Indian Spices – Glossary of Indian Spices in English and Hindi

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Glossary of some commonly used Indian Spices is presented here:

Glossary of Indian Spices

 

englishhinditamilkannadamarathikonkanigujaratinotes – recipes and uses
aniseeds, fennel seedssaunfsombubadishopvariyali
asafoetidahingperumkayam, perungayahinguhinghinguhinggood for digestion
basil seeds, sweet basilsabja seeds, subja, falooda seeds, tukmariasabja seedstukmariyaadded to falooda
bay Leafindian tej patta, tamalpatrabrinji elaitamal patratej patta leaves are commonly called as indian bay leaves.
but they are not related to the bay laurel leaves.
both have different appearance and aroma.
tej patta has an aroma similar to that of cinnamon bark
while bay leaves have a lemony aroma.
big mustard seedssarsonsarsav
black cardamombadi elaichiperiya elakkaielcho
black cumin seedskala jeerakarung seeragam
black mustard seedsraikadughurai
black pepperkali mirchmilagumenasinkalukali mirimari
black saltkala namaksanchalused in shinkanjvi – indian lemonade.
you can add them in fruit juices.
it has a sulphric taste & add a lot of zing to the drink
caraway seedsshahjeeraperum seeragamshahjeera
carom seeds,
thymol seeds,
bishops weed		ajwainomamowaowawonwoajmo
chilli powderlal mirch powdermilagai toolmarchu powder
cinnamondalchinilavanga pattai, pattaidal chinidal chinidal chinitaja
clarified buttergheeneighee
cloveslaung, lavangkrambulaving
coconut desiccatedsukha nariyal ka choora/boorathuruvina thengaitopranu khaman
coconut drysukha nariyalularndha thengaicopracopra, khopru
coconut freshnariyalthengaichobrakhopru, topru
coriander powderdhania powderdhaniya podidhane pood
coriander seedssabut dhaniakottumalli
vidai, dhaniya		dhanekothmir na dana
coriander, cilantrodhaniya, dhaniakothamalli ilaikothmari/kothmir
cumin seedsjeerajeerakamjeeru
curry leaveskari patta, kadipathakaruveppilailimda, mitho limbdo
dry fenugreek leaveskasoori methikaaindha vendhaya ilaigal
dry gingersaunth, sounth, soonthsukkusunthisunthsunthisunthsaunth chutney recipe
dry mango powderamchurmangai podimavinkai
churu		ambyacha
chur		amchuramchurvery often added in punjabi recipes like chole, rajma
fenugreek seedsmethi ke danementhiyam,
ventiyam		methya danemethi dana
fenugreekmethiventhaiam
garliclasan, lahsun, lahsanpoondulasunlasan
fresh gingeradrak, adhrakinjialaadu
dry gingersaunth, sonthsukkusunthsunth
green cardamomhari elaichi, choti elaichielakkaiveldoda. velchielchi
green chillihari mirchpachai milagaihirvi mirchichidiya marcha/lilu marchu
ground nut, peanutsmoongphalli, mungphalinila kadaleisheng daneshing
holy basiltulsitulasitulastulsi
jaggerygurvellambellagulgodgol
palm jaggerytara gura, sharkara tadapana vellam
limenimboo, nimbuelumichailimbulimbu
cocum, kokumbhirinda, bhirndakokam, aamsul
lime peelnimbu ka chilkaelumichai thol
macejayitri, javitri, javntryjaipatrijaipatrijaipatrijaipatrijavintri
mintpudina, podinapudina, pudhinapudinaphudino
nutmegjaiphaljhadhikkaijaiphaljaiphal
onion seeds,
nigella		kalonji, kalaungikalonjikalonji
pine nutschilgoze, nioze
dry pomegranate seedsanardanakaaindha maadhulai vidhaigaldadum na dana
poppy seedskhus khuskhasa khasakhaskhas khas
raisinskismishkaindha dratchai / ularndha dratchaibedanesuki draksh
red chillilal mirchmilakai
vatral		lal mirchi
rock saltsendha namakkal uppusendhe launsindhalu
mithu		used in religious fasting as common salt
is not allowed during fasting/vrat
rock flower,
stone flower		pathar phoolkalpaasidagad phool
saltnamakuppumeethmithu
sesame seedstilellutiltul
saffronkunkuma, kesar, zafrankumkumappukesharkesar
screwpine, pandanuskewrarambai ilaigal
sichuan pepper,
szechwan pepper		timur, tirphal, tephal, teppal
star anisechakriphoollavanga poo
sultanasmunakkaeasily available in north india
tamarindimlipulichincha
turmerichaldimanjalhalad
vetiverkhus
vinegarsirka
 water melon seedstarbuj ke beejtharboosani vidhaigal

note – if you know the name of any spices in any regional indian language and want to update it in this post… then do leave it in the comment section and we will update the post. if we have missed any spices, then also you can let us know. thanks in advance.

many thanks to all readers who shared the name of spices in regional languages.

You might also like to check how to make garam masala, bisi bele bath masala powder, sambar powder and pav bhaji masala.

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namaste, i am dassana

dassana amit

Founder, Chef, Recipe Developer, Food Photographer >> MORE ABOUT US

i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos that will help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food easily.

i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. having a home science degree greatly enhanced my cooking & baking skills and took it to a different level which i now share as foolproof recipes. i was trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.

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266 comments/reviews

  2. Hi.. I wish to give you some updates for few in tamil as follows,
    Mustard – kadughu
    Salt-uppu
    Coconut dry – ularndha thaengai
    Dry fenugreek leaves- kaaindha vendhaya ilaigal
    Dry pomegranate seeds- kaaindha maadhulai vidhaigal
    Screwpine/pandan leaves- rambai ilaigal
    Watermelon seeds- tharboosani vidhaigal

  4. Hello Dassana,

    I’m a big fan of your site, I use it whenever I would like to cook Indian food, or just to read about it. I have a question about shah jeera, which you call caraway in English on your site. I’ve googled it and some Indians call it caraway while others call it black cumin. In my Indian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey she writes black cumin is shah(i) jeera. In the Indian food store, on the black cumin package, the label also says kala shah jeera. In the chart on this page, you list shah jeera and black cumin separately. Caraway (in Latin: carum carvi) has a very strong aroma, a bit like fennel and we use it a lot in several European cuisines and to flavour rye bread, potato dishes, etc. It smells very different from cumin. Black cumin (Latin name: Bunium bulbocastanum) looks a bit similar but has a very different aroma, more similar to cumin but to my nose, does not smell so pleasant, it has an earthier smell.
    Could you please help me with this? Shall I use caraway or black cumin when you write shahjeera in your recipes? Thank you!

    • thank esther. in india, both kala jeera and shah jeera are sold separately. kala jeera has a bitter taste and used in ayurvedic medicines. whereas shah jeera is aromatic and pleasant. from what i know caraway seeds is shah jeera. i would suggest you to use caraway seeds and not black cumin. i hope i have managed to solve the confusion.

  5. Hello, my friend bought me a bag of green fennel seed from an East Indian store. What are they used for? They do not look the same as regular fennel seed. They are much smaller and very green. Can you please clarify this for me please? Thank you in advance, love this site!

    • jacquie, its the same fennel seed. depending on the variety, the color can be from green to greenish-yellow or greenish-brown. the size also will vary. you can lightly toast them and store in an air tight jar. then use them as mouth freshener. in india after every meal, fennel seeds are served in homes as well as in restaurants. having them after a meal helps to digest the food. you can even temper the dishes that you make with fennel seeds.

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