Chaat masala

Chaat masala is the quint essential Indian spice blend, a tangy condiment that perks up the flavors of salads, legumes, fruit, grilled fish and meats, potatoes and other vegetables.

Originally from North India, it gets its trademark sour and salty flavor from dried green mangos that have been ground to a powder and special black salt. Himalayan black salt, or Indian black salt, contains a high amount of sulfur that gives it a distinctive odor. Chaat masala also consisting of several other ingredients including cumin seeds, black pepper asafetida and red peppers.

Masala means ‘spice mix’ while chaat is a term in India that refers to something to be licked when applied to snacks or appetizers so the little of this slice mix references it use with finger foods or snacks as it is sprinkled over the foods for a flavorful topping.

Chaat masala can be used either before or after cooking or used in place of regular salt. Most of the ingredients used have digestive qualities and whets the appetite before the actual meal.
Chaat masala

Definition of condiments

According to the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), there is no clear cut division between spices and condiments and as such they have been clubbed together.

The term spices and condiments refer to the natural plant or vegetable products or their mixtures that are virtually indispensable in culinary art.

Many condiments, e.g. vinegars, pickles and chutneys, tomato ketchup, horseradish sauce, mustard and soy sauce are of plant origin.

They are used in various forms such as fresh, ripe, dried, whole, broken and powdered. They impart aroma, taste, flavor, color and pungency to food.

Condiment act principally upon the nervous system.

Some of them, for instance, excite the nerve termini of the mucous membrane of the digestive canal, whence the excitation or stimulus passes to certain centers in the intestine, or to more remote centers in the spinal cord and the brains.

The condiments used in seasoning foods make the food more delectable to the taste and therefore more digestible.

The culinary use of plants as condiment exploits all parts of a plant: leaves (age, bay, basil), stems (ginger, angelica), bark (cinnamon), rhizomes (ginger, turmeric), roots (horseradish), stolons (liquorice), flower buds (cloves).
Definition of condiments

Definition of Spices

Definition of Spices
The soft-stemmed plant materials used in seasoning food are classified as “herbs” and all other aromatic plants products used for a similar purpose are called spices, although this broad definition admits of several exceptions.

Spices are usually only parts of plants and may be either roots, rhizomes, barks, seeds, fruits, flower buds etc. Unlike herbs the spices are very aromatic and may contain large percentages of essential oil as well as the powerful non volatile flavoring components. They are normally derived from the semi-tropical or tropical regions of the world, are harvested and usually sun dried to form the spice of commerce.

Condiments are seasonings which are added to food after it has been served. In this category the most popular and widely used are salt, mustard, pepper and ginger.
Definition of Spices