Ultimate Spice Guide: Indian

Much like with their movies, Indian cuisine is an ensemble of spices slowly cooked with meats and vegetables. It's diversity hails from Indian regions, to Portugal, and Britain bringing warm, home-cook meal to our plate. Let's unravel each spice through this visual provided by Cooksmarts.com.

Let's get to know the spices up close:

• Bay Leaves - - used mostly as aromatics, bay leaves gives off this pleasant and sweet aroma especially when dried. Ancient Greeks and Romans put this behind their ear as a sign of knowledge, peace, and protection.
• Cardamom - native to the Middle East, North Africa, and Scandinavia, this pungent spice are available in three types: green cardamom, black cardamom and Madagascar cardamom. This spice goes well with chicken, duck, lentils, and rice.
• Cayenne Pepper - also known as Guinea spice, this spice is commonly mistaken as paprika but different in terms of spice level and flavors. Mostly present in Sichuan, Korean, and other Asian cuisines, this spice is also known for its medicinal properties particularly in detox regimens.
• Cinnamon - the only spice in the list that is being used on both sweet and savory dish. Obtained from the inner bark, this sweet and fragrant spice is also used in traditional medicine due to its anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties.
• Coriander - commonly known as Cilantro in America and some parts of Asia, coriander has been the most extensively used herb in the world. Either served as garnish or aromatics, you cannot deny its pungent yet pleasant smell in any dish. Aside from being a spice, it is also used in traditional medicine in treating skin swelling and disorders.
• Cumin - sometimes spelled as "cummin", this spice belongs in the parsley family. Native to the Mediterranean, cumin is hotter to the taste, lighter in color, and larger than caraway, another spice it's sometimes confused with. It has a distinctive bitter flavor and strong, warm aroma due to its abundant oil content.
• Ginger - one of the most common spice all over the world aside from garlic and onion. This pungent and spicy aromatic is perfect not only for Asian stir-fry but also with sweet dishes and fruit concoctions. It is also known for its medicinal properties particularly aids in gastrointestinal health.
• Nutmeg - known for its warm, spicy sweet flavor, this spice is indigenous to the Banda Islands of Indonesia but is also grown in the Caribbean, especially in Grenada. This is usually prepared freshly ground for stronger flavor and aroma.
• Paprika - used heavily in Eastern European cooking, this sweet, mildly hot spice is derived from grounded paprika peppers. Mainly used as garnish for dishes especially deviled eggs.
• Turmeric -  known as one of a key ingredient in making curries, this peppery warm spice is used not only as an aromatic but also in herbal medicine and textile dye.
• Garam Masala - garam, in Ayurvedic sense refers to "heating the body" is a spice mix consisting of black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark, mace (part of nutmeg), black and green cardamom pods, bay leaf, cumin, and coriander. This is best toasted to release more flavor into the mix
• Curry Powder - a spice mix consisting of  cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, pepper, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and tumeric hence its yellow color.

Up Next: Middle Eastern Spice Guide