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Posts Tagged ‘SaffronDelicacy’

Dot’s Thot: Like a lot of foodies and as an amateur cook, I am fascinated by the range and color of  spice recipes and spice ingredients.  After  fresh produce, I think my next area of interest is that of seasonings.  Spices intrigue me — I often wonder — who took the first bite — who figured out that those ingredients were edible, not poisonous, never mind how fragrant or tempting.  It must have been some ancient foodie, no doubt..

History, Present and Benefits of Indian Spices
By Sekhar Kodaipati

For centuries south Asian region has been rich. Rich with it’s spices and food recipes. For years, the region lured various different crusaders to invade the region over centuries. Beginning from the 14th century, the moghuls invaded and ruled, what is today the Indian subcontinent, for over three centuries. And then came the marvelous voyages of Christopher Columbus taking upon the arduous long voyage and Vasco De Gama of Portugal, all because of the lure of rich and vast variety of spices in the sub-continent.

Vast fortunes have been made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured and nations have been discovered. All in the name of spices. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. Spices flatter our senses; our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances and our taste with their distinct unique flavors.

Today, India is one of the largest exporting nation of spices in the world. Vast variety of spices grow due to natural conditions available in various parts of India. The major western, south-west, south and south-east is tropical in weather conditions, north-west, north are dry with less humidity and north-east and east have predominantly high-rainy seasons.

Due to the abundance in availability of spices in India, Indian food is never bland. Most of the recipies originating from the Indian sub-continent contains spices in the list of ingredients. Spices in Indian food are not heavy and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. Curry powder sitting on the grocers shelf may be like saw dust when one compares it to the fine spices roasted, combined and dry ground or wet ground in the traditional Indian traditions. Today one of the most famous entrée in the west consists of curry – a blend created mixing various different ground spices in right proportions with the water. However there are many delicacies in Indian recipes due to the inclusion of variety of spices.

Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, individual and family. Some of the common Indian spices available are red chili pepper, turmeric, black pepper, nutmegs, cloves and many more.

Other then the usage of spices in culinary, they are also used as medicine. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe the herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years, list the preventive and curative properties of various spices. Looking at curative properties of some of the spices – Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension and fenugreek is a good resistance builder and with pepper often serve as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and for glow of the skin.

Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigeration was absent. And even today in some remote parts of India where electricity is not available, spices are used in food for preservation.

In India the western after dinner mint is substituted by the fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom or cloves. Effective mouth fresheners, they aid digestion, prevent heartburn and curb nausea. Others such as asafoetida and ginger root, have been known to counteract flatulence and colic, and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.

Learn more about Indian Spices and Indian Recipes at http://www.spicesandrecipes.com Sekhar Kodaipati is known for performing detailed research and his ability to compose eloquent articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sekhar_Kodaipati
http://EzineArticles.com/?History,-Present-and-Benefits-of-Indian-Spices&id=524796

Buy Spice Ingredients for Spice Recipes

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Buy Saffron Spice for Saffron Recipes

Dot’s Deal:

Spanish Saffron -- whole threads

Saffron spice is the world’s most expensive and precious spice — so, if you just want to experiment, try a small amount first — here is an example — the threads should be quite dark and very thin and elongated. Do expect that the amount you receive will seem tiny.

Intense in flavor and color, a little does go a long way — pick one of your saffron recipes and experiment.  Then it won’t seem like you have invested a fortune in something experimental.  Check this small affordable amount out at SaffronDelicacy.com.

For more selections of a variety of saffron items visit the storefront at http://saffrondelicacy.com.

Started 2 May 2009; Online 7 May 2009

Dot’s News: SaffronDelicacy.com Store Completed !!

Hi all,

Thanks for the encouragement from family and friends!  Even with some tool vendor problems and a short trip (driving LA-LV) for 3 days, it got done in between meetings, meals with friends, and the casino, not to mention the driving back and forth.

Now, we can get to talking and tweeting about saffron, one of my favorite spices in the whole world.  I once grew the crocuses in Anaheim and loved the very special aroma from the home-air-dred stigma.  However, the crocuses only lasted a few seasons and we moved — but there are still some very fond memories of the lovely lavender-purple blossoms and the super fragrance of our own saffron.

http://saffrondelicacy.com/

Check it out (see link above) experience the unique aroma and flavor of saffron.  We’ll look into recipe-sharing, too.

Aloha,

Dot