Spices

The clove is the unopened flower bud, air-dried and obtained from an evergreen medium-sized tree. Clove clusters are plucked by hand when the buds are fully developed with a pronounced pink flush and then dried over several days in the sun. Unopened flower buds, leaves and stalks yield essential oil. The use of clove in whole or ground form is mainly for culinary purposes and as a flavoring agent in the food industry. Its flavor blends well with both sweet and savory dishes. It is highly valued in medicine as carminative, aromatic and stimulant and has a well-established record in the ancient Indian Medicine field of Ayurveda.

Cumin is the dried white fruit with greyish brown color of a small slender annual herb.

Cumin seeds have an aromatic odor and a bitter taste. It is used as a condiment and is an ingredient in curry powders, seasonings of bread, cakes and cheese. It is employed in native dishes of Central and South America. In medicine, it is used as a stimulant, carminative, stomachic and astringent. Cumin seed oil is used in perfumery and as a flavoring agent.

Its use has been mentioned in ancient Ayurveda texts and continues to be used in herbal medicinal preparations.

Black Pepper, also called Black Gold in olden times, was a much-prized spice and trading commodity. It was one of the factors that lured foreigners to land in India.

Black pepper is the dried mature berry of Piper nigrum, which is mostly found in the hot, moist region of Southern India.

Pepper helps with the seasoning of various dishes. Therefore it is used as a final dash at the end of cooking to effectively adjust the flavor and give it an extra punch. It is an important component of culinary seasoning of universal use and is an essential ingredient of numerous recipes across the Indian subcontinent. It is also used as an ingredient in spice mixes. Black pepper is used in vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes.

Pepper has very good analgesic, anti-pyretic, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties.