Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2022)

Author(s):
Archana Ravindran, Jayashree E and Anees K

Abstract:
Spices are the prime source of flavor, aroma, taste and play a major role in culinary applications. Major spices such as black pepper, cardamom, turmeric and ginger, tree spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and seed spices such as fenugreek, fennel, cumin, coriander are the important spices used in South Indian cuisines. Along with this, leafy spices such as curry leaves and bay leaves are also used in the same. Fresh spice has to be processed after harvesting so that shelf life of the same can be improved without affecting the quality. Aroma of a spice is contributed by the essential oil, which is purely volatile in nature and oleoresins are the non-volatile counterpart that adds to the pungency. This review paper deals with the post-harvest processing, chemical composition and culinary application of major spices used in South Indian cuisine.