Peermade

Peermade is a hill station in the state of Kerala, India. It lies 915 metres (3,002 ft) above sea level in the Western Ghats some 85 kilometres (53 mi) east of Kottayam on the way to Thekkady through the nearby city of Kanjirappally.

The landscape of Peermade includes spectacular waterfalls, open grass lands and pine forests. It was once the summer retreat of the Maharajas of Travancore. Tamil people make up the majority of Peermade's population.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest wildlife reserves in India, is 43 kilometres (27 mi) away. It has herds of elephants and other wildlife as well as lakes.

The name is sometimes related to the Sufi saint, Peer Mohammed, as "hill of the Peer" (പീരുമേട്).

Spices

The area is extremely fertile and until recently featured lush plantations of coffee, tea, cardamon, and coconut. With a long history of spice growing, the focus is now on the production of organic black pepper, white pepper, ginger and turmeric.

At a 2006 show, spice growers from Peermade displayed samples of organically grown spices including cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, mace, cloves, turmeric, ginger, vanilla beans, vanilla powder and herbs such as oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary. Oils of thyme and rosemary were also displayed.