Spice Routes

A globetrotting couple shares their favourite places around the world to buy authentic, locally sourced spices

By Smita and Sanjeev Chandra

We have always been fascinated by spices and their history. Whenever we travel, we’re always on the lookout for authentic spices to bring back home, and when we use them their aroma brings a rush of memories. Here are some highlights:

OREGANO: ATHENS, GREECE

We found to our delight that the very air in Greece is scented by oregano, which grows wild on the hillsides. Greek myths say it was first planted on the slopes of Mount Olympus by the goddess Aphrodite. A less exalted, though easier to reach, place for us to buy oregano was Varvakeios, Athens’ noisy, bustling food market. The oregano we bought there gave authentic flavour to the Greek salads and souvlaki made at home.

CARAWAY: VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Traditional Viennese cuisine relies heavily on the earthy flavour of caraway, the seed of a leafy green herb widely grown in Austria, that is used in breads, sauerkraut and goulash. Vienna’s sprawling food market, Naschmarkt, is lined with stalls selling every kind of food, including vegetables, meats and spices. It was here that we bought fresh caraway and tasted wonderful local dishes.

CINNAMON: MELAKA, MALAYSIA

Melaka was the centre of the spice trade in the 16th century, when merchants from Europe came to buy cinnamon grown in China and Southeast Asia. The bark of cinnamon trees is removed in strips that are rolled and dried to form cinnamon sticks. Today, Jonker Street’s vibrant night market has wonderful, fresh cinnamon. You can also taste it in local dishes available there, such as Chicken Curry Kapitan, named in honour of the ship captains who once dropped anchor in Melaka.

SAFFRON: SEVILLE, SPAIN

The architecture and cuisine of Seville recalls the Arabs who ruled Spain for centuries. Arabs also introduced the cultivation of saffron, whose threads are the stigmas of crocus flowers painstakingly plucked by hand, making it an extremely expensive spice. Spain produces wonderful saffron, an essential part of Spanish cuisine and dishes like paella. The city’s historic food market, Mercado de Triana, is a good place to shop for authentic saffron.

PEPPER: KOCHI, INDIA

At a spice plantation in Kerala, we saw vines covered with bunches of gleaming emerald pepper berries. After being dried in the sun, they shrivel into spicy black peppercorns, ideal for dishes like fish curry. Almost 2,000 years ago, Roman ships came to Kerala to buy pepper and cardamom – spices essential to Roman cuisine. Many of the merchants were Jewish. Today, their settlement in Kochi is still a hub of the spice trade and where you can find the world’s best pepper.

PAPRIKA: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Dried, ground, red peppers are eaten more in Asia than Europe, but Hungary, for centuries part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, made them part of its cuisine. Paprika, whether it’s sweet, smoked or hot, is essential to making dishes like goulash or paprikash, giving them both colour and flavour. We found the best smoked paprika in Budapest’s Great Market Hall, an enormous market filled with culinary delights.