Lecture 9: Spices Flashcards
What part of the plant can be considered a spice?
aromatic fruits, flowers, bark, or other plant parts
The aroma, fragrance or “spiciness” is given by the chemicals produced within ______.
secretory tissues
True or False: Spices are also powerful antibiotics and can be used a preservatives.
True
______ smells have been associated with immortality and _____ smells have been used in rituals to appease benevolent spirits.
Pleasant, good
What is the latin name for perfume and incense?
“by smoke”
“that which is lit”
What is the first documented story of spices?
1000 BC Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia/Yemen region) went to visit King Solomon and bared gifts of spices and gold.
What spices made Sheba rich?
commerce with spices: myrrh, black pepper, cloves, ginger & cinnamon
_____ is a red brown resin that is a ancient constituent of perfumes and incense, worth more than its weight in gold
Myrrh
What are two physiological properties of Myrrh?
Antiseptic
Stimulant
In the _______, there are various songs about spices.
Song of Solomon
Spices were used in early _______ as aromatic body ointments and pomades
Egypt
What are examples of perfumes and fragrances the egyptians used?
almond, cedar (Cedrus spp. not Thuja!), cinnamon, citron, ginger, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, pine, juniper, myrrh
_____ is the process where the body eviscerated and filled with spices. Sewn up and placed in sodium solution for 70 days. Wrapped in linen and smeared with gum.
Embalming
In Medieval Europe, _______ was so valuable that it was often used as a collateral or even as a currency.
black pepper
In black & white pepper, The fruit is a ______
drupe
___ pepper is the entire fruit harvested green and dried (peppercorn); _____ pepper is just the pit after the external part of the fruit is removed)
black, white
What is the chemical in black pepper?
piperine
What spice is a antioxidant and accelerates energy metabolism in the body and also increases the serotonin and beta-endorphin production in the brain.
Black and White pepper
Pepper is a vine native to where?
SE Asia
_____ is used against nausea, dizziness, and vomiting as symptoms of motion sickness, and vomiting during pregnancy (Gravol!).
Ginger
What are three physiological symptoms ginger can treat?
Antioxidant
Gastrointestinal problems
Anti-inflammatory
What part of the ginger plant is used?
Rhizome
True or False: Ginger is naive to South Asia
True
In ____, the spice comes from the bark of the small tree.
Cinnamon
What spice has antiviral properties, can prevent colon cancer, and improves glucose and lipid levels in people with type 2 diabetes?
Cinnamon
_____ is native to India and Sri Lanka (S Asia)
Cinnamon
What is the chemical in cinnamon that activates the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response in human epithelial colon cells?
cinnamic aldehyde
____ is a a tree native to Indonesia, used from dried flower buds.
Cloves
What are 3 used for cloves?
Clove oil (Eugenol) is used in stomatology (mild anesthetic and temporary fillings)
Reduces blood sugar levels
Tellimagrandin II with anti-herpes virus properties
True or False: Cinnamon was valued in China, where they were used to sweeten the breath of court officials before they addressed the emperor.
False, cloves
How were spices traded across vast distances?
Camel caravans carried spices from Somalia & Ethiopia and spices from India and beyond to the Mediterranean ports of Gaza and Alexandria
The land route of the ancient spice trade route is known as _____.
Incense road
65 stages, each a suitable halt for camels.
True or False: The desire for incense & spice had a significant impact on the early history of world exploration, colonization and trade.
True
What plant protects against colon cancer?
Cinnamon
