purpose of spices

im pretty new to cooking, so anything i wanna cook, i ask my mom how to make it and she tells me…and i never question her…but one day i was thinking…what is the purpose of these spices? meaning the purpose of haldi? dhaniya powder? zeera? ajawain? ginger/garlic?
knowing the exact purpose i think would improve my cooking lots…so please help!

Re: purpose of spices

Think of drinking plain water compared to drinking coke. I guess these spices are to make things taste better. What would be a biryani without salt? It won't taste very good.

Re: purpose of spices

haldi-add color to your curry and it is also a healthy herb in that it is an anti-inflammatory for the skin…also many other benefits that i forgot…

ginger/garlic-for taste for the most part i think…also health benefits…like lowering Blood pressure etc.

onions- to thicken the gravy, add taste, and to act as a preservative for food.

zeera- i know it helps in digestion, also adds aroma.
dhanya…cilantro adds flavor and aroma…has health benefits.

WHFoods.com - Your Trusted Source for Supplements this site has all the info…

Re: purpose of spices

The PURPOSE can be broken down into two words:

IMPLICIT-=Taste, advantages.disadvantage
EXPLICT= Look, Color, can make ones day and can put you off foreva…

just a personal opinion dont SUE moi now:P