Goa is renowned for it’s wonderful spices, so we decided to do a tour of the “Tropical Spice Plantation” which is an organic spice-farm.
We entered the plantation via a long wooden bridge that led us from the hot steamy Goan sun, into a cool oasis. We were greeted warmly with a bindi, a garland of flowers and a welcome drink of lemongrass, ginger and cardamom tea.
Our guide Pooja was lots of fun and “spicy” as she shared information about the farm and the plants. The property is shared by 4 brothers and has lasted 5 generations. They have over 200 acres of spices – but only about 2 of them are shown during the tour.
Our first stop was at the kaju, or better known to us as the cashew, tree. It seems the Portuguese, who had already colonized Brazil, brought the trees to Goa when they settled here and the trees have flourished in the tropical climate. Cashews are used in most Goan cooking including curries as well as sweets. What was interesting is that the cashew fruit, which looks something like a small apple, is very popular to eat as well as press for its juice. It’s not something we would ever find in Canada as it is a very soft fruit and bruises easily in transport. Besides for drinking, eating and cooking – the apple can be boiled, fermented and turned into a popular alcohol called Kaju Feni.
Next, we were introduced to the black pepper tree which is native to Southern India. The fruit – known as the peppercorn, is green, but will turn red when it’s ripe. There are 3 types of pepper that come from the peppercorn:
- Black pepper – dried and cooked unripe fruit
- Green Pepper – dried unripe fruit
- White Pepper – ripe fruit seed
Pepper oil is often used in the very popular Ayurveda massages found throughout India – we haven’t done one yet…but I’m thinking about it!
Pooja then shared with us how to improve our digestion with areca nuts, better known as the betel nut. Oliver shared these in an earlier post in Agra, as we have seen them throughout Northern India. The process is to take a betel leave and coat it in a lime /sodium bicarbonate mixture along with a small chunk of the nut. It is then wrapped up and sealed with a clove. It has a peppery taste and will increase mental alertness too – similar to caffeine in coffee.
We then were introduced to the hottest pepper on the planet called piri piri. Again this plant is native to South America, but was brought to Goa by the Portuguese and is used in a lot of Goan cooking. Piri Piri sauce is also very popular throughout Africa, India and South America.
Nutmeg is another spice found in India and used in cooking – mainly in a powder form. It is also thought to help with digestion; but the biggest benefit seems to be that it increases virility in men. When nutmeg oil is combined with almond oil (by itself – it’s toxic) – it’s a natural form of Viagra!
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, (saffron being the first). Each vanilla pod can be combined with around 2 kgs of sugar and left for a couple of days. This is how they make vanilla essence for sweet baking and cooking.
Cloves come from a beautiful cluster of flowers that turn a bright red when they are ready for harvest. They are used for cooking curries as well as in sweet baking. Cloves are also said to aid in digestion and if rubbed in the mouth – will decrease the pain of a tooth ache.
It was interesting for us to see cinnamon is peeled from the bark from a tree – we just take it for granted about the sticks and powder form we use. The workers peel the bark, and while still wet scrape the inner bark which rolls up into quills. The largest producer of cinnamon in the world is Sri Lanka. The spice, which has been mentioned throughout the ancient times, is used in both sweet and savoury cooking.
Cardamom is a spice native to India and the third most expensive spice in the world, (after saffron and vanilla). There are two types – black and green. Both are used in cooking, baking, in teas, and for medicinal purposes. It is said to help with digestion and is used as an anti-inflammatory. The flower necklaces we received at the beginning of our tour were made from the flower of the cardamom trees.
An interesting thing I learned is how to tell the age of a palm tree. Unlike counting the rings on the trunk of a tree – with palm trees there are lines on the trunk. Every four lines equals a year. So count the lines and divide by 4. Some of the coconut palm trees we saw were almost 300 years old!
Our last stop on the tour was a traditional Ayurveda treatment where cool spring water and essential spice oils are poured down a person’s spine. I’m not sure if it was meant to heal anything – but it sure helped to cool things off!
Included in our tour was a lovely lunch made with all of the spices from the plantation. Banana leaves are processed into plates so everything was compostable. We were happy to see they are trying to make things in India greener and reduce landfill.
To finish off our lunch – we were given a shot of feni – the cashew alcohol we saw at the beginning of the tour. It was a fun way to complete our spicy tour – along with a chance to buy some of the spices we saw!
Comments
7 responses to “Spicy India!”
WOW, Katina, That was very interesting! No wonder cashews are expensive since it appears that there is only one nut at the end of the fruit. Pure vanilla is also quite pricy. I have used clove for toothaches before. Were you able to purchase spices, or would they not last properly till you get back? Love, Mom
Hi Mom,
Yes, we were able to pick up some spices – they were so fragrant – I loved just smelling the cinnamon bark!
Anyways, be prepared for another package to be sent home!
Cheers,
Kat:)
I can smell them all here Kat, just wish I was more willing to try and cook with some of them. Travel safely, love Doreen xoxo
HI Doreen,
Why not toss them in? It never hurts to add a bit of spice to our lives – and our cooking!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Hi, Katina, I really enjoyed this posting, especially the photos with the individual description of the spices. I had no idea! When cooking or baking I just go to the spice rack and shake, measure and taste, now I’ll remember how they grow and what it looks like. Great shots of the treatment – you all sure looked surprised. Thanks and Love to all
Hi Oma,
I agree, I never realized the amount of work needed to get spices to our shelves at home…this trip has really made us come to appreciate all the things we take for granted.
Cheers,
Kat:)
Very interesting!!