When tourists had a 'chilly day' in Rajasthan

Jaipur, April 13: Not many may know that Jaipur is popular for its spices in addition to the historical forts and traditional Rajasthani culture. A recently hosted five-day Spice Fair gave a glimpse of this little-known fact. The Spice fair, which attracted many tourists, especially women, showcased a myriad variety of hot spices from across the country. Though the fair was primarily to promote the state as a major production centre of Indian spices, it also had the condiments from other parts of the country.Rajasthan is an important producer of spices including seed spices such as fenugreek, cumin and coriander among others.Various varieties of raw spices or grounded spices were available at the fair.The Rajasthani chilly varieties, especially from the State's Gondal and Jodhpur regions are popular not only in the country but also appeal to the taste buds of the Indian Diaspora abroad.The special quality and special flavour of Rajasthani spices are generally attributed to the favourable climatic conditions and natural production methods being used here for ages. Spice makers from across the State participated in the festival vouching for the purity of their products."The spices are really very good. We bring pure spices. Our women clean the spices at home and we bring them here for sale," said Santlal Mehra, a spice trader.