INTRODUCTION

Spices the aromatic bark, roots, seeds, buds, and flowers of plants have been prominent
in human history virtually since its inception. Spices as medicines, preservatives and perfumes
were some of the most valuable items of trade in the ancient and medieval world. Surprisingly, it
was this race for a spice that prompted Christopher Columbus to sail in searches of the western
route he was sure existed. Spices were once one of the most expensive items in household
accounts and were usually kept locked up in the drawers or compartments of special spice
cupboards or boxes.
The appeal of exotic spices used to be so great that they were once believed to be a gift worth
of royalty.Many ancient cuisines, among them Indian and Indonesian foods, have grown up next
to the indigenous spices that identify them. Others, like the Italian and Spanish ones, have
benefitted from the spice trades migratory nature, adopting exotic spices and indelibly linking
them with their own food. As research both old and new has helped us to better understand spices
curative effects psychological, as well as physical, the importance of spices in our lives becomes
even greater. Spices can be primarily used in the various forms e.g., fresh ripe, dried, broken,
powdered etc., which contributes aroma, taste, flavour, colour and pungency to food.

Spices constitute an essential part of any dish and are used to add that special distinctive
relish to Indian, Arabic and Mediterranean dishes for their aroma , fragrance and harmonized
flavours Indian spices, which include pepper, cardamom, red chillies, ginger turmeric, curry
powders etc., Are world famous for their aroma, tangy taste and flavour.
A spice expert in her book writes: Herbs and spices are used to stimulate all the senses, not
just the taste buds, through their aroma, flavour, texture, and visual appeal. In all the regions of the
world, traditional flavour combinations, using local ingredients, have come to characterize the
foods of these regions.

Introduction to the Industry (indian history)

The Story of Indian spices is more than 7000 years old. The fame of
Indian spices is older than the recorded history. Centuries before Greece and Rome
had been discovered, sailing ships were carrying Indian spices, perfumes and textile
to Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt. It was the lure of these that brought many
seafarers to the shores of India. Long before Christian era, the Greek merchants
thronged the markets of South India, buying many expensive items amongst which
spices were one. Epicurean Rome was spending a fortune on Indian spices, silks,
brocades, Dhaka Muslin and cloth of gold, etc. It is believed that the Parthian wars
were being fought by Rome largely to keep open the trade route to India. It is also
said that Indian spices and her famed products were the main lure for crusades and
expeditions to the East. Today when spices cost so little, it seems unbelievable that
they were once a royal luxury and those men were willing to risk their lives in quest
of them. Though there were the Dark Ages, but there were rich people who had gold
to exchange for pepper and cinnamon. It was in the year 1492 A.D., that Christopher
Columbus discovered the New World. Five years later, four tiny ships sailed
southward from the port of Lisbon, Portugal, under the guidance of Captain Vasco
Da Gama. Like Columbus, Vasco Da Gama too was searching for a new route to the
spice lands of Asia. While Columbus failed to achieve the goal, Da Gama succeeded.
In a two year, 24,000 miles round trip, he took his ships around the continent of
Africa to India and back to Lisbon. Only two of the four ships survived to reach their
homeport. These two ships brought back a cargo of spices and other products worth
60 times the cost of the said voyage. The spices of the East were valuable in those
times, during these Middle Ages; a pound of ginger was worth a sheep, a pound of
mace worth three sheeps or half a cow. Pepper, the most valuable spice of all, was
counted out in individual peppercorns, and a sack of pepper was said to be worth a
man`s life. Da Gama`s successful voyage intensified an international power struggle
for control over the spice trade. For three centuries afterwards the nations of Western

Europe - Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, and Great Britain - fought bloody seawars over the spice-producing colonies.

By the year 1000 Arabians had conquered the Indus valley, what is now India. They
brought the cumin and coriander that mixed with Indian pepper; ginger and turmeric
make up the base of so many South Asian dishes. It was this combination of spices
that centurys later British sailors spread throughout the world as curry powder. In
India, Arabian traders got the rare and exotic spices of the Far East from local spice
merchants. Arabian traders were able to make good money supplying these spices,
even with the high prices paid to the Indian middle men, not only to their countrymen
back home, but to Europe as well. These traders of spices paid for the Art and
Education for which Arabia became famous in the present day. In many ways the
culture of Arabia loved studying and learning different things. Many great Greek
and Roman plays were translated in Arabic, so too were the geographic writings of
Pliny and Ptolemy telling of the general location of the tabled Spice Islands. In
nutshell, the fascinating history of spices is a story of adventure, exploration,
conquest and fierce naval rivalry. The people of those times used spices, as we do
today, to enhance or vary the flavors of their foods. Spices were also flavor
disguisers, masking the taste of the otherwise tasteless food that was nutritious, but
if un spices, had to be thrown away. Some spices were also used for preserving food
like meat for a year or more without refrigeration. In the sixteenth century, cloves
were used to preserve food without refrigeration. Cloves contain a chemical called
eugenol that inhibits the growth of bacteria. It is still used to preserve some modern
foods like Virginia ham. Later, mustard and ground mustard were also found to have
preservative qualities. When spices were not available people went hungry because

they could not preserve their foods to carry them over to the winter. Such was the
importance of spices those days.
Broadly, there are two main subdivisions of spices one being the major spices and
the other is minor spices. For example the spices like pepper, cardamom, ginger,
turmeric, chilies etc., comes under major category. The important minor spices
grown in India are ajowan, aniseed, caraway, celery, coriander, cumin, dill seed,
fennel, fenugreek, garlic, onion, saffron, vanilla etc.
Exports of Indian Spices
In last few decades India faced enormous growth in the exports of Indian spices in
the world those exports includes branded and non-branded. Indian spices are
exported to more than 140 countries. The aroma, flavor and exquisite characteristics
of Indian spices are well acclaimed the world over. The wide range of 52 spices and
its products in our export basket have impressed the discerning consumers. These
buyers have identified India as the destination for quality spices.
North America is the major buyer of Indian spices followed by EU, Japan and West
Asian countries.

Basics of Spices

Spices are seasonings for food that come from the bark, buds, fruit or flower parts,
roots, seeds or stems of various aromatic plants and trees.
According to the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA), spices are 'any dried
plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes.' This definition covers a wide
range of plant and plant parts: tropical aromatics, leafy herbs, spice seeds, roots,
dehydrated vegetables, and spice blends.
The earliest written record in India on Spices is the venerable Vedas - such as the
Rig Veda (around 6000 BC), and the others - Yajurveda, Sama and Atharva. During

the Vedic period, information was primarily was handed down orally from
generation to generations through the medium of hymns. The Rig Veda contains
references to various spices such as horseradish - a close relation of Mustard and
Turnip. There are also references to Black Pepper in the Yajur Veda. These are but
few of the spices in the natural expanse of the subcontinent - in the mountain,
swamps, riverines, tropical rain forests, wetlands, marshy woodlands, rich valleys,
green fields in a pollution-free, & eco-friendly environment. The history of Indian
spices lies in the abundance & goodness that Mother Nature has blessed it with and
made it so popular world wide.
At the time only tropical aromatics like pepper, cinnamon, and cloves were
considered a spice. The leaves and seeds of temperate-zone plants like basil and
oregano were known as herbs. Today this classification has shifted somewhat, even
though still used in some circles. The term spice now generally includes a whole
range of elements: spices, herbs, blends and dehydrated vegetables.
Legally the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still considers dehydrated
vegetables as separate and distinct from spices; they require such seasonings to be
labeled differently than spices. Spices used for coloring like paprika and saffron are
also labeled separately or as a 'spice coloring.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) follows similar rules as the FDA. Spice colorings and mustard must be
labeled separate from spices, onion and garlic are listed as flavors, and all other
dehydrated vegetables are labeled separately by name.

Brief background of Spices Board:

Spices Board was constituted on 26th February 1986 under the Spices Board Act
1986 (No. 10 of 1986) with the merger of the erstwhile Cardamom Board (1968) and
Spices Export Promotion Council (1960). The Board has 35 regional offices, 38 field
offices and 4 research institutions functioning all over India.
The mandate of the Board includes research and development of cardamom,
regulation of cardamom trade, quality evaluation/improvement, export promotion of
spices and support for post harvest improvement of spices, production and research
of vanilla, production of organic spices, and development of spices in North East
Region. The regulatory functions of the Board include registration of spices
exporters and licensing of dealers and auctioneers of cardamom.
Current scenario of export
Indian spices are exported to more than 140 countries. The aroma, flavor and
exquisite characteristics of Indian spices are well acclaimed the world over. The
wide range of 52 spices and its products in our export basket have impressed the
discerning consumers. These buyers have identified India as the destination for
quality spices.
North America is the major buyer of Indian spices followed by EU, Japan and West
Asian countries.

Current size of the Indian spice exporters

Indian spice industry sector consists of 2100 registered exporters, of which 100
exporters contributes to the extent of 80% of exports. Out of the 380 manufacturer
exporters, 98 units have been established in-house laboratories and 35 units with ISO
9000, 18 units accredited with HACCP certification. 32 spice brands have been

registered with the Board. More than 20 processing units have upgraded their
technology to meet the international quality standards/buyers' requirements.
Different varieties of spices
Products of spices like spice powders/curry mixtures, spice oils and oleoresins
including mint oil and menthol crystal contribute nearly 50% of the total export
earning. Major value added products viz., spice oils & oleoresins, spice powders,
mixtures, blends, curry powders/pastes, spices in brine, freeze dried spices,
dehydrated spices, frozen spices, color extracts have got good demand in developed
countries. Recent additions to the list are vanilla, herbal spices and organic spices
which have become the focus products in the international market. Value addition is
the key.

India to be world spices hub by 2017 :

India will be the worlds largest processing hub by 2017, according to v j kurien
chairman, spices board. A vision document for the purpose in being prepared by
a team of experts in the spice board and will be finalized in 3-4 months.