South Indian breakfast is arguably the world’s most thoughtfully constructed morning meal. It is fermented (idli, dosa), it is whole grain (upma, pongal), it contains legumes (sambar, moong dal), it has chutneys that provide probiotic and phytonutrient value (coconut, tomato), and it has aromatics that aid digestion (curry leaves, ginger, asafoetida). This is not a
Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa looking for it. Columbus accidentally discovered America looking for a shortcut to it. Wars were fought for control of it. The spice trade reshaped the world’s map, drove colonial expansion, and built the trading empires of Portugal, the Netherlands, and England. The spices at the centre of this history
Turmeric has been grown in India for over 4,000 years. Long before it appeared in Western smoothie bars and health supplements, it was a staple of Indian cooking, a medicine in Ayurveda, and a sacred element in Hindu rituals. Today, curcumin — the active compound in turmeric — is one of the most researched phytochemicals
Moving abroad does not mean giving up the food you grew up eating. But recreating your mother’s chicken curry in a London flat or a Toronto apartment requires one thing above all else: the right spices. Not the dusty, faded jars on a Western supermarket shelf — the real thing, sourced from the same regions,
