Spices in space city

For centuries westerners have deployed all kinds of imagination, intelligence and resources to get spices from the Far East. As a side effect of the "spice race", Columbus looking for India discovered the American continent. Value of spices was so high in the west that, the devastated Victoria, the only ship left from the Magellan's fleet afer a first around of the world trip made the expedition (quasi) profitable when she came back to Spain in 1522 with a payload of only few containers of spices!
As the main country of central Asia is Kazakhstan a key player today in the spice trade? Is Baikonur not only a space but also a "spice" city?
Let's go to the central market to try to get an answer.
The first thing that will strike a visitor there will be the vivid colours of the spice stand more than the abundance. The second step to understand what is for sale requires a bit more of investigation.

On the picture below, the largest container on the left, contains a special mixture of spices (Cumin, barberry, tomato powder...) needed for the preparation of the most popular Kazakh dish: the "Plov", a (mild) spicy rice dish with beef. A variant is known as " Pilav rice" in Europe.
Then, let's go into more details and describe what will be found on his shelf:
Fist bottom row of bags (from left to right, RU/GB/F)

• Шафран/Saffron, Safran (ground)
  
• Зира/Cumin/Cumin (seed)
  
• Зира/Cumin/Cumin (seed), different quality?
  
• Укроп/Dill, Aneth odorant
• Тмин/Carum/Carum
  
• Анис/Anise/Anis
  

Second row (from left to right, RU/GB/F)

• Укроп/Dill, Aneth odaorant
  
• Барбарис/Barberry/Epine vinette
• Хмель/Hop/Houblon (ground)
  
• Перец горошком или чёрный/Black Pepper/Poivre noir
• Душистый, или ямайский перец /Allspice/Piment de la Jamaique
  
• Гвоздика/Clove/Clou de girofle
  

Third row (from left to right, RU/GB/F)

• Кориандр/Coriander/Coriandre
• Кинза=Кориандр/Coriander/Coriandre (different variety)
• Кинза/Coriander/Coriandre (different variety or quality)
• Тархун/Tarragon/Estragon
• Базилик/Basil/Basilic (dried)
• Мята/Mint/Menthe (dried)
  

Last row (from left to right)

• Soft red pepper (ground)
  
• Hot red pepper (ground)
• Tomat= powder of dried tomatoes
  

The picture below shows few more spices (from left to right, RU/GB/F):

• Бадьян/Star anise/Badiane
• Куркума/Turmeric/Curcuma (ground root is used for the curry preparation)
  
• Корица/Cinnamon/Cannelle (bark)
  

Here under from left to right:

• Имбирь/Ginger/Gimgembre (powder of dried roots)
• Корица/Cinnamon/Cannelle (ground)

Some chilli (hot) peppers are available as well from time to time on the market.
Note fresh saffron packed top right of the red chilli

This short inventory of the Baikonur market is certainly not exhaustive from what can be found in Kazakhstan but shows the Kazakhs taste for spicy and aromatic food. Local people seem for instance to highly value different kinds of peppers. However most of these spices are well known and used today in the western countries. To that respect, Kazakhstan does not look to be the Ali Baba's cave of the spices as we could imagine it is in India or Thailand.

Anyway, to slightly "spice" our CryoSat-2 daily routine, Bill just brought back from Holland some Sambal to make our lunch sandwiches more tasty ;-)