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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Cinnamon (Cinnamomum sps.) also called Dalchini |
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| Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) also called Kala Jeera |
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| Allspice or Jamaica Pepper (Pimenta dioica) also called Kabab Chini |
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| Golden eye-grass (Curculigo orchioides) also called Kali Musli |
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| Betel Nut (Areca catechu) also called White Supari |
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| The Indian Snakeroot (Rauvolfia serpentina) also called Sarpagandha |
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| Clove |
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| Is this Sabudana? |
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| Black Salt or Himalayan Salt or Rock Salt |
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| Dry Ginger |
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| Cinnamon |
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| Fennel or Saunf |
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| Star Anise (Illicium verum) also called Chakra Phool |
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| Elaichi |
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| Bengal Quince or Stone Apple (Aegle marmelos) also called Bael |
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| Harad (Terminalua chebula) (Chebulic myrobalan) |
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| Turmeric (Curcuma species) also called Haldi |
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| Indian Screw Nut (Helicteres isora) also called Marod Phali |
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| Haldi |
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| Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) also called Methi |
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| Black Elaichi (Amomum subulatum) also called Badi Elaichi |
References
Pico Iyer style story
If you liked the blogpost then
Any body visiting the spice market would go crazy. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes PN Sir, it was some nasal experience! Does feel like as if you are back in the Roman times!
DeleteThanks for reading