Spices, What are They?

28 Jun 2022

Articles

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We, of course, ever heard about spice, especially in our country, where spices were our major identity in the past. Many people from all over the world come here just for our spices. But, what exactly is a spice and how many kinds of spices are there?

Spice (/spīs/) is an aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food, e.g. cloves, pepper, or cumin.. That is the definition of spice according to Oxford Languages. Nutmegs, gingers, cloves, are the example of plants that belong to the spice family, as we should already know, because of the strong taste and the unique smell.

Our natural resources are so abundant that it became the main factor of the colonialism by the Europeans for centuries. Most of us probably already heard this in history, that in Europe, spices are very rare and that drives the prices up very high, opposite of our condition here in Indonesia.

Besides being used for the flavor and aroma, spices are also used in the health department. According to Akhmad Saikhu, M.Sc, PH., from the Indonesian ministry of health in the webinar “Literasi Rempah untuk Menubuhkan Cinta Tanah Air”, there’s microbiome in the spices, which is the collection of microbes that balances our immune system. Apparently, this was also the main reason why the Europeans were dying to get these spices. These microbiomes are perfect for our current condition where our immune system is very crucial to fight against the Covid-19 virus.

There are many kinds and forms of spices. Some are leaves, seeds, stems, and even roots. Every kind of spice has its own characteristics too. Here I have attached three different spices that we usually see in our everyday life.

Ginger

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Gingers are one of the spices that most likely we’ve ever seen or tasted before in our foods or beverages. Usually, people will mince or cut the ginger into small pieces first before being processed in a dish. Consuming ginger will help you relieve some physical pain and also calm people down. However, it has a strong taste so some people probably won’t like it.
Galangal

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Galangal is a spice with rich antioxidants and is usually found in soto, lodeh, and many other Indonesian dishes. As you can see, galangal looks very close to ginger. The specialty from galangal is in the antioxidants, and also can prevent cancer and inflammation.
Turmeric

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Turmeric is a spice which is usually used only for food coloring. We can find turmeric in curry, gulai, and other dishes that’s orange or yellow. Turmeric does not only give you color, but also contains curcumin, which is an antibacterial substance that is useful for our digestive system and also an essential oil for our stomach.