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 sea-wars 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.