Over centuries, maharajas and magicians, palaces and palanquins, elephants and erotica, dynasties and deserts, temples and tigers, poetry and poverty, snake charmers and spices—all have been instantly associated with India and have been the enduring reference points for this country. However, it is the last entry on the list alone that has made a lasting, and still evolving, impact on other cultures and ‘invaded’ kitchens across the globe. On a more diplomatic note, it can be said that spices act as ambassadors and forge bonds of taste and texture across borders.
It would appear that mankind’s recent history would not have been the same had it not been for the discovery and distribution of these innocuous products.
February 2015, volume 39, No 2