Photo Gallery

The fruits and leaves of the true pepper plant (Piper nigrum). Depending on the time of harvest and processing method, this tropical vine yields the familiar black, green, white, and red peppercorns. Green pepper: Harvested unripe and either pickled fresh or quickly dried. Black pepper: Also harvested green, but ferments during slow drying in the sun, causing the skin to wrinkle and turn black. - 1990

The berries have changed color from green to yellow to red and are practically ripe. Each berry contains a single peppercorn. The deep-green, lanceolate leaves are alternate, and the winged stem encircles the strongly branched shoot. White pepper: Fully ripe, red berries are harvested for this. After soaking in water, the outer pulp is removed, leaving only the light-colored seed. - 1990

Pepper harvest in the Cardamom Hills near Thekkadi, a small town in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. The slopes of these hills are sparsely covered with deciduous trees, whose trunks are enveloped by the dense foliage of the pepper bushes. Pepper is a climbing plant that—much like wild grapevines or ivy—grows upward on trees and rock faces using its tough, supple tendrils and adhesive aerial roots. To harvest the long clusters of pepper berries, the picker uses a sturdy bamboo pole—on which he has trimmed the side shoots to the width of a step—as a ladder. – 1990

A large quantity of ginger (Zingiber officinale) is poured out of a jute sack onto the ground. The ginger roots (rhizomes) are cleaned, often peeled, and dried in the sun. Ginger is used as an aromatic cooking spice, as a base for ginger tea, or is valued in traditional medicine for its medicinal properties. – Kerala – Calicut – 1990

Cardamom fields cover the mountains of the same name, which stretch inland for over 300 kilometers along the Malabar Coast in the Indian state of Kerala. Like most spices, cardamom requires a very hot and humid climate. It grows best in humus-rich soil in the shade of large evergreen trees. It prefers marshy locations and even proximity to a watercourse. The underground rootstock is a tuberous rhizome with fleshy roots from which reed-like above-ground stems grow. Each of these produces lance-shaped, 30-centimeter-long sheathing leaves. This term refers to leaves that partially envelop the stem on which they grow. Other, shorter stems bear small flowers at their base. These are greenish-white or purplish-violet and grow near the ground in two or three clusters, varying in length between 20 and 50 centimeters. When ripe, these flowers form egg-shaped fruits or capsules. - 1990

Freshly harvested green cardamom pods (Elettaria cardamomum) being sorted before the drying process. Cardamom belongs to the ginger family and is considered one of the most expensive spices in the world, after saffron and vanilla. When fresh, the spindle-shaped pods are plump, a vibrant green, and still have the small brown stems by which they hung from the plant’s inflorescence. It is only through the subsequent drying process that they acquire their characteristic, slightly wrinkled texture, familiar from the spice rack. – 1990

Cardamom is considered the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla. It is prized for its complex, aromatic flavour and is used in a variety of ways. Cardamom is an essential ingredient in curries, teas (such as masala chai), desserts and baked goods worldwide. In traditional medicine, it is valued for its digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. – Kerala – Calicut – 1990

The photo shows a large quantity of green cardamom (whole pods). Cardamom belongs to the ginger family and is one of the finest spices in the world. These dried fruits are known for their sweet and spicy aroma. It is one of the most expensive spices in the world, as the capsules are harvested primarily by hand. Cardamom is widely used in curries, Middle Eastern dishes, baked goods, or to enhance the flavor of coffee and tea. – 1990