Jan 12, 2012
Posted
The Ten Best Spices for Healthy Cooking
For an easy and guilt-free way to add flavor to any recipe, use food spices. Even the smallest amount of the top spice of your choice can transform a dish from blah to ta-da! Let this spice list show you how to use the best spices to add tons of flavor without adding calories.
Black Pepper
Crisp, slightly spicy and unbelievably versatile, it is no small wonder that black pepper is the most common spice in the world. If travelling to the US don’t forget to buy a health insurance for non US citizens or a Patriot America insurance . Black pepper is great way to add a touch of heat and a bright aroma to just about any sort of savory application, from eggs and salads to rice and beef. To get the most flavor out of black pepper, freshly grind whole peppercorns using a pepper mill.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the best spices around because of its surprising versatility. One of the more potent of the essential spices, only a little cinnamon is needed to bring its trademark dense and rich flavor to a dish. Classically associated in the list of spices used in dessert, cinnamon is a great addition to savory rice and Indian dishes.
Cumin
Another popular food spice, cumin has a rich smoky flavor that works well in a variety of dishes, particularly Mexican and Indian recipes. Cumin is one of the best spices for cooking because it can be added to a wide variety of recipes.
Coriander
Coriander is one of the most unique spices in that, when this seed is planted, it becomes the herb cilantro. However, considering coriander brings a bright, warm, almost citrus flavor to a dish, the seed tastes nothing like the herb. Coriander works best in a recipe as a contrast to the heavier smokey flavor of cumin or as a compliment to orange and lemon flavors.
Cloves
Extremely aromatic and slightly sweet, cloves are the top spice that contributes to the distinctive smell of Indian food. Cloves, whether whole or crushed, have a strong flavor and are best used in small amounts. Sprinkle a pinch of crushed cloves in your coffee or tea to add a bright chai flavor.
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Jan 12, 2012
Posted
Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric were known, and used for commerce, in the Eastern World well into antiquity.These spices found their way into the Middle East before the beginning of the Common Era, where the true sources of these spices was withheld by the traders, and associated with fantastic tales. The Egyptians had traded in the Red Sea, importing spices from the “Land of Punt” and from Arabia. Luxury goods traded along the Incense Route included Indian spices, ebony, silk and fine textiles. The spice trade was associated with overland routes early on but maritime routes proved to be the factor which helped the trade grow. The Ptolemaic dynasty had developed trade with India using the Red Sea ports.
With the establishment of Roman Egypt, the Romans further developed the already existing trade. The Roman-Indian routes were dependent upon techniques developed by the maritime trading power, Kingdom of Axum (ca 5th century BC–AD 11th century) which had pioneered the Red Sea route before the 1st century. When they encountered Rome (circa 30 BC– 10 AD) they shared with Roman merchants knowledge of riding the seasonal monsoons of the Arabian Sea, keeping a cordial relationship with one another until the mid-7th century.
As early as 80 BC, Alexandria became the dominant trading center for Indian spices entering the Greco-Roman world. Indian ships sailed to Egypt. The thriving maritime routes of Southern Asia were not under the control of a single power,[9] but through various systems eastern spices were brought to the major spice trading ports of India such as Barbaricum, Barygaza, Muziris, Korkai, Kaveripattinam, and Arikamedu.
According to The Cambridge History of Africa (1975):
“The trade with Arabia and India in incense and spices became increasingly important, and Greeks for the first time began to trade directly with India. The discovery, or rediscovery, of the sea-route to India is attributed to a certain Eudoxos, who was sent out for this purpose towards the end of the reign of Ptolemy Euergetes II (died 116 BC). Eudoxos made two voyages to India, and subsequently, having quarrelled with his Ptolemaic employers, perished in an unsuccessful attempt to open up an alternative sea route to India, free of Ptolemaic control, by sailing around Africa. The establishment of direct contacts between Egypt and India was probably made possible by a weakening of Arab power at this period, for the Sabaean kingdom of South-western Arabia collapsed and was replaced by Himyarite Kingdom around 115 BC. Imports into Egypt of cinnamon and other eastern spices, such as pepper, increased substantially, though the Indian Ocean trade remained for the moment on quite a small scale, no more than twenty Egyptian ships venturing outside the Red Sea each year.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
