Garam Masala is a spice blend widely used in Indian cuisine, from curries and lentil dishes to soups. Whole spices of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods are toasted in a pan to release their aromatic flavors, then ground to a powder. The name for this blend translates to “warming spices”. There is no single garam masala recipe. The ingredients differ according to the region as well as each chef's individual preferences. Garam masala from Northern India, including the Punjab region, often has only black pepper for a hot element and mostly focuses on aromatic and sweet spices. This garam masala will be quite mild, and any heat in the dish will come from adding hot peppers. The farther south you go in India, the hotter the garam masala is likely to be as red chiles are likely to be part of the blend. The spices also change, based on what is more common locally. Garam masala is believed to have originated in Northern Indian cuisine, where it is especially found in traditional Mughal dishes. In Ayurvedic medicine, the spices in garam masala are warming1, meaning that they increase the metabolism (rather than being hot in flavor). Northern India has more areas that have cold seasons, so warming spices are welcome. Garam masala spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and as far west as present-day Iran.