Ethnobotanical survey of spices and condiments used by some tribes of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Spices and condiments increase the palatability of food by adding flavour, aroma and colour to the food. The present study was carried out on Adi, Apatani, Galo and Nyishi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. The data was collected from randomly selected 20 households from each village and a total of 120 informants were selected from each tribe. A total of 52 species belonging to 22 families and 35 genera were documented which were used as spices and condiments by selected tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Maximum number of plants were used as spices and condiments by Adi (26 spp.) followed by Nyishi (24 spp.), Apatani (23 spp.), Galo (22 spp.). The plants belonging to families Amaryllidaceae, Lauraceae and Rutaceae were mostly used as spices and condiments. Herbs were mostly used as spices and condiments followed by trees and shrubs. The study revealed that leaves were most preferred part as spices and condiments than other plant parts. Flavouring was the most important category of spices and condiments among all tribes. Cultural importance index was maximum in Litsea cubeba and Capsicum chinense.