Aniseed has been cultivated in Egypt for at least 4,000 years. A reference was found in an Egyptian papyrus dating around 2000 BCE. Pharaonic medical texts indicate that the seeds were used as a diuretic, to treat digestive problems, and to relieve toothache. Aniseed is mentioned in the works of Hammurabi. Hippocrates recommended it to clear the respiratory system. Dioscorides listed it as a medicinal plant and wrote, in the 1st century CE, that anise "warms, dries, and dissolves". Although mainly used in food, its licorice flavour has been usedmedicinally as a treatment for abdominal upsets and intestinal gas, as well as for a breath freshener. William Turner recorded in 1551 that "anyse maketh the breth sweter and swageth payne". Although rooted historically in the Mediterranean area, it is widely available in South America. Spanish colonists brought it to the New World in the 16th century; and Latin Americans have used it ever since, both as a culinary item and a medicinal herb. Its fragrance was said to have been as valuable as a perfume. In medieval times, anise was used as a gargle with honey and vinegar to treat tonsillitis. Pliny recommended chewing it upon awakening to get rid of "morning breath", but he also advised keeping it near the bed to stave off bad dreams. The Romans used it as a form of currency; and Hippocrates used it to treat coughs, as did the healers before him.
Fennel yields both a herb and a spice. All plant parts are edible; roots, stalks and leaves, with the spice coming from the dried seeds. A native to the Mediterranean, Fennel is an ancient and common plant known to ancient Greeks and spread throughout Europe by Imperial Rome. It is also grown in India, the Orient, Australia, South America and has become naturalized in the US. It has been called meeting seed by the Puritans who would chew it during their long church Services.
Since many thousand years, Cinnamon has been known and used. It was highly prized and and was used mostly by nobles and princess. It is also mentioned in Bible, and the works of classical writer Herodotus. In medieval period cinnamon was supplied to Europe by the venetian traders who had monopolized the trade routes. In 18th century British captured Ceylon and got hold over this trade. However in 19th century the Ceylonese spice trade monopoly began to decline as cinnamon plantation went to other areas as well. Currently in modern period Indonesia, Srilanka and India are the largest producers
Coriander is probably native to the Middle East and southern Europe, but has also been known in Asia and the Orient for millennia. It is found wild in Egypt and the Sudan, and sometimes in English fields. The seed is now produced in Russia, India, South America, North Africa and in Holland. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans, who used it in cookery and medicine and was Widely used in English cookery until the Renaissance.
It was the condiment, not the plant, that was originally called mustard. The condiment got its name because it was made by grinding the seeds of what was once called the senvy plant into a paste and mixing it with must (an unfermented wine). Mustard is one of the oldest spices and one of the most widely used. The Chinese were using mustard thousands of years ago and the ancient Greeks considered it an everyday spice. The first medical mention of it is in the Hippocratic writings, where it was used for general muscular relief. The Romans used it as a condiment and pickling spice. King Louis XI would travel with his own royal mustard pot, in case his hosts didn't serve it. Today, world consumption of mustard tops 400 million pounds.
Black pepper is native to Malabar, a region in the Western Coast of South India; today, this region belongs to the union state Kerala. Pepper reached South East Asia more than two thousand years ago and is grown in Malaysia and Indonesia since about that time. In the last decades of the 20.th century, pepper production increased dramatically as new plantations were founded in Thailand, Vietnam, China and Sri Lanka. In the New World, Brazil is the only important producer; pepper plantations there go back to the 1930s. The most important producers are India before Indonesia, which together account for about 50% of the whole production volume. Black pepper, grown in Southern India since more than two thousand years, has always been much valued all over the world. After Alexander the Great had warred upon Central Asia, and indeed even reached India (4th century BC), new trading routes were established that brought, for the very first time, pepper into the West. Popularly known as the 'King of Spices', the best quality pepper is grown in the monsoon forests along the Malabar Coast in South India.
Caraway use dates back to the Stone Age. The discovery of caraway seeds among the refuse areas in prehistoric communities by archaeologists in southern Europe would indicate that the plant was a part of early man's daily life. The roots of caraway plants were said to warm and stimulate a cold, languid stomach and was combined with milk to make a bread which formed the chara of Julius Caesar that was eaten by the soldiers of Valerius. Dioscorides (40-90), an ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist at the time of Nero, advised using caraway oil for 'pale-faced girls'.
Cardamom was used for medicinal purposes. Cleopatra is said to have found the scent so enticing that she had the palace scented with cardamom smoke when Marc Anthony came to visit. Ancient Greeks and Romans used cardamom in foods as well as for Medicines and perfumes. In the New Testament which was largely written in Greek amooman appears in reference to the aromatic plant cardamom. The word means blameless without reproach.
The castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is a plant species of the Euphorbiaceae and the sole member of the genus Ricinus and of the subtribe Ricininae. It is the origin of the castor bean which, despite its name, is not a true bean. The name Ricinus is a Latin word for tick; the seed is so named because it has markings and a bump at the end which resemble certain ticks. Castor seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000 BC. Although castor is probably indigenous to Eastern Africa, today castor is distributed worldwide. Herodotus and other Greek travellers have noted the use of castor seed oil for lighting and body anointments.
Fenugreek is a slender annual herb of the pea family (Fabaceae). It was used by the ancient Egyptians and is mentioned in medical writings in their tombs. The Romans grew it as fodder for their cattles. Historically, the main usage of fenugreek was medicinal rather than as a labour. The botanical name trigonella refers to the angular seeds and foenum graecum translates as 'Greek hay', which explains its use as cattle feeds.
Poppy is the dried seed of an annual herb indigenous to the Mediterranean region and Central Asia. It is generally believed to stem from West Asia, although more recently a West Mediterranean origin was suggested. In any case, poppy was cultivated in Europe since the Neolithic era; it is probably one of the earliest plants cultivated by men in that region. The poppy seeds are sweet and mild, with a nutty flavour and aroma. The ancients valued poppy for the oil obtained from its seeds, which was put to culinary use. Ancient Greek physicians also knew about the narcotic and analgesic power of opium; however, Medieval European medicine did not use opium, partly because of religious bias against pain-reducing agents.
Nigerseed (Guizotia abyssinica, Asteraceae) is native to Africa, from Ethiopia to Malawi, and was probably domesticated in Ethiopia. Early introduction of nigerseed to India was followed by the development of sizeable commercial production (Simmonds 1976) and neighboring Pakistan also cultivates the crop (Weiss 2000). Nigerseed is an important oil crop in Ethiopia and parts of India, where it is grown by peasant farmers, in traditional agriculture systems. In Ethiopia, nigerseed, provides about 50% to 60% of that countrys edible oil, while in India, nigerseed accounts for almost 2% of total oilseeds produced.
There is some evidence to suggest that Roman priests may have burned nutmeg as a form of incense, although this is disputed. It is known to have been used as a prized and costly spice in medieval cuisine, used as flavourings, medicines, preserving agents, which were at the time highly valued in European markets. The small Banda Islands were the world's only source of nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg was traded by Arabs during the Middle Ages and sold to the Venetians for exorbitant prices, but the traders did not divulge the exact location of their source in the profitable Indian Ocean trade and no European was able to deduce their location.
Groundnut-or peanut as it is also called-is a four-foliate legume with yellow sessile flowers and subterranean fruits. Native to South America, it originated between southern Bolivia and northern Argentina from where it spread throughout the New World as Spanish explorers discovered its versatility. Today, farmers in Asia and Africa also cultivate it. It is grown under a wide range of environmental conditions in areas between 40 degrees South and 40 degrees North of the equator.
Cumin is native to the Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries especially India, North Africa, China and the Americas. The spice is specially associated with Morocco, where it is often smelt in the abundant street cookery of the medinas. Cumin was known to the Egyptians five meillenia ago; the seeds have been found in the Old kingdon Pyramids. The Romans and the Greeks used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion. In Indian recipe, cumin is frequently confused with caraway, which it resembles in appearance though not in Taste, cumin being far more powerful.
Ginger has a long history. It was used in Chinese medicines as mentioned by the writings of Confucius. Ginger was also used in medieval Arabs as mentioned In Koran the holy book of Muslims. The Hindu epic Mahabharata written around the 4th century BC too mention the preparation of meat using ginger and other spices. In Ayurvedic medicine system too it was mentioned is a spice used for curing various health problems. Ginger was an important trading item with the Romans 2000 years ago. It reached Europe through Arab merchants in 9th century A.D. In modern times too ginger has not lost its importance. India and China are the largest producer and exporters of ginger. It is used in various cuisines and also to prepare medicines.
Clove is frequently mentioned in Chinese record of 2nd century B.C. As per tradition the officials had to chew clove while talking to the king. Clove was widely grown in Indonesia since many centuries thereby earning it a name of spice Island. Ancient Romans too used Cloves. Clove reached Europe in the fourth century through Arabs. In the middle ages the monopoly of the Arabs over spice remained intact but this monopoly was finally broken by the Portuguese. The Portuguese virtually controlled all the spice resource of India and the South East Asia. Eighteenth century saw many wars between Dutch, Portuguese, English and French to get hold over this spice trade.
Dill is a tall, feathery annual, Anethum graveolens, in the parsley family. The Dill Seed flavor is clean, pungent, and reminiscent of caraway. Dill Weed has a similar but mellower and fresher flavor. Dill is indigenous to the Mediterranean area and southern Russia. It has been used since ancient times. Babylonian and Syrian herbalists used it, and Romans thought it was an effective stimulant for gladiators. Although native to the Mediterranean region, it became a staple in northern Europe where it is still popular. In fact, the name is derived from the Old Norse word "dilla" meaning "to lull" because it was used to lull babies to sleep, and as an antidote to witchcraft and sorcery.
A pepita is an edible seed of a pumpkin or other cultivar of squash (genus Cucurbita), typically rather flat and asymmetrically oval, and light green in color inside a white hull. The word can refer either to the hulled kernel or unhulled whole seed, and most commonly refers to the roasted end product. They are a popular ingredient in Mexican cooking and are also roasted and served as a snack. They are often simply called pumpkin seeds in English, and (marinated and roasted) are an autumn seasonal favorite in the rural United States, as well as a commercially produced and distributed packaged snack, like sunflower seeds, available year-round. Pepitas are known by their Spanish name, and typically salted and sometimes spiced after roasting (and today also available as a packaged product), in Mexico and other Latin American countries, and the American Southwest. In these parts of the world, they have been eaten since at least the time of the Aztecs[citation needed] and probably much earlier, since squash was one of the three earliest plant domesticates in the Western Hemisphere, along with maize (corn) and common beans.
Fenugreek is an ancient spice and is mostly used in Middle East, Northern- Eastern Africa and India, especially for pickles. Dry roasting enhances the flavor and reduces the bitterness of this spice. In Egyptian papyri this spice finds its mention as of the plant necessary for the mummification process and as food, medicine and an embalming agent. Botanical Name : (Trigonella foenum graecum).
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