One of the most important things to bring while traveling to India is your favorite spices and herbs. Don’t forget to bring your coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. The Indian food will not be the same without them!
They are very easy to find in a supermarket, but you can also order them online and have them delivered right at your address.
You can use these spices in cooking, but they also have special properties that will make your trip much more pleasant: bay leaves help you relieve stress and insomnia, cinnamon helps you prevent a cold, and coriander seeds are good for digestion.
If you want to know more about these and other spices, we invite you to read this article from our blog. You will also find out which spices you shouldn’t bring into India or any other country.
So, what are these spices and herbs that you should bring with you when traveling to India?
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a common spice found in almost every Indian household. It is used in sweets and desserts as well as curries. You can use cinnamon sticks or powder to flavor your food. The taste of cinnamon is strong and sweet, so a little goes a long way.
Modakam: Modakam is very popular South Indian sweet made during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Its main ingredients include flour, ghee, sugar, cardamom, cloves and nuts.
Ginger: Ginger is an aromatic herb that adds flavor to Indian cooking in both sweet and savory dishes. In its fresh form, ginger root is commonly used as a spice while its dried form is used in baking. Chilies: The chilies grown in India are known for their bold flavors and the hotness of their spice. They are frequently cooked with other ingredients like onion, garlic, tomato pastes and coconut milk to create various kinds of curries, chutneys and meat dishes.
Chili Powder: Chili powder (powdered chili peppers) is made from dried red chilli peppers that have been ground into powder form. Chili powder
The use of spices in Indian cuisine is as old as the civilization itself. India is one of the first regions in the world where man started to use spices and herbs for consumption. Indian cuisine was always strongly influenced by different invading cultures, which eventually have given rise to the wonderful melting pot of tastes and flavors that we know today.
Travelling to India? Here are some of the spices that should be a must-have in your luggage:
Chances are, you’ll be traveling to India on a budget. So you’ll need to know which spices and herbs are best to bring back with you. You should also know that not all Indian spices are the same nor do they taste alike. I’ve tasted several of them, and these are the ones I suggest you take home:
1. Curry powder – This is a blend of several different spices, each one bringing its own flavor and aroma. My favorite is “Tandoori Masala”, which is made from a combination of spices. It’s great for making meat dishes as well as vegetable dishes.
2. Coriander powder – Coriander or it’s called kothmir in Hindi; it’s one of the most popular spice used by Indians. Even though it’s available in most grocery stores here, but nothing compares to the pure freshness and aroma of coriander powder in India.
3. Turmeric powder – Turmeric is another popular spice used in Indian cooking; it adds color to your food and gives it an earthy flavor. It’s also good for digestion, so if you have any stomach problems while in India then try turmeric tea.
4. Cumin seeds – Cumin seeds give dishes a nice
Spices are the most important things to bring with you when traveling to India. Many people make the mistake of only packing the basics (toothpaste, soap, toilet paper) and then find themselves in a bind when they need something not readily available in India.
Taste is very important when traveling. If your senses are dulled by having to live on bland food, then you’re missing out on a lot of what India has to offer. It’s well worth it to plan ahead and bring some spices with you so that you can spice up your food.
There are many different spices and herbs that are native to India. You can easily find these spices in Indian grocery stores here in the United States, but they will not taste the same as they do at home. Most of these stores blend their own spices which means that their blends will vary depending on who’s working at the store at any given time.
Here’s a list of spices that I hope will help inspire you for your next trip to India:
The spices in India are definitely not the same as those in America. They are fresh and more flavorful. The cost is much less than when you buy them here in the states as well. I live off of these spices and can’t wait to go back to India to get some more.
Tulsi leaves: These leaves are used for a variety of things. They are popular to use for tea, or with plain yogurt or just eaten directly like a vegetable on its own. The taste is like a peppermint leaf. You will find this herb sprinkled on top of a lot of dishes or inside some curries.
Kashmiri chili powder: This is a thin, dark red powder that has a pretty strong flavor. I love it! It’s very spicy and pungent, but it goes well with all kinds of dishes, especially lamb and chicken curries, and eggplant curries.
Mint leaves: Mint is great! It’s an ingredient in chai tea, which is my favorite tea ever! It’s just so good with sugar, milk, and cardamom! I also love eating mint leaves on their own sometimes too! They have a really nice refreshing taste to them and they are
India is a land of spices and so it is important to know what spices to bring to India. Indian cooking has been influenced by many cultures and you can find several recipes that use ingredients from other countries. However, the Indian cuisine has also contributed a lot to world cuisines as well. The Indian cuisine uses a variety of spices with different flavors and aromas which enhance the taste of the food. The spices that are used in Indian cooking come from different regions and vary in taste, aroma and color.
Spices are very important in Indian cooking where the food is cooked in a lot of oil. Spices are not only used for seasoning but also to increase the shelf life of prepared food. Indians usually store their spices in large jars called “pisi” and each family has its own collection of spices that are passed on from one generation to another for hundreds of years.
