Darwinian Gastronomy And Are Spices Actually Useful?

Spices – a culinary term; whether pepper or thyme in England we say just spice. Paul Sherman and Jennifer Billing wrote in one of their articles: "Aromatic plants have been used for the preparation and preservation (canning) of food [...] for thousands of years." They also happen to be the authors of “Darwinian Gastronomy” which studies the effect of spices and their usefulness for people.

The Silk Road And The Spice History

During the Middle Ages many people (Marco Polo, Magellan, Christopher Columbus) embarked onperilous voyages to distant lands to find new ways to trade spice. As early as 408 years during the siege of Rome, the Goths wanted a ransom from the emperor, including 1500 kg of pepper.

In different parts of the world a variety of spices are used in different quantities. It's all about the climate and culture. Of course that wasabi is not one of the most popular spices in England, becauseit only grows in Japan and only under very specific conditions. But there is another reason which I will dwell on a little later.

Are Spices Useful?

In 1999, Paul Sherman and Jennifer Billing did a research on spices that are used around the world and published an article titled "Darwinian Gastronomy: Why we use spices" The subtitle of the article reads: "Spices are tasty because they are useful." All spices contain secondary metabolism substances called phytochemicals. They serve as a defense mechanism of plants that have no choice but to conduct a chemical warfare with all its

enemies. These substances prevent the herbivores, insects, fungi, pathogens, parasites, etc.. Most spices contain dozens of secondary substances - a recipe for survival.

Phytochemicals

(from the Greek "phyto" – plant)

Phytochemicals aresubstances that plantsproduce. They areresponsible for the colourand organolepticproperties such as thedeep purple color ofblueberries and thecharacteristic smell ofthe garlic. The term isused for substanceswhich have a biological importants - antioxidants, but are not essential nutrients. Scientists estimate that there are about 10,000 different phytochemicals that can have a positive effect in diseases such as cancer, stroke and others.

Over time, man has learned that in addition to providing flavour, spices protect against harmful microorganisms that are transmitted through food. All that thanks to phytochemicals. Ultimately, these same insects, fungi, pathogens, parasites and whatnot, attack the food we eat daily. The use of spices was an obvious solution to this problem for our ancestors. The practice goes even further. In many, if not all cultures can be seen traditional remedies based on a range of spices. Sherman and Billing viewed 4578 traditional recipes from 93 cookbooks (36 countries) and created a list of 43 different spices used in these recipes / countries. Then, by conducting laboratory experiments with various bacteria and fungi, the scientists found that 30 out of 43 spices prevent at least 25% of the tested bacteria. Out of these, 15 species are effective against 75% of the tested bacteria. The best inhibitors according to their study are garlic, onion and oregano.

Flavours Throughout The World

Did you notice, that in warmer countries they use more spices than in the colder ones? For example,in Norway they use 10 basic spices, whereas in India the number reaches 25. In Hungary, which is located in the temperate climate zone you use an average of 21 seasonings. This is due to the fact that in warmer climates, meat and all food spoils faster and requires adding more inhibitors of harmful organisms.

Normally, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example, it is a blasphemy and a terrible pizza cooking sin to add more than salt & black ground pepper to the pizza sauce. Sometimes, it's all about the final taste.

Flavouring foodaccording to climatedifferences coincideswith the fact thatAsian cuisine istraditionally spicy,while northerncuisine use less.

It is interesting toknow that spicestend to work betterin combination –the so-called“synergies”, as

Sherman and Billing name them. Some combinations have become so popular that even have their own names. One of the many examples is the French "quatre spice" - a combination of black pepper, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. This mix is commonly used in the production of sausages (botulus - lat.), which develop bacteria that produce the botulinum toxin. Other examples are curry (containing at least 22 separate seasonings) "5 spice", Chile (10 spices), and much more.

Strictly speaking about food quality, you won't achieve the greatest cooking results even if youuse the most entangling spice combinations, when your oven is dirty and rusty. Try to take a good care of it, especially clean well the cavity of the stove. This is a household chore, that should happen at least once in every two months, advise professional Ashford oven cleaners.

Can Spices Harm Us?

As with most objects in this world, overuse of spices does not lead to good results. Although as already mentioned, many cultures use herbs and spices as traditional remedies, sometimes they can do more damage than good. In large doses, phytochemicals are becoming phytotoxins that may impair health.