Wednesday 13 May 2020

Fort Kochi - In the Spice Wonderland

The Great Konkan Run – Day 20: Part I

Fort Kochi – The Spice District of Mattancherry

Malabar coast has been India’s spice hub for thousands of years. Forty kms to the north of Kochi, the lost port of Muziris had trading relations with more than thirty countries including Romans & Greeks (called Yavanas), North Africans, Arabs, Chinese and the Coromandel Coast. Black pepper was the most sought-after spice by the Romans and Greeks who exchanged this wonder spice with gold and the black pepper came to be known as Black Gold. It is said that black pepper traded with vast quantities of gold was a major factor of bankruptcy and the ultimate demise of the Roman Empire.

Nutmeg Mace (Myristica fragrans) also called Javitri

In 1341, floods devastated the River Periyar, silting and destroying the port of Muziris (Kodangallur) and making it unnavigable. There were two choices for the ship-farers and traders: either move to Kozhikode, about 150 kms to the north or move to Kochi just 40 kms to the South. The same geographical events that shut down the Muziris port, opened up a harbour at Kochi and the traders, who were mostly Jews, moved to the Mattancherry area. The arrival of the Portuguese Admiral Cabral in Kochi, on the heels of Vasco, established Kochi as the new hub of spice trade. Later more Jews will arrive here from Europe and after the Portuguese Inquisition of Goa. The Portuguese will build the Mattancherry Palace, gift it to the Raja and win trading rights.
The rulers will keep changing while Kochi will keep trading spices and new products with the changing times.

Spice District of Mattancherry

You are back in Mattancherry, on the India Chambers Road, just North of the palace. You love these narrow winding streets with the fading traditional buildings. There is Rubber Exchange, Pepper Exchange and Ginger House. There is a Pepper Street and Cashew House. Close to the Church of Our Lady of Life, you disappear into the courtyard of a warehouse lined with sacks of spices. The nostrils are going into an overdrive. This is not a fancy Spice Shop on the Rose Street. This is real deal. This is how they would have traded hundreds of years ago as the Romans arrived looking for the black gold carrying the real gold in their flowing robes.

Rows of sacks are lined up on the floor in this almost unlit wooden building. The smells do not waft here anymore. The smells instead have congealed into this heavy sludge like cocktail that numbs every other sense. You are not sure if it is because of the intoxicating odour but you can see a whole lot of spices that you have never seen before. They come in all shapes and sizes with their smells now indistinguishable from each other.

On a given sober day the only spice that you can recognise with certainty are the red chillies, and they are definitely missing here. Even with this odour cloud fogging your mind, you remember the red chillies were brought by the Portuguese to India. So, Vasco, the villain and the poster-boy for colonialism and inquisition and many more misdeeds, for once did something good. He introduced the red chilli to India. But then he took lot more than just spices from India.  

You buy few assorted spice packs which you think can be used back home where cooking is borderline bland. For the next few minutes you will go through the sacks, clicking and will later try to identify these strange looking spices for which the world went crazy.  





Cinnamon (Cinnamomum sps.) also called Dalchini

Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) also called Kala Jeera

Allspice or Jamaica Pepper (Pimenta dioica) also called Kabab Chini

Golden eye-grass (Curculigo orchioides) also called Kali Musli

Betel Nut (Areca catechu) also called White Supari

The Indian Snakeroot (Rauvolfia serpentina) also called Sarpagandha

Clove

Is this Sabudana?

Black Salt or Himalayan Salt or Rock Salt

Dry Ginger

Cinnamon


Fennel or Saunf

Star Anise (Illicium verum) also called Chakra Phool


Elaichi

Bengal Quince or Stone Apple (Aegle marmelos) also called Bael

Harad (Terminalua chebula) (Chebulic myrobalan)



Turmeric (Curcuma species) also called Haldi

Indian Screw Nut (Helicteres isora) also called Marod Phali


Haldi

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) also called Methi

Black Elaichi (Amomum subulatum) also called Badi Elaichi


References

Pico Iyer style story



The Great Konkan Run

Day 15 - Shravanabelagola 

Day 16 - Kasaragod

Day 17 - Kannur

Day 18 - Kozhikode

Day 19 - Kochi

Day 20 - Part I - Spice Wonderland

Day 20 - Part II - Kodungallur

Day 21 - Thrissur


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2 comments:

  1. Any body visiting the spice market would go crazy. Very interesting.

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    Replies
    1. Yes PN Sir, it was some nasal experience! Does feel like as if you are back in the Roman times!

      Thanks for reading

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