tons a year is produced and mainly used in the US, Japan, Europe and India.

While nutmeg is quite affordable today, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, throughout history nutmeg has been quite expensive. A few hundred years ago, a small bag of nutmeg would have brought enough money for the holder to be financially independent for the rest of his life!

Quality Grades
1. Whole, Sound Nutmegs
a. Large
b. Medium
c. Small
The grade of nutmegs are of highest interest in the spice trade but too expensive for oil distillation.

2. Sound Shrivels:
These nutmegs are used for grinding but are normally too expensive for oil distillation.

3. Rejections:
These considerably lower priced nutmegs can be used for oil distillation

4. Broken and Wormy:
This is the cheapest grade, large quantities of which are shipped yearly to Europe, especially
to Hamburg for oil distillation. This quality grade comprises all broken and loosened up
nutmegs which seem to contain much less fatty oil than the sound nuts. For this reason, it is
very suitable for distilling.

Volatile Oil
The percentage of volatile oil in nutmeg varies from 6 to 16%, according to the origin and quality of the spice. Wormy nutmegs give a much higher yield than sound ones; in the former, most of the fixed oil, present in the endosperm which tends to retain the volatile oil during distillation, would have been devoured by worms, while the strongly aromatic oil in the inner layer of perisperm remains intact.

Commercial oil is derived from broken and wormy nutmegs. The material is comminuted, pressed to remove fixed oil, and immediately subjected to steam distillation. Loss of volatile oil from ground nutmegs is relatively rapid (about 80% in 2 months). Incubation within distilled water may be necessary to recover the total oil content.

Oil of nutmeg is almost colourless or pale yellow liquid with a characteristic odour. On ageing, it partly resinifies and becomes viscous. The aroma of East Indian oil is much more pronounced and more characteristic of the spice than that of West Indian oil.

Nutmeg Butter
Nutmeg contains 38%-43% of ether extractable material which, in addition to glycerides, contains a volatile oil (6-13%), a small quantity of resin, and a substantial proportion of unsaponifiable material.

It is highly aromatic fat which is obtained from damaged or worm-eaten kernels which are unfit for sale as a spice. The material is ground and cooked or steamed before pressing.

Leaves
The leaves of M.fragrans yield on water-distillation of a light brown volatile oil with a pleasing spicy odour.

Bark
The bark of the tree yields 0.14% of a volatile oil. Volatile oil is also obtained from its flowers. The stems contain tannin-mucilage complex.

Fruit rind
Fresh pericarp from ripe fruit (about 80% of the whole fruit) contains an acidic (23%) astringent juice with an aromatic flavour. Analysis of the fruit rind gave the following values:
Moisture: 86.8%; protein: 1.0%; ether extract: 0.6%; carbohydrates: 11.2%; and mineral matter: 0.6% calcium: 0.04%; phosphorous: 0.01%; iron: 2mg/100gm; carotene (Vit. A): 8 I.U./100gm.

Adulteration
Nutmegs are sometimes adulterated with 'false' nutmegs (M. malabaricum) or Bombay nutmegs which are practically odourless and tasteless.

The oil is sometimes adulterated by additions of turpentine oil or pinene, limited amounts of which scarcely affect its physical and chemical constants. Since pinene is a natural constituent of nutmeg oil, it is difficult to detect moderate additions by chemical means. An expert will employ organoleptic tests for evaluation of this oil.

Uses
Medicine
Both nutmeg and mace are used as condiment and in medicine. In eastern countries, they are used more as a drug than as condiment. Nutmeg is stimulant, carminative, astringent, and aphrodisiac; it is used in tonics and electuaries and forms a constituent of preparations prescribed for dysentery, stomachache, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, malaria, rheumatism, sciatica and early stages of leprosy. Excessive doses have a narcotic effect; symptoms of delirium and epileptic convulsions appear after 1-6 hours. Mace is similarly used. It is also chewed for masking foul breath.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans who could afford spices especially used nutmeg to flavor pudding and beverages, including spiced wine. A Chaucer poem recommends keeping nutmegs on hand to put in ale. Nutmeg flavoring in beverages continues today with Coca Cola, which reportedly includes it in its secret recipe.

This could have something to do with the flavoring qualities of nutmeg and mace, which are spicier than most people imagine. Despite their use in mild dishes like custard and stewed fruit, nutmeg and mace actually include some of the same oils that flavor pepper and cloves.

Nutmeg and mace also contain hallucinogens and can be fatally toxic if used in a large quantity, for example, eating an entire nutmeg. However, the small quantities normally used in cooking are considered safe.

Regarding its health benefits, nutmeg is believed to aid digestion and relieve nausea and the sensation of vomiting. Nutmeg oil is used a component in aftershave and scents for men, where it lends its characteristically spicy scent.

And while nutmeg may be used liberally in culinary preparations, care should be taken not to consume large amounts of it in concentrated form, as it is known to have some drug-like properties that can cause hallucinations and illness.

Oil of nutmeg or mace is employed for flavouring food products and liquor. It is used for scenting soaps, tobacco and dental creams, and also in perfumery. It is mildly counter-irritant and used in liniments and hair lotions. It has been recommended for the treatment of inflammations of bladder and urinary tract. The oil is somewhat toxic owing to the presence of myristicin and should be used with caution.

There are however a lot of nutmeg based oils in the market today which is used to help with muscle cramps, joint pains and relieves the muscles. However, it should only be used for external use. These oils are also known as 'minyak panas' and there are many varieties in the market today.

Ancient Chinese medicine states that nutmeg or mace is used Orally for diarrhea, nausea, gastric spasms, flatulence, and gastric mucosal inflammation. It is also used for cancer, kidney disease, insomnia, increasing menstrual flow, inducing abortion, as a hallucinogen, and a general tonic.

It is also used topically as an analgesic, especially for rheumatism, mouth sores, and toothache.

Nutmeg butter is used as a mild external stimulant in ointments, hair lotions, and plasters and forms a useful application in cases of rheumatism, paralysis and sprains. It is used in perfumes for imparting a spicy odour and in the manufacture of soaps and candles. Nutmeg butter is sometimes substituted by fats from other Myristica spp.

Alcoholic extracts of nutmeg show antibacterial activity against Micrococcus var, aureus. Aqueous decoctions are toxic to cockroaches. Myristicin present in the kernel may be employed as an additive to pyrethrum to enhance the toxicity of the latter to houseflies; myristicin by itself is inactive. The volatile oil from the leaf was weedicidal properties. It may also be for scenting soaps, dentifrices, chewing gums and tobacco. It is not produced on a commercial scale.

The pericarp or rind of the ripe fruit is locally used in pickles. It is also used in the preparation of jellies. The half-ripe fruits are preserved and served as sweets here in Malaysia. It is sold as 'Buah Pala' sweets and is famous in the state of Penang.

Links
Study of Aphrodisiacs and Nutmeg
The Spice Forum - Medicinal Values of Spices

Books to Look At
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Adventures of a Spice Trader

Spices & Condiments - Mustard

2008-06-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Mustard

Botanical Name: Brassica nigra - "True Mustard" (Black Mustard)
B.alba - White Mustard
B. juncea (Linn) Czernjajev - "Indian Mustard" (Brown Mustard)
Family: Cruciferae
Indian Names: Bengali: Sarisha; Gujurati: Rai; Hindi, Punjabi: Rai, Banarsi Rai, Safed Rai, Kalee, Sarson; Kannada: Sasave; Kashmiri: Aasur, Sarisa; Sanskrit: Asuri, Bimbata; Tamil: Kadugu; Telegu: Avalu; Malay: Biji Sawi; Chinese: Chieh; Italian: Senape; Spanish: Mostaza; Arabic: Khardal

Description:

The genus Brassica consists of over 150 species of annual or biennial herbs several of which are cultivated as oilseed crops (as rape, sarson, toria, etc;), or as vegetable or fodder crops. The seeds of only the above three species have condimental value. The oil yielding brassicas which are predominantly cross-pollinated, constitute a group about which considerable confusion exists, regarding their identification and nomenclature.

The 'mustard flour' of commerce is a mixture of the flours of two types of mustard seeds; brown or black mustard (Brassica nigra) and white mustard (Sinapis alba). Its condimental properties are largely due to the essential principles of these two seeds.

The essential principle, or volatile oil, of brown mustard is allyl isothiocyanate, while that of white or yellow mustard is acrinyl isothiocyanate. The essential principles are not present as such in the seeds of brown and white mustards but are produced as a result of hydrolysis of their respective glycosides, 'sinigrin' (potassium myronate) and 'sinalbin', by the action of the enzyme myrosin, in the presence of moisture under suitable conditions.

In brief, these condimental brassicas or rather different varities of mustard are discussed below:

1. White Mustard (Sinapsis alba or B.hirta)

White mustard (also commonly called 'yellow mustard') or 'sufed rai' is a self-sterile species, easily recognised by its hairy stem devoid of any bloom. It has irregularly pinnate leaves, large yellow flowers, and spreading, few seeded and hairy pods. These have long empty, knife-like beaks. The seeds are large, white and lightly pitted and give considerable amount of mucilage with cold water.

S. alba is a native of southern Europe and western Asia. It is grown only as a garden crop, in temperate upper India during winter. In India, it does not contribute to the supplies of mustard or mustard oil.

Composition:

Moisture: 7.2%; protein: 27.6%; crude fat: 29.7%; N-free extract: 20.8%; fibre: 10.3%; and ash: 4.5%. The seeds also contain the glucoside, 'sinablin' and the enzyme 'myrosin'. In the presence of water, the latter hydrolyses the former, producing acrinyl isothiocyanate, which is only slightly volatile, sinapine acid sulphate and dextrose. The yield of volatile oil is low, 0.16% only.

2. Black Mustard or True Mustard (B.nigra Koch)

Black mustard or 'banarsi rai' is highly self-sterile and is quite distinct from other brassicas. The fruits at maturity are closely appressed to the infloreescene axis. The seed coat shows fine reticulations under a lens, and is mucilaginous. The outer-epidermis is covered with a thin cuticle. B.nigra Koch has been cultivated in Europe since the early 13th century and is now reported to be growing wild.

Composition:
The seed contains moisture: 7.6%; N-Substances: 29.1%; N-free extract: 19.2%; ether extract: 28.2%; crude fibre: 11%; ash: 5%. The seeds yield 23-33% fixed oil. The volatile oil of mustard is obtained in a yield of 0.7-1.2% after the hydrolisis of the glucoside, sinigrin, by the enzyme myrosin (Indian seeds are reported to yield 0.68% volatile oil). The oil is optically inactive and consists almost entirely of allyl isothiocyanate (93-99%). Specifications for the pharmaceutical oil are (BPC), and allyl isothiocyanate content not less than 92%.

For the preparation of volatile oil, the fixed oil is first cold pressed from the seeds which are subsequently macerated with tepid water for several hours, and steam-distilled. The oil obtained is an extremely powerful irritant owing to its volatility and penetrating power, and is responsible for the painful nature of alcohol, or in the form with 50 times its volume of alcohol, or in the form of rubefacient. It is also used in cases of pleurisy and pneumonia.

3. Indian Mustard (B.juncea)

Indian Mustard or Rai is a self-fertile species and is a very variable annual. Its narrow based leaves are not stem-clasping like those of atoria and sarson. Rai matures later than either. The seeds are rugose, reddish-brown, and generally smaller.

There are two races of rai: a tall, late and a short early. B. Juncea is a common crop field in India and its cultivation extends all the way to Egypt, Europe, China and Afghanistan.

Uses of Mustard Seeds
Black mustard is ground with white mustard for preparing table mustard and also various medicinal mustard preparations such as bath mustard, mustard bran, and mustard flour. The expressed oil has mild rubefacient properties and is used as a liniment. The technical oil obtained during the preparation of mustard also contains the oil from white mustard seeds. In Europe, it is used for making soap, for burning and as a lubricant. In India, seeds of black mustard are used in pickles and curries.

This well known spice has its use in medicine as a stimulating external application. The rubefacient action causes a mild irritation to the skin, stimulating the circulation in that area and relieving muscular and skeletal pain. Its stimulating, diaphoretic action can be utilized in the way that Cayenne and Ginger are. For feverishness, colds, and influenza, Mustard may be taken as a tea or ground and sprinkled into a bath. The stimulation of circulation will aid chilblains as well as the conditions already mentioned. An infusion or poultice of Mustard will aid in cases of bronchitis.

Mustard oil itself is said to be useful to cure dandruff and to give a healthy shining looking scalp and hair. Some of the selected methods are as follows:

Home remedies for Hair Loss using Mustard Oil and Henna Leaves
Mustard oil, boiled with henna leaves, is useful for healthy growth of hair. About 250 ml of mustard oil should be boiled in a tin basin. About sixty grams of henna leaves should be gradually put in this oil till they are burnt in the oil. The oil should then be filtered using a cloth and stored. Regular massage of the head with the oil will produce abundant hair.

Home Remedies for Dandruff and Itchiness
* Add 1 teaspoon of camphor to half a cup of coconut or neem oil. Store it in glass container.
Dosage: Massage this oil into the scalp before bed.
* Mix 1 teaspoon of castor, mustard and coconut oil each and massage into the scalp.
* Mix one part of lemon juice with two parts of coconut oil. Massage into the roots of the hair regularly.

Home Remedies for Conditioning and Achieving Softer hair
* Massage the root of the hair with a mixture of the yellow part of one egg, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp mustard or olive oil. Wash off after one hour. This will make the hair soft and lustrous.
* Mix 1 ½ tsp mustard oil, 1 ½ cup tea extract, 1 egg yellow and juice of lemon in henna (mehendi) powder. Wash off after one hour.
* Apply luke warm mustard oil to the hair and scalp the night before you wash it.

Preservation Properties:

Of the spices, condiments and herbs studied with respect to their effect on yeast fermentation in wines, etc, mustard flour was easily the most efficacious being followed in order by cloves and cinnamon. Little or no preservative action could be detected with cardamoms, cumin, coriander, caraway, celery seed, pimento, nutmeg, ginger, thyme, bay leaves, marjoram, savory, rosemary, black or cayenne peppers. Comparing the stronger of the above preservatives with benzoic acid and sulphur dioxide, it was found that mustard was definitely stronger than either of the two chemical preservatives. Ground cloves has a potency of the same order as that of benzoic acid, and superior to that of sulphur dioxide.

Recommended Books
Gourmet Mustards - Using Them In Your Cooking

Incredible Secrets of Mustard

Mustard Seed Market - Natural Foods Cookbook

Spices & Condiments - Star Anise

2008-05-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, thank you for visiting my small little blog! Today, I will be putting up a post about Star Anise.

Star Anise is one of the most commonly used spices, in culinary and I would like to share with you all the benefits, the history and of course how you could add them into your daily cooking!

Botanical Name: Illticium verum Hook.
Family: Magnoliaceae
Names: Tamil: Anashuppu, Anasipu; Hindi: Anasphal; Marathi: Badian; Malay: Bunga Lawang

Description:
Star anise is the dried, star shaped fruit derived from Illicium verum which is an evergreen tree attaining a height of 8-15m and a diameter of about 25cm. The leaves of the Illicium verum tend to be around 10-15cm long and 2.5cm broad, elliptical in shape. This plant produces flowers which are white to red in colour; star fruit shaped, reddish brown, consisting of 8 carpels (follicles) arranged in a whorl around a short central column; each follicle is around 12-17mm long, boat shaped, hard and wrinkled. It contains a seeds, which are brown, compressed, shiny and smooth in texture. The carpels have a pleasant anise-like odour and an aromatic, sweet taste. The seeds have the same aroma to some extent. Star anise is normally available whole instead of in ground form. The plant is indigenous to tropical and subtropical east Asia. It is extensively cultivated in a limited area with particular ecological factors, in Kwangsi in sout-east China and Tonkin in Indo-China.

Adulteration:
Star-anise fruit is often adulterated with the fruit of I. anisatum, I. religiosum, which are grown in Japan and variously known as 'Japanese sacred anise tree', 'Poison bay', 'Shikimi' or 'Shikiminoki'. Other names include 'false aniseed' and 'bastard star-anise'. The fruit of I. anisatum is poisonous.

Volatile Oil:
Star-anise oil of commerce is obtained by the steam-distillation of fresh fruits of I. verum. It is colourless and pale yellow in colour with the characteristics of true anise oil (from Pimpinella anisum). The odour and taste of the anise oil is rather more delicate. Star anise oil is official in the pharmacopoeas of many countries; it constitutes the bulk of the oil of anise in the commerce trade of anise seeds.

Fatty Oil:

Decorticated seeds contain fatty oil (55%) having the following compositions:

myristic: 4.43% ; stearic: 7.93%; oleic: 63.24% and linoleic: 24.4%

Uses

Food Flavourant:

Star anise fruit has an agreeable, aromatic, sweet taste and a pleasant odour resembling anise. It is used as a condiment for flavouring curries, confectioneries, spirits and for pickling. It is also used in perfumery. The fruit is chewed to sweeten the breath and to help digestion. Star anise oil is used as a flavouring agent in confectionery, candy, chewing gum, tobacco, animal feeds, liquors and pharmaceutical preparations. It is also used in perfumery and soaps.

Medicinal Values:

Expectorant, anti-spasmodic, carminative, anti-microbial, aromatic, galactogogue. Improves memory, get rid of oily skin, calm coughs, increases milk production for nursing mothers and serve as a natural antacid. Commercially, it is very popular as a fragrance and a flavoring.

It is very effective as a carminative (to relieve gas pains).Used as a cough remedy, bronchitis, asthma, as a digestive aid, may be used for relieving menopausal discomforts, treating some form of prostate cancer in men. It may have potential in treating hepatitis and cirrhosis, although tests are being conducted on this.

Indications : The volatile oil in Aniseed provides the basis for its internal use to ease griping, intestinal colic and flatulence. It also has an expectorant and anti-spasmodic action and may be used in bronchitis, in tracheitis where there is persistent irritable coughing, and in whooping cough. Externally, the oil may be used in an ointment base for the treatment of scabies. The oil by itself will help in the control of lice.

Aniseed has been demonstrated to increase mucociliary transport and so supporting its use as an expectorant. It has mild estrogenic effects, thought to be due to the presence of dianethole and photoanethole, which explains the use of this plant in folk medicine to increase milk secretion, facilitate birth and increase libido.

Anise is a stimulant and carminative; used in cases of flatulence, flatulent colic of infants, and to remove nausea. Sometimes added to other medicines to improve their flavor, correct griping and other disagreeable effects.

It is stomachic and carminative, and considered useful in flatulence, spasmodic affection of the intestinal canal, and dysentry. It is used as an adjunct to cough mixtures and as a corrective of taste. It is also used in the production of absinthel (spirit).

The oil is stimulant, stomachic, carminative, mildly expectorant and diuretic. It relieves colic and is an ingredient of cough lozenges. The oil is employed as an application in rheumatism and otalgia, and as an antiseptic. It is considered useful against body lice and bed bugs, and forms an ingredient of cattle sprays. It is used in favus (honeycomb ringworm) and scabbies. The oil enters into the composition of a number of official preparations.

Star-anise is considered useful for colic, constipation and insomnia. Ancient Chinese medicine suggests, that star-anise was perhaps used to prepare medicinal tea from the leaves. Other reports are as follows:

Ancient Chinese physicians used the herb as a digestive aid, flatulence remedy, and breath freshener. Early English herbalists recommended the herb for hiccups, for promoting milk production for nursing mothers, fro treatment of water retention, headache, asthma. Bronchitis, insomnia, nausea, lice, infant colic, cholera, and even cancer.

Recipe:
One of the most famous dishes that we used to make were the Star Anise Tomato Soup. It really is simple, and can be done by almost anybody. The best part was, it used to be sold at a premium in hotels and speciality restaurants. Firstly, you would require the following ingredients..

2 tbl peanut oil/olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2x celery stalks with leaves chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2lb tomatoes peeled, chopped, with their juice
4 cup veggies (You may use what you feel is appropriate. Do not overuse.)
12 whole star anise
2x parsley sprigs

Start off your dish by:
1. Heating the oil in the pan over medium to low heat. Then add the chops onions until they are translucent.
2. Increase the heat to medium and add the celery, carrots and veggies. Cook until they turn brown - approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, 8 star anises, and parsley. Cover and simmer gently for around 30 minutes.
4. Pour the contents of the pan through a sieve to extract only the liquids.
5. Simmer once more and pour into a bowl. Add the remaining star anises.

This is normally served as the first course. Ensure that it is hot. The soup is fresh, aromatic and light.

References:
1. ISO 11016:1999, Oil of star anise, Chinese type (Illicium verum Hook. f.)
2. The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices - Tony Hill
3. Indian Spice Kitchen - Monisha Bharadwaj
4. Spice : Recipes to Delight the Senses - Christine Manfield

External Links:
1. http://www.citras.com.my
(A Local Retailer of Fresh Pure Spices, Pulses & Herbs.)

Spices & Condiments - Cinnamon

2008-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon
Botanical Name: Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume
Family: Lauraceae
Names: Hindi: Darchini; Tamil: Sanna-Iavangapattai, Pattai; Malayalam: Lavangpattai; Gujarati, Urdu, Marathi, Punjabi: Dalchini; Malay: Kayu manis; Sanskrit: Darushila

Composition:
Moisture: 9.9%; Protein: 4.6%; Fat (ether extract) : 2.2%; fibre: 20.3%; carbohydrates: 59.5%; total ash: 3.5%; calcium: 1.6%; phosphorus: 0.05%; iron: 0.004%; sodium: 0.01%; potassium: 0.4%; vitamin B1: 0.14mg/100gm; vitamin B2: 0.21mg/100gm; niacin: 1.9mg/100gm; vitamin C: 39.8mg/100gm; vitamin A: 175 I.U. per 100gm; calorific value: 355 calories per 100gm

Description
Cinnamon is one of the most important tree spices in India. Like its cousin cassia, cinnamon consists layers of dried pieces of the inner bark of branches and young shoots from the evergreen tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum which is obtained when the cork and the cortical parenchyma are removed from the 'whole bark'. The thickness of the bark ranges from 0.2 to 1.0 mm. Pure cinnamon is free from any admixture with cassia which is considered inferior to the former in appearance, flavour and odour. As stated earlier, cassia is the commonest substitute of cinnamon. While it may be possible morphologically to distinguish one from the other in the whole form, it is difficult to identify them in the powder form.

The quality of cinnamon depends among other factors, on the region where it is grown. Sri Lankan cinnamon and cinnamon from the Seychelles Island are considered to be the best in the world. Cinnamon planted along the coast of Colombo are considered to be the best from Sri Lanka. In India, it is grown on the west-coast. Cinnamon is also planted in Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil and Vietnam.

Preparation and Curing of the Bark
The preparation and curing of the cinnamon bark requires a lot of experience. The various steps involved are:
1. Cutting of branches of the right size and shape during maturity
2. Scraping of the outer rough corky layer
3. Peeling and skillfully removing the bark from the inner wood
4. Piping and preparation of quills
5. Featherings and Chips

Quills:
Quills are known as the long compound rolls of bark upto 1m in length, which constitutes the best grade.

Quillings:
When the quills are being transported or moved, some of them tend to be broken. These smaller fragments are known as 'quillings'. They are of course genuine cinnamon and are mainly used for grinding and also for the distillation of the cinnamon bark oil.

Featherings:
Featherings consist of the inner bark of twigs and twisted shoots which cannot give straight quills or quillings of normal length. Thus they are also genuine and are used in the same way as quillings. However, they often contain small chips.

Chips:
Chips include the bark obtained from thick branches and stems, trimmings of the cut shoots before they are peeled, shaving of outer and inner bark which cannot be separated or which are obtained from small twigs by beating or hammering, and odd pieces of outer bark. They invariably contain more or less inferior bark and woody material. This admixture is labelled 'chips' which constitutes the most inferior grade of cinnamon.

Uses
Cinnamon is a very useful tree. Every part of the tree - bark, wood, leaves, buds, flowers, fruits, and roots - finds some use or the other as indicated below.

Cinnamon Bark:
Cinnamon bark is one of the most popular spice in use. It has a delicate fragrance and a warm agreeable taste. It is extensively used in the form of small pieces or powder. It is aromatic, astringent, stimulant and carminative and also possesses the property of checking nausea and vomiting. Cinnamon is used for flavouring confectionery, liquors, pharmaceuticals, soaps and dental preparations. Powdered cinnamon is a constituent of chocolate preparations made in Spain. Cinnamon is also used in candy, gum, incense and perfume.

Bark Oil:
Cinnamon bark contains 0.5 to 1.0% volatile oil. The essential oil, generally manufactured in the USA and Europe is steam distilled mainly from cinnamon chips and residue left over after the preparations of quills for the spice trade. It is light yellow in colour when freshly distilled and changes to red on storage. It contains cinnamaldehyde around 60-75%; eugenol and benzaldehyde. Synthetic cinnamaldehyde and cinnamon leaf oil are the common adulterants for bark oil.

Bark oil is extensively used for flavouring confectionery, liquors, pharmaceuticals, soaps and dental preparations. It has a high germicidal activity (R.W. coefficient, 14.0); but on account of its irritant properties, it is not used as such. It is also a fungicide. It has the cordial and carminative properties of cinnamon without its astrigency and is employed as adjuvant in stomachic and carminative medicine. As a powerful local stimulant, it is sometimes prescribed in gastrodynia, flatulent colic and gastric debility.

Cinnamon Leaf Oil:
Green leaves, on steam distillation, yield 1% essential oil which is generally heavier than water and is aggresive in action. The leaf oil is yellow to yellowish brown with a slight camphoraceous odour resembling that of clove oil. Cinnamon oil has the same content of eugenol as clove oil and is used in making perfumes. It is also used for flavouring sweets and confectionery and is a common adulterant for the bark oil. It is used as an embrocation in rheumatism.

Root Bark Oil
The root bark yields 3% oil which differs from both stem-bark and leaf oils. It is a colourless liquid with a camphoraceous odour. It contains camphor, pinene, cineole, dipentene, phellandrene, eugenol, safrole, caryophyllene, borneol, and possibly cinnamic and benzoic aldehydes. Camphor separates out on allowing the oil to stand. The oil, however is not an article of commerce.

Seed Oil:
Cinnamon seeds contain 33% fixed oil, formerly used for making candles. The oil, also called 'cinnamon suet' is obtained by heating to boil crushed ripe fruits suspended in water. The oleaginous matter rises to the surface and solidifies on cooling.

Cinnamon Buds:
Cinnamon buds are useful for flavouring and spicing up food, similar to the cinnamon bark.

Cinnamon Wood:
The wood of the cinnamon tree provides a soft timber for use as a low grade board wood. Timber is moderately soft, not very strong, seasons without difficulty but warps, splits and cracks are liable when strained. It is faintly scented, straight-grained, medium and fairly even textured.

Medicinal Values:

Cinnamon leaves are used in the form of powder or decoction. They are stimulant and useful in relieving flatulence and in increasing secretion and discharge of urine. Cinnamon prevents nervous tension, improves complexion and memory. Cinnamon is an effective medicine for common cold. Cinnamon checks nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. It stimulates digestion. Cinnamon serves as a good mouth freshner. It is also useful headache and Acne.

In Ayurvedic healing methods, cinnamon is used as a remedy for diabetes, and cold and is recommeded to those individuals with excessive Kapha.

Ancient Chinese medicine states that cinnamon is used for cold, flatulence, nausea, diarrhea and painful menstruation. It is also thought to improve blood circulation, energy levels and overall vitality.

Most common ways to add cinnamon into your daily diet is by using it as a spice in your curries, or even by adding some cinnamon powder into your daily cup of tea or other hot drinks. This has been said to reduce blood glucose levels. You may read the result of the study here

Resources:
1. K. Fazullah Khan (1967) - Cultivation of Cinnamon.
2. K.S.Pillai (1965) - "The Cinnamon"
3. E.G. Brown (1956) - "Cinnamon and Cassia" - Sources, Production & Trade.
4. P.N.Ravindran, Nirmal Babu, M Shylaja (2003) - Cinnamon & Cassia - The Genus Cinnamomum.
External Links:
1. Searches related to Cinnamon
(extracted from the website of a local spice retailer) - http://www.citras.com.my
2. Story on Cinnamon
3. Cinnamon Rolls recipe

Spices & Condiments - Fenugreek

2008-05-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Fenugreek
Botanical Name: Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.
Family: Leguminosae
Names: Hindi: Methi; Tamil: Venthayam; Telugu: Menthulu; Malayalam: Uluva;

Composition:
Moisture: 6.3%; protein: 9.5%; fat: 10.0%; crude fibre: 18.5%; carbohydrates: 42.3%; ash: 13.4%; calcium: 1.3%; phosphorus: 0.48%; iron: 0.011%; sodium: 0.09%; potassium: 1.7%; vitamin A: 1,040 I.U./100gm; vitamin B1: 0.41mg/100gm; vitamin B2: 0.36; vitamin C: 12.0; niacin: 6.0mg/100gm; calorific value: 370 calories per 100gm; gums: 23.06%; mucilage: 28.0%.

Description and Distribution
Fenugreek is the dried ripe fruit of an annual herb, native of south-eastern Europe and West Asia and now cultivated in India, Argentina, Egypt and Mediterranean countries (southern France, Morocco and Lebanon). The seed is small and yellowish brown in colour. It has a pleasantly bitter taste and a peculiar odour and flavour of its own.

The seed is produced as a spice, as a vegetable for human consumption, as forage for cattle and to some extent for medicinal purposes. This robust herb has light green leaves, is 30 to 60 cm tall, and produces slender beaked pods 10 to 15 cm long. Each pod contains about 10 to 20 small hard yellowish brown seeds, which are smooth and oblong, about 3mm long. The seeds are grooved across one corner giving it a hooked appearance.

Fenugreek has been traced back over 1000 B.C., which makes it one of the oldest cultivated plants dating back as far as Egyptian texts. These texts detailed how fenugreek was used in the embalming and mummification process. History has shown that fenugreek is truly a multi-purpose herb; fenugreek has also been used as an aphrodisiac, used to enhance the appeal of stale grass to livestock, can be brewed like coffee, and once used as a yellow die for clothing.

Fenugreek leaves and stems are also rich in calcium, iron, carotene (vitamin A) and ascorbic acid. Although fresh leaves contain only 3-5% protein, on dry-weight basis, they are comparable to pulses. Fenugreek seeds are rich in essential amino acids and is a very good source of protein.

Fixed Oil
The fixed oil content is about 7%. The fatty acids consist largely of linoletic, oleic and linolenic acids. It has marked drying properties, the dried oil being golden yellow in colour and insoluble in ether. The oil has a disagreeable odour and bitter taste.

Volatile Oil
The volatile oil content of fenugreek is very small, less than 0.02%. It is brown in colour and slightly odorous. Its specific gravity is stated to be 0.871 at 15.5 degree celcius. Very little is known about its chemical composition.

Effect of Roasting & Cooking on Nutritive Value
The loss of ascorbic acid is the least in pressure cooking and greatest in stir-frying of vegetable fenugreek leaves. The loss of ascorbic acid is more at room temperature than in the refrigeration. Raw dry fenugreek seeds contain about 150mg of trigonelline and practically no nicotinic acid. If the seeds are roasted sufficiently to brown them slightly, about 2/3 of the trigonelline is converted into niacin or nicotinic acid (vitamin) . An increase in free and total niacin has been noted when fenugreek seeds are roasted in a shallow pan over an open fire. Seeds were used in the typical preparation of Indian and Egyptian foods. Some foods were prepared with fermented dough. In every case, there was an increase in total and free niacin after cooking. The addition of 5% fenugreek to corn results in a 30-35% increase in free niacin in the cooked products. Fermentation resulted in a significant increase in both free and total niacin.

It is found that lightly roasted seeds (~150 degree celcius) were superior to the medium (~175 degree celcius) and dark roasted (~200 degree celcius) with regard to flavour and nutritive value. No appreciable loss in total nitrogen and crude protein was noticed during roasting, but there was a considerable decrease in total and free sugars as the temperature of roasting was increased. Out of the five reducing sugars and three non reducing sugars, three reducing sugars were completely lost. However, roasting of seeds significantly improved the flavour of the seeds. More research is needed on further chemical changes that take place during roasting, particularly with respect to alkaloid and niacin.

The vitamin C content of raw fenugreek leaves averages at about 43.1 mg per 100gm. After boiling in water, steaming and frying, the vegetable loses 10.8 % and 7.4% of the vitamin respectively. Results of organoleptic evaluation showed that the most acceptable method of preparation is by steaming.

Uses
Food Flavourant
Fenugreek has been used both as a food or food additive as well as in medicine. Fresh tender pods, leaves and shoots which are rich in iron, calcium, protein, vitamin A and vitamin C are eaten as curried vegetable since ancient times in India, Egypt, etc; . As a spice, fenugreek seed also adds to the nutritive value of flavour of foods. Because of this, fenugreek is of considerable importance in those countries in the Middle and Far East where meatless diets are customary for cultural and religious reasons.

In Egpyt and Ethiopia, fenugreek is a popular ingredient of bread, known to the Arabs as 'hulba', and in Ethiopia going by the Amharic name 'abish'. In Greece, the seeds, boiled or raw are eaten with honey. In the United States, it is used in the manufacture of chutneys and in various spice blends, but its most important culinary use is as a source of fenugreek extract, the principle flavouring ingredient of imitation maple syrup. It is used in recipes like Vegetable Bean Soups, Fenugreek Beef Stew. In north India, fenugreek seeds form an important ingredient in mango pickles soaked with oil or Pancharanga. Fenugreek is mainly of interest as one of the principle odorous constituents of curry powders.

Medicine

Fenugreek has excellent medicinal virtues. Its regular use helps the body clean and healthy. The leaves of Fenugreek are aromatic, cooling and mild laxative. The seeds are exercise soothing effect on the skin and membranes, relieving any irritation of skin and removing the swelling and pain. They are the best cleansers within the body and highly a soothing agents. Fenugreek leaves are beneficial in the treatment of indigestion, flatulence and sluggish liver. Fenugreek seeds can also be taken for diabetes. The normal dose is 2 teaspoons of powdered seeds taken daily in soup or milk. Fenugreek seeds are useful in the removal of dandruff also. Other uses of Fenugreek is in the treatment of anaemia, fevers, stomach disorders, respiratory infections, Bad Breath and Body Odour.

Fenugreek has been often linked with Diabetes and has medicinal value to help diabetes patients. For more details on that, kindly click here.

Medical papyri from ancient Egyptian tombs reveal that it was used both to reduce fevers and also as a food. According to the belief of the ancients, fenugreek stimulates the digestive process as well as the metabolism in general. The seeds are used in colic flatulence, dysentery, diarrhoea, dyspepsia with loss of appetite, chronic cough, dropsy, enlargement of liver and spleen, rickets, gout, and diabetes. The seeds are used as carminative, tonic, aphrodisiac; and infusion given to small pox patients as a cooling drink; roasted and then infused, used in sweets served to ladies during the post natal period.

Although the use of most spices in medicine has declined substantially in recent years, fenugreek is an important exception to the rule. Recent studies in England indicated that fenugreek seeds substantially contain the steroidal substance diosgenin which is used as a starting material in the synthesis of sex hormones and oral contraceptives. Diosgenin is at present obtained mainly from the tubers of certain species of Dioscorea grown in Mexico and Central America. This is a long duration costly crop, whereas fenugreek is a short duration and less expensive crop. If plant breeders are successful in developing fenugreek varieties with high content of diosgenin, this little known spice would make a two-fold economic contribution to a solution of the world's population problems by assisting in birth control and at the same time providing additional food. Also, the seed is used by Indian women for its power to promote lactation.

Cattle Food & Veterinary Medicine:
Ground fine and mixed with cotton seed, it is fed to cows to increase the flow of milk. Mildewed or sour hay is made palatable to cattle when fenugreek herbage is mixed with it. It is also used in veterinary medicinal preparations. It is used as a conditioning powder to produce a glossy coat on horses.

Cosmetics:
In the Middle Ages, fenugreek was recommended as a cure for baldness in men. In Java, today, it is used in hair tonic preparations and as a cosmetic. The powder made from the seeds is used in the Far East as a yellowish dye. Harem women in North Africa and the Middle East roasted fenugreek seeds to achieve a captivating buxom plumpness! The fenugreek seeds contain a fixed oil which has an overpowering celery-like odour that is extremely tenacious and in recent years, has attracted the interest of the perfume trade.

Kasuri Methi
Kasuri methi are the dried fenugreek leaves and are used extensively in cooking. Kasoori Methi leaves are generally used as a condiment for flavoring and giving special delicious taste. Steaming is considered the best method of cooking leaves. By doing so, the vitamins are retained and the vegetable becomes palatable. The dried leaves can be composed to pulses for their protein content. They supplement the lysine-deficient cereal diets. They have an aromatic odor and agreeable spicy taste. Kasoori Methi leaves is an important ingredient of curry powder.

Sites you should visit:
1. Indira's Recipe & Photo Journal - Recipes on use of Fenugreek
(a beautiful website with loads and loads of information) - Must visit!
2. Articles on Spices & Their Uses
(an informative website by a well known local spices retailer)

Spices & Condiments - Saffron

2008-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Saffron
Botanical Name: Crocus sativus Linn.
Family: Iridaceae
Indian Names: Bengali: Jafran; Gujarati: Keshar; Hindi: Keshar; Kesara; Sanskrit: Kunkuma; Asra; Asrika; Aruna; Tamil: Kungumapu; Urdu: Jafranekar
Composition:
Water: 15.6%; starch and sugar: 13.35%; essential oil: 0.6%; fixed oil: 5.63%; crude fibre: 4.48%; ash: 4.27%; moisture: 8.5-10.2%. Also contains traces of boron, potassium and phosphorus.

Description:
Saffron consists of the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus which is a bulbous perennial, 15-25cm high, native of southern Europe and cultivated in Mediterranean countries, particularly in Spain, Austria, France, Greek, England, Turkey, Persia, India, Iran and the Orient. True saffron must not be confused with either meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L. fam. Liliaceae) or safflower or bastard saffron (Carthamus tinctorius L., fam. Compositae), which are ocassionally used as adulterants of true saffron. Saffron is one of the oldest and certainly among the world's most expensive spices. One pound of saffron consists of about 225,000 to 500,000 dried stigmas, and requires the picking (by hand) of 75,000 flowers. That gives an idea of human labour involved in harvesting saffron. The colour of saffron is bright yellow-red, or orange. The aroma, somewhat powerful, somewhat bitter and with strange exoticism and peculiarity.

Saffron is a low growing plant with an underground globular corm. It is cultivated for its large, scented, blue or lavender flowers. The flowers have trifid, orange coloured stigmas which along with the style-tops yield the saffron of commerce.

The valley of Kashmir is famous for its saffron fields (total area of about 4,000 hectares) located on both sides of the national highway on the Karewas (elevated dry table lands of alluvial origins) of Pampore (altitude 1700m) about 18km south-east of Srinagar. Some saffron is grown also in the Kishtwar region of Jammu also.

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Saffron is a plant resembling onion with 45cms. high. Commercial saffron consist of the dried stigma and tops of the styles of the flowers. It is one of the world's costliest herbs. Saffron is more popular in the Tibbi than in the Ayurvedic medicine. Saffron contains an essential oil which consist of terpenes, alcohols and esters.

The above excerpt taken from here.

The Process of Harvesting Saffron:
1. Picking of Flowers for Obtaining Saffron
The flowering period starts during middle or late October and lasts only until the first or second week of November. The flowers must be picked each morning before the sun gets too hot. The flowers are cleaned during the day and the style and stigmas are separated from the perianth. These operations require much labour which coupled with the small yield per acre, accounts for the very high cost of good quality saffron. The duration of picking depends upon the time of blooming. The number of flowers and time of blooming in any year are dependent upon the temperature prevalent in spring and autumn, and upon the amount of rainfall. A warm spring and long autumn are conducive to early flowering.

Separation of stigmas from the perianth has to be carried out every day, otherwise the flowers will wilt. If the flowers are left for a couple of days, operations become very difficult. The collected flowers are picked up individually. The female worker employed for this job holds a flower in her hand and with the perianth, at the same time tearing off the stigmas with the fingers of the right hand and depositing these in the containers held for this purpose.

2. Drying or Toasting Stigmas
The value of saffron depends mainly on the method by which stigmas are dried. The techniques followed in Kashmir and Spain are described below:
Kashmir:
The stigmas are picked from the flowers and dried. This constitutes the first grade of saffron (Shahi Saffron).

The flowers are dried in the sun for three to five days, then lightly beaten with sticks and passed through coarse sieves. The material which passes through is thrown into water, those parts of the flowers which float are discarded and the parts which sink to the bottom are collected and further dried. This constitutes the second grade (Mogra Saffron).

The discarded parts of the flowers are again subjected to the beating process and the process of throwing the entire pounded mass in water is repeated. The product which sinks is collected. At this point, it constitutes the third grade, an inferior quality (Lacha Saffron).

Spain:
The process is known as 'toasting'. The stigmas are placed in sieves, in layers 2-3 cm thick over an almost spent fire. The sieves are placed 15cm above the fire and by stacking them and changing their order and position, the product is carefully dried. In addition, the process may utilise special stoves because the saffron has to be kept protected from dampness and light as light bleaches it into a dull yellow colour.

Iran:
In Iran, a much better quality of saffron is obtained by drying the stigmas is a solar dryer (Akhavan and Panahandeh). In order to increase the yield, experiments on the polyploidy and the discovery of a 3-branched style has recently been reported by Seyed Mahmood Ghaffari, an Associate Professor of the University of Tehran, Iran.
Among his publication and works are:
1. Bagheri, A.M.Ghafari and M.H.Rashed Mohassl, 1988. Evaluation of saffron diversity and its use in breeding programs. Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Iran, Khoran Center.
2. Ghaffari, S.M.Cytogenetical study of cultivated saffron and its pertinent geetical study . The First Seminar on Saffron.Quaen:Nov.1988. nter.

Adulteration:
Because of its high cost, saffron is frequently adulterated with styles, anthers and parts of the corolla of saffron. Exhausted saffron, flowers and floral parts of some Compositae like Calendula spp. and Certhamus inctorius, corn silk, and various materials coloured with coal tar dyes, are also used as adulterants. Water, oil or glycerine is added to increase the weight. Cake saffron of commerce often contains safflower florets with adhesive sugary substances.

Uses:
Food Flavouring and Colouring
Saffron is famous for its extraordinary medicinal, flavouring and colouring properties. It is used abroad in exotic dishes particularly in Spanish rice specialities and French fish preparations. It is also used in the fine bread in many countries, viz. in Scandinavia as well as in the Balkans.

The principal colouring agent of saffron is the glycoside crocin; the bitter substance is the glucoside picrocrocin.

Medicinal Properties

Saffron is mostly used in indigenous medicine across India. It enjoys a large reputation as a drug which strengthen the functioning of the stomach and promotes its action. Saffron is beneficial in the treatment of several digestive disorders. The herb is useful in promoting and regulating menstrual periods. It soothes lumbar pains which accompany menstruation. Saffron is useful in treating skin disorders. A paste of the herb can be used as a dressing for bruises and superficial sores.

Saffron is credited with various medicinal properties. It is used occasionally in exan-thematous diseases to promote eruptions. It is used in fevers, melancholia and enlargement of the liver and spleen. It has also stimulant and stomachic properties and is considered to be a remedy for catarrhal affections of children. In modern pharmacopoeias, it is employed only to colour other medicines or as a cordial adjunct. Saffron has been employed as an abortifacient and several fatal cases have been recorded. Saffron bulbs are toxic to young animals and stigmas in overdoses are narcotic. Symptoms of saffron poisoning are as follows:

vomiting
diarrhea
dizziness

Saffron is an important ingredient of the Ayurvedic and Unani Systems of medicine in India. It is popularly known as a stimulant, warm and dry in action, helping in urinary, digestive and uterine troubles. It is mixed with other drugs to help in normal menstruation. If soaked overnight in water and used with honey, it enables the patient suffering from urinary problems to pass urine freely.

In ancient Ayurveda texts, it is believed that saffron is used to prevent heart diseases, build up of cholesterol and cools the membranes of the stomach and colon. It is however said that pregnant ladies should not consume saffron. This is because saffron can stimulate the contraction of the uterus.

In traditional Chinese medicine, saffron is associated with the Heart and Liver functions. Among the uses of saffron is to remove stagnation within those areas, invigorate the blood supply and release toxins. It is believed to be used to relieve high fevers and related conditions caused by pathogenic heat. It is also used to break up blood clots. Due to this, those on blood-thinning medications or women who experience heavy menstruation should avoid saffron altogether. There is however some evidence that saffron could inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

The saffron oil is used as an external application in uterine sores. When pounded with ghee, it is reported to be very effective in diabetes. It is also reported to give strength to the heart and brain, but only when administered in large doses.

The demand for saffron has traditionally been from ayurvedic drug makers, sweetmeat vendors, temples and to a very small extent, individual households. Saffron is used for making products such as ice-creams, milk masala and such other dried and packed items.

But, the largest consumers for the past few years, and which has led to spiralling cost of the product, are the manufacturers of chewing tobacco. It is said that as much as 50% of the total saffron output is consumed by this segment of the users.

Other Uses
The saffron, colour of "Kesariya" as it is called is used interestingly for various purposes. It was worn by martyrs and revolutionaries at the time of the Independence of India and also by farmers at harvest festivals. India's national colour has saffron as one of its three colour shades. This is also seen in the state colours of Jammu and Kashmir.

The saffron colour has its romantic overtones and many beautiful maiden have been praised by poets as having 'kesar kaya' or a beautiful complexion. In fact, according to Greek mythology, the handsome mortal, Crocos fell in love with the beautiful nymph Smilax. Unfortunately for him, his advances were rejected by Crocos and he was turned into a beautiful purple crocus flower.

In ancient Egypt, saffron was a highly prized commodity for the pharaohs and kings as an aphrodisiac.

References:

Dufresne C, Cormier F, Dorion S. In vitro formation of crocetin glucosyl esters by crocus sativus callus extract. Planta Med April 1997;16:150-3.
Escribano J, Alonso GL, Coca-Prados M, et al. Crocin safranal and picrocrocin from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) inhibit the grown of human cancer cells in vitro. Cancer Letters February 27, 1996;100:23-30.
Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C (eds). PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2nd edition. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 2000, pp. 653-654.
Nair SC, Kurumboor SK, Hasegawa JH. Saffron chemoprevention in biology and medicine: a review. Cancer Biother Winter 1995;5:257-64.
Tang W, Eisenbrand G. Chinese Drugs of Plant Origin. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 1992.

External Links:
1. Wikipedia : Saffron
2. Medicinal Values of Saffron

Spices & Condiments - Turmeric

2008-05-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

Turmeric
Botanical Name: Curcuma longa Linn.
Synonymous: Cucuma domestica Val.
Family : Zingiberaceae
Indian Names: Bengali: Halud, Haldi, Pitras; Gujarati: Haldhar, Haldi; Hindi: Haldi; Kannada: Arishina; Konkani: Halad; Malayalam: Manjal; Tamil: Manjal; Urdu: Haladi, Malay: Kunyit

Composition:
Turmeric has the following composition-moisture 5.8%; protein: 8.6%; fat: 8.9%; carbohydrates: 63.0%; fibre: 6.9%; mineral matter: 6.8%; calcium: 0.2%; phosphorus: 0.26%; iron: 0.05%; sodium: 0.01%; potassium: 2.5%, vitamin A: 175 I.U./100gm; Vitamin B1: 0.09mg/100gm; Vitamin B2: 0.19; Vitamin C: 49.8 and Niacin: 4.8mg/100gm; calories: 390 calories per 100gm.

Description
The spice, turmeric or haldi, consists of the dried, boiled, cleaned and polished rhizomes (the underground swollen stem of the plant) of Curcuma longa. Turmeric is too well-known to need any further description. It suffices to say that turmeric is one of the most important and ancient spices of India, cultivated virtually throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Turmeric is an important spice in India which produces nearly the whole world's crop and uses almost 80% of it. Turmeric usage dates back to almost 4000 years through the Vedic culture in India. It is also used for religious purposes and employed in Hindu rituals. The yellow colour of turmeric symbolises the Sun.

Turmeric is a perennial herb 60 to 90 cms high. It has short stem and raised or lifted branches. It requires temperatures between 20 and 30 degree celcius and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes and re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.

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Quoted from Wikipedia.org:

"It is also often misspelled (or pronounced) as tumeric. It is also known as kunyit (Indonesian and Malay) or haldi in some Asian countries.

Its rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South-Asian cuisines, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has an earthy, bitter, peppery flavor and has a mustardy smell.

Sangli, a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra, is the largest and most important trading centre for turmeric in Asia or perhaps in the entire world."

Volatile Oil:
The volatile oil derived from the crushed turmeric tubers is an orange yellow liquid, occasionally slightly flourescent, with an odour reminiscent of tubers. The dried rhizomes yield 5-6%, while fresh ones give 0.24% essential oil. About 58% of the oil is composed of turmerones (sesquiterpene ketones) and 9% tertiary alcohols.

Varieties:
Under the genus Curcuma to which turmeric belongs, botanists have so far recognised 30 varieties. Of these, C. longa is economically the most important, accounting for about 96.4% of the total area under turmeric and the remaining 3.6% of the total area are cultivated under C. aromatica.
Use:
Of course, turmeric is largely consumed as a spice while only limited quantities are utilised for other purposes.

Food Flavorings & Colorings:
By far the largest quantity of turmeric is utilised in most of the Asiatic countries as a food adjunct in many vegetable, meat and fish preparations. It is used to flavour and at the same time to clour butter, cheese, margarine, pickles, mustard and other foodstuffs.

It is also used to colour liquor, fruit drinks, cakes and table jellies. It is one of the principle ingredients of curry powder which is a blend of many spices, common salt and farinaceous matter.

Turmeric through its aromatic oil content, flavours food products and acts as an appetizer and aids digestion. A pinch of turmeric powder is often added to most of our savouries to impart simultaneously an agreeable flavor and colour to improve the quality of food.

As Dye:
Earlier, in India, turmeric was largely used for dyeing wool, silk and cotton to impart a yellow shade, in an acid bath. It is still used for dyeing cotton. The dye is also employed as colouring material in pharmacy, confectionery, rice-milling and food industries. Considerable amount of turmeric is also converted into kum-kum and used for tilak. It is also reported to be used in the paint and varnishing industry.

Turmeric paper is an official reagent in British pharmacopoea for testing alkalinity. A diluted tincture of turmeric is suitable for use as a fluorescent indicator even in brown and yellow solutions.

Medicinal Properties:

Turmeric has many medicinal virtues. The essential oil rhizome is aromatic, stimulant and a tonic. It is useful in relieving flatulence. Turmeric is very useful intestinal antiseptic. The rhizome, its juice or dry powder, mixed in butter milk or plain water is highly beneficial in intestinal problems, especially chronic diarrhoea. The juice of raw turmeric mixed with a pinch of salt is considered an effective remedy for expelling worms. Turmeric being rich in iron is valuable in anaemia. A teaspoon of raw turmeric juice mixed with honey is taken everyday in the treatment of this condition. This herb is beneficial in the treatment of measles. Turmeric roots are dried in the sun and ground to a fine powder. Turmeric is an effective household remedy for bronchial asthma. A teaspoon of turmeric powder with a glass of milk twice or thrice daily is very effective.

The above excerpt was taken from here

In the Indian system of medicine, turmeric occupies an important place as an ingredient in the preparation of medicinal oils, ointments and poultice. It is a stomach carminative, tonic, blood purifier, vermicide and an antiseptic. It is indicated in case of diabetes and leprosy. It is also prescribed as an anti-periodic alternative. Boiled with warm milk and taken internally, or used as an inhalation from boiling water, or as a smoke through pipe in combination with omum seeds (ajwain seeds, ajowan seeds) it relieves sore throat and common cold.

Besides, there are now a number of cosmetic preparations such as vanishing creams notably by Vicco (Indian Pharmaceutical Company) and other facial products with turmeric as an important ingredient. Traditionally, it was used as a beauty aid, hair remover, and for improving skin quality.

The juice of raw rhizomes is used as anti-parasitic for many skin afflictions. In small-pox, it is applied as a paste with gingelly oil and neem leaves to cool the body down. Burnt turmeric is used as tooth powder and helps relieve dental problems. The juice of turmeric rhizomes is believed to relieve purulent ophthalmia (conjunctivitis).

The essential oil of turmeric is antiseptic. Turmeric is useful in treating gall stones and gall complaints. Recently, scientists working in Britain, India, and USA have discovered evidence to back up claims that turmeric and notably its active ingredient ciple, acts as an anti-cancer agent.

In Chinese Herbal treatments, turmeric is believed to promote the flow of qi, to eliminate blood stasis, to calm the nerves, ease the mind and to increase the flow of bile.

Cosmetics:
Apart from sentiment, turmeric and turmeric preparations like kum-kum (also known as Pottu) which is worn by Indian ladies on their forehead and parani are used as inexpensive and indigenous beauty aids.

Smearing turmeric paste on the face and limbs during a bath is found to clear the skin and beautify the face. Its antiseptic and healing properties are said to be both a preventive and cure for pimples. It is also known to discourage unwanted hair on the feminine skin. This preparation is known as 'Kasturi Manjal'. In most stores, you can obtain it as a grinded form of turmeric mixed with other ingredients that can be used on the face. Another form of turmeric, the "Gundu Manjal" which means "Fat Turmeric" has facial uses.

Selected references

Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, Bharti AC. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res 2003;23(1A):363-398.
Brinkhaus B, Hentschel C, Von Keudell C, et al. Herbal medicine with curcuma and fumitory in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Scand J Gastroenterol 2005 Aug;40(8):936-43.
Deodhar SD, Sethi R, Srimal RC. Preliminary study on antirheumatic activity of curcumin (diferuloyl methane). Indian J Med Res 1980;71:632-634.
Egan ME, Pearson M, Weiner S, et al. Curcumin, a major constituent of turmeric, corrects cystic fibrosis defects. Science 4-23-2004;304(5670):600-602.
Kositchaiwat C, Kositchaiwat S, Havanondha J. Curcuma longa Linn. in the treatment of gastric ulcer comparison to liquid antacid: a controlled clinical trial. J Med Assoc Thai 1993;76(11):601-605.
Kulkarni RR, Patki PS, Jog VP, et al. Treatment of osteoarthritis with a herbomineral formulation: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. J Ethnopharmacol 1991;33(1-2):91-95.
Limtrakul P, Anuchapreeda S, Buddhasukh D. Modulation of human multidrug-resistance MDR-1 gene by natural curcuminoids. BMC Cancer 4-17-2004;4(1):13.
Ng TP, Chiam PC, Lee T, et al. Curry consumption and cognitive function in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol 2006 1;164(9):898-906.
Nishiyama T, Mae T, Kishida H, et al. Curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) suppress an increase in blood glucose level in type 2 diabetic KK-Ay mice. J Agric Food Chem 2-23-2005;53(4):959-963.
Prusty BK, Das BC. Constitutive activation of transcription factor AP-1 in cervical cancer and suppression of human papillomavirus (HPV) transcription and AP-1 activity in HeLa cells by curcumin. Int J Cancer 3-1-2005;113(6):951-960.
Rithaporn T, Monga M, Rajasekaran M. Curcumin: a potential vaginal contraceptive. Contraception 2003;68(3):219-223.
Taher MM, Lammering G, Hershey C, et al. Curcumin inhibits ultraviolet light induced human immunodeficiency virus gene expression. Mol Cell Biochem 2003;254(1-2):289-297.
Thamlikitkul V, Bunyapraphatsara N, Dechatiwongse T, et al. Randomized double blind study of Curcuma domestica Val. for dyspepsia. J Med Assoc Thai 1989;72(11):613-620.
Tilak JC, Banerjee M, Mohan H, et al. Antioxidant availability of turmeric in relation to its medicinal and culinary uses. Phytother.Res 2004;18(10):798-804.
Van Dau N, Ngoc Ham N, Huy Khac D, et al. The effects of a traditional drug, turmeric (Curcuma longa), and placebo on the healing of duodenal ulcer. Phytomed 1998;5(1):29-34.
Medicinal Uses of Turmeric
MedlinePlus Herbs & Supplements

External Links:
1. Studies and Medicinal Values of Turmeric

Welcome to the SpiceMart

2008-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

It's surprising how most of our meals contain food ingredients that we do not even know about. Different flavorings are used to rekindle our taste buds and most of these flavorings and preservatives are derived mainly from spices, herbs and condiments.

It does not matter if you are a housewife, or a chef or just someone looking for information. The aim of this blog is to ensure that you will be able to know, at least for the sake of knowledge of the power of these various condiments. You will be surprised that they are not just things that are used to give your meals the 'spicy' feeling. They are a lot more than that.

For instance, who would have known that Turmeric, a popular spice that is popular and is grown mainly in the Southern-eastern of Asia could be used to relieve flatulence. As funny as it may sound, turmeric is used in most Indian based dishes as well and has many healing properties.

Of course, the aim here is just to provide knowledge and I am not a physician and thus cannot recommend the use of these medicinal properties of spices and other condiments. It will be interesting to see how these mere things could be of great assistance.

I would like to work on individual spices one by one and post up research materials and information on where they are grown and their medicinal values and so on, and would love to publish something new every week hoping to make this blog a useful one for anyone who is interested in finding out more about these powerful condiments.