Ethnobotanical uses of spices and condiments by four ethnic groups in Tripura, India

Abstract

Spices and condiments are mainly used for enhancing the flavour, aroma and colour of food. Ethnic groups having their unique cultures and traditions in the utilisation of various plants show the rich diversity of Tripura. The objective of the study is to document the ethnobotanical uses of spices and condiments and to determine the most culturally important spices and condiments used by these ethnic groups. The present study was carried out on four ethnic groups namely - Debbarma, Jamatia, Kalai and Noatia. The data was collected from 102 informants randomly selected households from 31 villages for each ethnic group. A total of 75 plant species belonging to 62 genera and 33 families used as spices and condiments were reported. Leaves (33%) were the most used part followed by fruits (19%), stems (12%), rhizomes (10%), flowers (4%) young shoots (8%), bulbs (2%), seeds (8%), buds (2%), inflorescence (1%) and pseudostems (1%), barks (1%). Zingiberaceae was the most dominant family followed by Apiaceae and Fabaceae. Flavouring was the most used category followed by seasoning, preservation and colouring. Habitwise, herbs were represented by the maximum number (38) followed by trees (15), shrubs (12), aquatic (4), climbers (3) and grass (2). Debbarma used the maximum number of plants (54 spp.) as spices and condiments followed by Jamatia (33 spp.), Kalai (30 spp.) and Noatia (41 spp.). Trachyspermum roxburghianum was the most culturally important plant with a mean cultural index 1.37 followed by Curcuma longa (1.34), Ocimum americanum (1.30), Allium sativum (1.20) and Zingiber officinale (1.19).