Vol. XXIX · The Cuisines of India Plate 1 of 11spice box, masala dabba, turmeric, cumin, jeera, mustard seed, rai, coriander, dhania, chilli, fenugreek, methi, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, whole spices, ground spices, volatile oils, storage, shelf lifeF

The Spice Box.

A jar of ground cumin bought last year smells of dust. Whole seeds bought at the same time, crushed today, still smell of cumin.

The masala dabba (मसाला डब्बा) is a steel tin holding small bowls of the spices a household uses daily. In the north it might hold turmeric, cumin seed, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt; in the south, black mustard seed, cumin, urad dal (used as a spice in tempering), dried red chillies, turmeric and asafoetida, with fresh curry leaves alongside; in Bengal, the five seeds of panch phoron (XXIX.3). Each spice has a part: turmeric for colour and earthy bitterness, cumin warm and nutty, coriander sweet and citrusy, mustard sharp and pungent once fried, fenugreek bitter and maple-like, chilli for heat (XI.7), asafoetida (hing) a pinch for an onion-garlic savour.

Most of a spice's aroma is in its essential oil — a few per cent of its weight in cumin and coriander, far more in cloves — made of small volatile molecules (XI.8). In a whole seed they are sealed in oil glands behind a tough coat; grinding breaks them open and multiplies the surface, so ground spices lose aroma many times faster. Heat, light, air and moisture speed the loss. Indian cooks therefore buy whole spices, keep them airtight and dark, dry-roast and grind a little at a time (XXIX.3), and fry many of them whole in fat (XXIX.2). The workshop stores a spice.

Below: the aroma left in a spice stored whole or ground for the months you choose (teaching first-order loss: half-life about 18 months whole, 4 months ground, sealed and dark), with typical essential-oil contents of common spices.

What you will learn
Workshop
Essential oil, % of dry weight (typical published ranges, mid values): cumin 3, coriander seed 0.8, green cardamom 6, cloves 16, black pepper 2.5, cassia 2. Aroma loss (teaching, order of magnitude from storage studies): first-order, half-life 18 months whole and 4 months ground, sealed, dark and cool; faster warm, light or open.

Buy whole, keep sealed, grind small

In the teaching model whole seeds kept a year still hold about 0.63 of their aroma, while the same spice ground keeps only 0.12 — and even six months ground leaves 0.35. That is why a spice that "doesn't taste of much" is usually old rather than mild. Smell is the test: crush a pinch between your fingers; if the aroma is faint, use more or replace it.

Keeping a spice box: buy whole spices in small amounts from a shop with quick turnover; store them in airtight jars away from the stove's heat and from light; label the date. Grind what you need for a week in a small grinder or mortar, ideally after dry-roasting (XXIX.3). Keep turmeric and chilli powder, which are usually bought ground, tightly closed. Asafoetida is so strong that a sealed tin keeps it from scenting everything else. Wipe the spoon dry before dipping it: moisture cakes ground spices and invites mould.

At the stove

Crush a pinch of old ground cumin and a pinch of freshly crushed whole cumin. Compare the smells.

Black pepper from the Malabar coast of Kerala was so valuable in the Roman trade that Pliny complained of the gold flowing east for it; a hoard of peppercorns was found in the nostrils of the mummy of Ramesses II, who died in 1213 BCE.

Terms

Masala dabba
The tin of everyday spices.
Essential oil
The volatile aromatic part of a spice.
Hing (asafoetida)
A resin used by the pinch for an onion-garlic savour.
Whole vs ground
Whole spices keep their aroma far longer.
The masala dabba holds the everyday spices. Aroma is volatile oil: ground spices lose it several times faster than whole. Buy whole, store sealed, dark and cool, grind a little at a time.

Sources

  1. H. McGee, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, 2nd ed., Scribner, 2004.
  2. K. T. Achaya, Indian Food: A Historical Companion, Oxford University Press, 1994; and A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food, 1998.
  3. A teaching value chosen for the course: the right order of magnitude and shape, not a measurement of a particular food.