WHEAT
556 G
Quantifying culinary diversity across countries.
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Grains
Fish and seafood
Produce
Eggs and dairy
meats
Sugar, fats and nuts
Grains 612 G
556 G
15 G
35 G
2 G
1 G
1 G
0 G
0 G
2 G
Grains 506 G
174 G
282 G
19 G
3 G
0 G
0 G
21 G
7 G
0 G
Produce 987 G
2 G
518 G
223 G
244 G
0 G
Produce 541 G
40 G
246 G
82 G
168 G
0 G
Meats 113 G
40 G
2 G
35 G
23 G
0 G
13 G
Meats 16 G
8 G
1 G
4 G
2 G
0 G
1 G
Fish and seafood 5 G
5 G
0 G
Fish and seafood 22 G
21 G
1 G
Eggs and dairy 464 G
26 G
420 G
18 G
Eggs and dairy 224 G
11 G
204 G
9 G
SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 187 G
12 G
145 G
0 G
27 G
3 G
SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 154 G
5 G
58 G
37 G
24 G
30 G
DILL
MARIGOLD
PARSLEY
TARRAGON
THYME
ZIZIPHORA
BAY LEAVES
CILANTRO
MINT
CURRY LEAVES
FENUGREEK LEAVES
HOLY BASIL
LEMONGRASS
DILL
MARIGOLD
PARSLEY
TARRAGON
THYME
ZIZIPHORA
BAY LEAVES
CILANTRO
MINT
CURRY LEAVES
FENUGREEK LEAVES
HOLY BASIL
LEMONGRASS
BLUE FENUGREEK
FENUGREEK
SUMAC
BLACK PEPPER
CINNAMON
CORIANDER
CUMIN
DRY CHILI
GREEN CARDAMOM
SAFFRON
TURMERIC DRY
AJWAIN SEEDS
ASAFOEDITA
BLACK CARDAMOM
BLACK CUMIN
BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS
CLOVES
FENNEL SEED
GINGER
KOKUM
MACE
MANGO POWDER
MUSTARD SEEDS
NIGELA SEED
BLUE FENUGREEK
FENUGREEK
SUMAC
BLACK PEPPER
CINNAMON
CORIANDER
CUMIN
DRY CHILI
GREEN CARDAMOM
SAFFRON
TURMERIC DRY
AJWAIN SEEDS
ASAFOEDITA
BLACK CARDAMOM
BLACK CUMIN
BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS
CLOVES
FENNEL SEED
GINGER
KOKUM
MACE
MANGO POWDER
MUSTARD SEEDS
NIGELA SEED
GARLIC
ONION
CHILI PEPPERS
GINGER
LEMON
LIME
PANDANUS LEAVES
TURMERIC
GARLIC
ONION
CHILI PEPPERS
GINGER
LEMON
LIME
PANDANUS LEAVES
TURMERIC
DATES
DRIED YOGURT
FRUIT MOLASSES
HONEY
LAMB FAT
PEPPER PASTE
POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
TOMATO PASTE
VERJUICE
WINE VINEGAR
YOGURT
CLARIFIED BUTTER
JAGGERY
MUSTARD OIL
TAMARIND
DATES
DRIED YOGURT
FRUIT MOLASSES
HONEY
LAMB FAT
PEPPER PASTE
POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
TOMATO PASTE
VERJUICE
WINE VINEGAR
YOGURT
CLARIFIED BUTTER
JAGGERY
MUSTARD OIL
TAMARIND
Indian cuisine has a sophisticated flavor-building logic, built on 4,000 years of philosophy. Spices serve as medicine, art, and spiritual practice together. Indian seasonings dance between bold and subtle, hot and cooling, earthy and tangy, always striving for balance, saatvik. Ayurveda recognizes six fundamental tastes that must be balanced in every meal: sweet (madhura), sour (amla), salty (lavana), pungent (katu), bitter (tikta), and astringent (kashaya). This balance is achieved with thali, a concept where one meal consists of multiple small dishes designed to complement each other’s flavors.
The combination of bitter, astringent, and pungent tastes – alongside sweet, sour, and salty – is a key reason why Indian food stands out globally and tastes so distinct.
Unlike Western cuisine’s complementary approach, Indian cooking deliberately contrasts flavors through spice combinations that create harmony through opposition. Take, for example, mango pickle, aam ka achaar. This pickle combines the intense sourness and astringency of raw mango with fiery chili powder, pungent mustard oil, and salt. The flavors oppose and intensify each other, yet after time spent melding, they balance and complement in the finished pickle.
Indian seasoning works in layers to introduce taste at every stage of the dish. You don’t just throw in cumin and call it a day. First to go is the tadka tempering, flavouring the oil with mustard seeds, cardamom pods, or fennel seeds. This technique creates a ‘continuous presence’ of multiple flavors throughout the cooking process. Later, mid-cooking spice additions develop complexity. Finishing touches provide brightness to dishes. You might add turmeric early to cook off its bitterness, but garam masala goes in last – aromatic and unboiled. Each step builds a scaffolding of flavor that lingers on the tongue in waves.
Masala simply means a spice mixture, which by no means is simple. It’s an umbrella for any combination of spices that can either be wet or dry. No two kitchens have the same masala. Even salt is added at a specific stage to bind flavor. Garam Masala literally means ‘warm spice blend’. This blend creates what’s called a ‘warming’ effect – not heat like chili peppers, but a sense of internal warmth. Core components of garam masala are cinnamon, green/black cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and cumin. Many recipes also include bay leaves, mace, coriander, star anise, and fennel seeds. Again, the variations are endless.
Masala dabba is a popular spice storage container used in local kitchens. It has a number of small cups, often seven, placed inside a round or square box, filled with:
ASAFOEDITA. Provides umami depth – its pungent raw smell transforms into musky complexity when heated in oil.
TURMERIC POWDER. Golden color, anti-inflammatory benefits, peppery-woody taste.
CUMIN SEEDS. Nutty, earthy warmth, essential for tempering and ground spice blends.
BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS. Characteristic popping sound and nutty flavor.
CHILI POWDER. Color and mild heat.
CORIANDER. Citrusy, earthy notes.
GARAM MASALA completes the essential seven.