Masala dabba (spice box) filled with whole spices from Khari Baoli

The definitive functional souvenir: the tool Indian kitchens actually use, filled at the market where the world's spice trade still runs.

Price: 1200 INR (Stainless-steel 7-tin dabba (₹500–800) plus ~400 g mixed whole spices — green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, turmeric — at Old Delhi wholesale prices)

Where to buy: Khari Baoli (Old Delhi, Asia's largest spice market) for spices; steel markets like Chandni Chowk's Bhagirath Palace lanes or any homeware store for the dabba; hammered brass versions at Dilli Haat.

Price checked 2026-07-03

• Whole spices at Khari Baoli cost 60–80% less than Western retail and keep for years — buy whole, never ground, for freshness and customs simplicity
• Green cardamom and good cinnamon (true Ceylon vs cassia — ask) are the biggest arbitrage items
• US CBP: commercially packaged/dried spices are admissible, but declare them; skip seeds intended for planting and anything citrus-leaf based
• GB: dried packaged spices are fine within personal amounts
• Have the shop vacuum-seal your haul — most wholesale stalls will