India is the land of spices. If you’ve tasted Indian cuisine, you’ll notice that Indian food is rich with exotic spices. The following list below is a list of spices that are used frequently in Indian food. Of course, this is not a complete list of Indian spices. There are simply too many to recount, but this is a good list to start from.

Coriander Seed (धनिया) is used in dal (दाल), which is a kind of lentil soup and in chutney (चटनी), which is a type of spice and vegetable mix. It is also used in Indian curry. In south India coriander is commonly used in dishes like sambhar (रोस), which is a type of stew. Turmeric (हल्दी) is often used in curry. In Maharashtra the leaves of turmeric is used to wrap food; and the wrapping gives the food a distinct aroma.

Turmeric not just used for cooking. It is used for medicinal purposes, like relieving gastrointestinal discomfort. In addition to that, some women use turmeric to improve their skin. Asafoetida (हींग) has a strong smell when raw, but when it is cooked with ghee (घी), it has a delicious flavor. Some Jainists consume asafoetida in place of onions or garlic. In the Jammu region, asafoetida is used to reduce flatulence and constipation.

Tamarind (इमली) is often used in chutney as a type of condiment. In southern India tamarind is used in dishes like rasam. Rasam is a tomato lentil with tamarind juice as the base. It is also used in a south Indian rice dish called puliyogare.

Cumin (ज़ीरा) is commonly used in curry. It is a oblong shaped spice with a strong taste and is sometimes added with other spices in a spice mix called garam masala (गरम मसाला). It is especially grown in East India, but it is sold everywhere in India.

Black Cardamom (काली इलाइची) is used in garam masala and in dal. It has a smoky flavor and aroma. Sometimes black cardamom is used to make chai or tea. In Manipur, black cardamom is used to cure coughing. India is the largest producer of Fenugreek (मेथी सीड्स) in the world. Places like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh produce fenugreek, but Rajasthan is especially known for producing the most amount of Fenugreek. Fenugreek is used in pickled Indian food, curry powders and pastes.