Garam masala is a mixture of various spices that are roasted and ground. It is used to add flavor to the dish.

Garam means hot in Hindi, so garam masala means hot masala. Masala basically means a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dry roasted spices or a paste (such as tandoori masala) made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients like ginger, garlic, onions etc. It is used to add spice and flavor. Garam masala is mostly used in Northern Indian cooking. The name is misleading since the recipe does not contain any chillies. The heat in the name refers to spices that generate internal heat in your body – namely black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. The theory of heating and cooling food is ascribed to Ayurveda, an ancient form of Indian medicine.

I was under the assumption that garam masala was only used in Indian Cooking. Searching on the internet, I found that garam masala is also used in Iranian cooking. It is linked to a Persian spice blend known as advieh, which means “medicine” in Arabic and presumably originated as a mixture intended to improve the medicinal qualities of food, as well as the flavor, according to Margaret Shaida, author of The Legendary Cuisine of Persia.

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