I love Indian food. When I first lived in Sydney in the late 1970s and 1980s we would search out the (quite rare) curry houses and order the hottest thing on the menu—usually a vindaloo. I went to live in London for a a few years and it was like going to heaven because Indian restaurants were literally everywhere. I spent a lot of time in Southall in West London, that had the reputation for the best Indian food in the world because the used the fresh food and meat available in Britain and fresh spices imported from India. Southall was not far from Heathrow so the truth of this is hard to deny.
I soon learned that the “hot” Indian food that we were served up in Sydney was quite luke-warm compared to the fiery Indian, Pakistan or Sri Lankan dishes served up in Britain. I haven’t eaten a vindaloo since.
There is nothing more satisfying than cooking curries. It is not unusual to have to add a dozen different spices to a dish. It is time consuming but the delight comes from the smells of each of them and the anticipation of what the complicated mix will taste like when cooked. Often something you have never tasted before.
Looking up the word origins of these many spices it is also surprising that they have been part of the European cuisine for longer than I thought. Of course they were highly valued and imported from Asia along the Spice Road, but that it another story.
Here are ten spices and spice mixes commonly used in Indian cooking, along with their origins:
1. Turmeric (haldi)
“Turmeric” may be derived from the Latin “terra merita,” meaning “worthy earth,” perhaps referring to the spice’s vibrant colour and musty aroma. Another explanation is that it might be a corruption of Arabic “kurkum, curcuma” for saffron, which it resembles.
2. Cumin (jeera)
“Cumin” comes from the Old English “cymen,” from Latin “cuminum,” which is derived from Greek “kyminon” and may have Semitic origins, being similar to Hebrew “kammon” and Arabic “kammun”.
3. Coriander (dhania)
“Coriander” comes from the Old French “coriandre,” which derives from Latin “coriandrum,” originating from Greek “koriannon,” possibly related to “koris,” said by botanists to be related to koris “bedbug” from the bad smell of the unripe fruit.
4. Cardamom (elaichi)
The seed capsule is from a plant native to India and Ceylon. The word “cardamom” comes from the Latin “cardamomum,” which is derived from Greek “kardamomon,” a combination of “kardamon” (cress) and “amomon” (spice plant).
5. Clove (laung)
Dried flowerbud of a tropical tree, used as a spice since the 15c.. It was originally “clowes”, from Anglo-French “clowes de gilofre” (c. 1200) from French clou de girofle meaning “nail of gillyflower,” so called from its shape, from Latin clavus “a nail”.
6. Black pepper (kali mirch)
The word “pepper” comes from the Old English “pipor,” which in turn comes from the Latin “piper,” derived from the Sanskrit “pippali,” meaning “berry.” The Latin word is also the source of German “Pfeffer”, Italian “pepe”, and French “poivre”.
7. Mustard seeds (rai)
The word “mustard” comes from Old French “moustarde,” derived from Latin “mustum” (new wine) and “ardens” (burning), referring to the burning sensation of mustard. Table mustard was originally prepared by adding “must” the new wine, to the ground seeds of the mustard plant to make a paste.
8. Fenugreek (methi)
The word “fenugreek” comes from Latin “faenugraecum,” meaning “Greek hay”. It is a legume from western Asia and North Africa.
9. Asafoetida (hing)
The word “asafoetida” is derived from Persian “aza” (resin) and Latin “foetida” (smelly), referring to its strong odor. It is a pungent sap from the roots of several plants native to Persia and Afghanistan. It is also known colloquially as “devil’s dung” in English. I found out recently (not from personal experience) that it is added to Indian food not for flavour but to prevent flatulence.
10. Garam masala
The term “garam masala” comes from Hindi, where “garam” means “hot” and “masala” means “spice mix.” It refers to a blend of spices used to add warmth and flavour to dishes. It is my favourite spice of all.