India is the land of spices. The flavour and fragrance of Indian spices had a magic spell in human civilization and culture since very ancient days. The lure for spices attracted the Greeks, Turks, Arabs, Romans, Chinese and Europeans to India, ultimately leading to colonial rule. The spices trading history is thus entwined with world history itself. Annals of history reveal the importance of Indian spices growing at a magnificent pace across the nations. Indian spices have carved out a niche of its own in the spices world, over the years. India has the richest knowledge in cultivation of spices and the Indian Institute of Spices Research at Calicut under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is the world's leading institute on spices. India is the largest spice producer and consumer of spices. The USA, Europe, Australia, Japan, the Middle East and Oceanic countries are the major importers of Indian spices. There are more than 100 spices listed by ISO. India is also endowed with strong research base on spices.