Root Type Spices are extensively used to make food tasty and delicious. These spices have a sharp taste and thus make the predominant taste in the dish, yet in a subdued form. Some of the best-known root type spices in India are Galangal, Ginger, Horseradish, Stoneleek and others.

Galangalm, one of the widely used root type spices in India, is the dried rhizome or root of the plant, which grows mainly in the Eastern Himalayas and South West India. Galangal oil, which is also known as `false ginger oil`, is a steam-distilled oil from the dried comminuted rhizomes of galangal. Galangal oil is a pale yellow to olive-brown liquid with a eucalyptus-cardamom-ginger-like odour and warming camphoraceous-like bitter taste.

Garlic or Lassan is another regularly used root type spice in India. It has long been recognized all over the world as a valuable condiment for foods, and a popular remedy or medicine for various ailments and physiological disorders. Surprisingly the Hindus of India and elsewhere consider it as a non-vegetarian food. Ginger of commerce or `Adrak` is the dried underground stem or rhizome of the plant, which constitutes one of the five most important major spices of India, standing third or fourth, competing with chillies, depending upon fluctuations in world market prices, world market demand and supply position. Horseradish is a near relative of turnip, cabbage and mustard and fall under the category of root type spices in India. It is one of the oldest condiments and is a well-known large leaved hardy perennial in many long established gardens. It is the thick white fleshy tasty root of horseradish, which is highly prized as an appetizing condiment with certain foods.

Another root type spice in India is the stoneleek that belongs to onion and garlic family. It was introduced in India rather very late. The white-stemmed stone leek is a native of Eastern Asia and was domesticated in China and Japan. The plant has been mentioned in Japanese literature as early as 918 A.D., though of course under various names. Today, this bunching onion or Welsh onion is cultivated in Siberia, China and Japan. More recently, it has been introduced into Europe and then to Russia in 1956 A.D. in Europe, the USA and India it is grown mostly in home gardens.

Onion is a flavoring root type spice in India particularly used to hide certain repulsive odour especially in non-vegetarian dishes. In India, however onions including its leaves are considered as non-vegetarian. It is consumed raw with salads, often as side dish. Smaller onions are pickled with or without vinegar. They are baked, boiled and fried. Its tubular leaves are cooked and eaten like any other green leafy vegetables. It is reported that the leaves are rich in vitamin A. The flavour of shallots is somewhat milder than that of onion. The chief use of this root type spice in India is for flavoring curries; both leaves and cloves are widely used. Leaves are also consumed as green vegetable. Like their cousin`s onion and garlic this is also considered as non-vegetarian food in India. Most of this crop is produced for sale in the green state, but some dry bulbs are also used as root type spices in India. They are also used for pickling.

Turmeric is one of the most popular root type spices in India. It is also popular as medicine popularly used as part of home remedy. Almost in every dish prepared in India Turmeric is added. Further, it is also regarded by the Hindus as something `sacred` for use in ceremonial and religious functions. The spice Turmeric or Haldi consists of the dried, boiled, cleaned and polished rhizomes (the underground swollen stem of the plant) of Turmeric plant. The herb is a wild grown plant being used in India traditionally for medicinal purposes and as spice besides for flavoring foods. This root type spice in India is another variety of turmeric with a difference that its rhizome gives the flavor of mango. The herb is basically a wild variety of ginger referred to as black ginger due to deep blue colored rhizome.

Turmeric is a wild herb available in the warm and moist areas of the interior hilly region. It is considered, as a folk medicinal herb hence was cultivated as herb since olden days. The rhizome is much similar to ginger except its shape and size besides its deep blue color. The rhizome is also very bitter and has a disagreeable taste. Zeodary Yellow Zeodary is a rhizome and root type spice in India, which produces a light yellow coloring matter like turmeric. However, it produces camphoraceous odour. All the parts of the plant are aromatic with agreeable taste. The young shoots and tender rhizome are used as vegetable in boiled chutneys.

The root type spices in India have become invariable ingredient for Indian food recipes and serves both odour and colour to the dish.