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Spice is defined as "a strongly flavoured or aromatic substance of vegetable origin, obtained from tropicalplants, commonly used as a condiment". In ancient times, they were as precious as gold; and as significant as medicines , preservatives and perfumes. India - the land of spices, plays a significant role in the global spice market. No country in the world produces as many kinds of spices as India with quality spices come from Kerala. At present, India produces around 2.5 million tones of different spices valued at approximately 3 billion US $, and holds the premier position in the world. Because of the varying climates - from tropical to sub-tropical to temperate-almost all spices are grown in this country. In almost all of the 25 states and seven union territories of India, at least one spice is grown in abundance. BLACK PEPPERPiper nigrum
Linn.  Description
:Black pepper
(Piper nigrum), the king of spices, is one of the oldest
and the most popular spice in the world. It is a
perennial, climbing vine indigenous to the Malabar Coast
of India. The hotly pungent spice made from its berries
is one of the earliest spices known and is probably the
most widely used spice in the world today. It was
mentioned as far back as 1000 BC in ancient Sanskrit
literature. In early historic times black pepper was
widely cultivated in the tropics of Southeast Asia,
where it became an important article of overland trade
between India and Europe. It became a medium of
exchange, and tributes were levied in black pepper in
ancient Greece and Rome. In the Middle Ages the Venetian
and the Genoese became the main distributors, their
virtual monopoly of the trade helping to instigate the
search for an eastern sea route. The name pepper comes
from the Sanskrit word pippali meaning
berry
CARDAMOM Elettaria cardamomumMaton. Family : Zingiberaceae Other names : Small cardamom; lesser cardamom; true cardamom; Malabar cardamom; green cardamom Vanilla
fragrans (Salisbury) ames (Syn. V.planifolia)
 Description:Vanilla is the fully grown fruit of the
orchid Vanilla fragrans. Vanilla is indigenous to
South-Eastern Mexico, Gautemala and other parts of
Central America, growing wild as a climber in the
forests. Vanilla cultivation on a systematic basis began
with the introduction of it into Java, Seychelles,
Tahiti, Comoro Islands, Martinique, Madagascar, Uganda
etc. in the 19th century and early part of the 20th
century. At present Malagasy Republic is the major
producer of vanilla. It was introduced in India in 1835.
It is now cultivated in very limited areas in Kerala,
Karnataka and Tamilnadu.
CINNAMON Cinnamomum verum Presl. syn. C.zeylanicum Blume.Family : Lauraceae Other names: Chili; pepper
Zingiber
officinale Rosc
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Description:Cardamom, the
'queen of spices', is a rich spice culled from the seeds
of a perennial plant, Elettaria cardamomum. It is one of
the highly prized spices of the world. It is believed
that the original home of this precious spice is the
mountains of the South- Western parts of the Indian
Peninsula. As early as the 4th century BC cardamom was
used in India as a medicinal herb and was an article of
Greek and Roman trade.
Description:Cinnamon, a bushy evergreen tree of the
laurel family (Lauraceae) is native to Sri Lanka
(Ceylon), the neighbouring Malabar Coast of India, and
Myanmar (Burma) and also cultivated in South America and
the West Indies for the spice consisting of its dried
inner bark. The spice is light brown in colour and has a
delicately fragrant aroma and warm, sweet flavour. It is
lighter in colour and milder in flavour than the other
related species.
Description:
Ginger is one of the earliest known oriental
spices and is being cultivated in India both as a fresh
vegetable and as a dried spice since time immemorial.
Ginger is obtained from the rhizomes of Zingiber
officinale. The ginger family is a tropical group
especially abundant in Indo-Malaysia, consisting of more
1200 plant species in 53 genera. The genus Zingiber
includes about 85 species of aromatic herbs from East
Asia and tropical Australia. The word ginger is derived
from a Sanskrit word singabera meaning 'shaped like a
deer's antlers (horn)'. Ginger is not known in a wild
state and has been cultivated for so long in both China
and India that its exact origin is unclear. It is
believed to be a native of Southern
Asia