For thousands of years, cooks have been relying on the rich and fragrant taste of Indian spices to make their food stand out from the crowd. Now, the market of Indian spices is beginning to take over the world, with chefs and home cooks alike choosing products from India over those from other nations. With so many amazing spices available in India, why are they proving so popular? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular exports from India!

India – The Land of Flavors
You may not be aware, but India is today one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of spices. In fact, there are more than 30,000 Spice Traders operating in India. India is also one of top five exporters of spices in the world. The export growth rate for spices has been 30% over the last decade. From about US$1 billion in 2002-03, it has increased to US$3 billion in 2011-12. There are various reasons behind such a huge increase in exports from India:
India has a long history of trade with many countries. The spice trade between Asia and Europe was well established before the birth of Christ. It was only after Vasco da Gama discovered sea route to India that Europe started importing spices directly from India. Today, many European countries import almost all their spices from India.

Indian Spices – Boost your Brain Power
The brain is made up of millions of cells. These cells receive signals from other brain cells or from sense organs such as your eyes, ears, nose and skin. The messages coming into a cell cause changes in its activity. For example, when you see something that frightens you, your brain tells certain muscles to contract and send blood away from your skin so that you don’t look pale. This is called fight-or-flight response. When you eat spices like turmeric, it can help boost your brain power! This spice has been shown to improve memory, focus and concentration.

What Health Benefits Can you Gain from Spice?
Not only do spices possess a variety of flavor profiles, but they also contain numerous healing properties. Here’s just a small taste of what you can get from an assortment of herbs and spices Açaí berry: Anti-inflammatory benefits that can help prevent heart disease and cancer (14) Ginger: Used for stomach ailments like nausea or diarrhea (15) Turmeric: Powerful anti-inflammatory that may help reduce your risk of heart disease (16) Cinnamon: Studies show it may lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes (17) Cardamom: An antioxidant used to treat respiratory problems like asthma and bronchitis (18) Rosemary: A natural antibacterial agent used to treat colds, flu, sore throats, gum infections and even urinary tract infections (19).
Cinnamon is more than just a holiday favorite! For centuries cinnamon has been used as both a medicinal herb and spice in cooking.

Spices may be an intrinsic part of India’s cultural heritage, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a global leader in its export. Read on to find out why. The great thing about spices is their diversity. The flavors and aromas that come with them can appeal to people across cultures, making them popular exports all over the world. Of course, there are some spice blends with particular origins—curry powder being one example—but generally speaking, spices have universal appeal and are an excellent way for food manufacturers to create a new spin on existing products or make something entirely new and unique. Their popularity is only growing too: In 2015 alone, around 685 million kilograms of spices were exported worldwide, with countries like China and Indonesia leading the charge as importers. That’s up 5% from 2014 numbers!