Week 11: Culinary Spices and Herbs

Question 1

What are culinary spices and herbs?

Answer 1

Aromatic plants and their seeds

Question 2

Where do herbs come from?

Answer 2

come from the leaves of a plant

• onion. parsley, mint

Question 3

Where do spices come from?

Answer 3

come from the seeds, root, fruit, flowers or bark of the plant

• cinnamon, ginger, cumin

Question 4

Spice trade routes

Answer 4

Demand for rare spices and gave way to major trade routes, Christopher Columbus was searching for spices when he landed in America and cut h East Indian company to bring back rare spices to Europe which were really only for the wealthy such as black pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon were extremely valuable and used for seasoning, medicine and preservation.

Question 5

what is piquant?

Answer 5

‘spicy’ spices

Question 6

piquant spices

Answer 6

Question 7

What is the association between latitude and the number of spices used in recipes?

Answer 7

People in warm climates use way more spices even though northern countries have access

Question 8

How can spices benefit health?

Answer 8

They kill bacteria, plant tissues - including those we use for spices - are full of petrochemicals, compounds which give many plants their flavour and plants manufacture numerous chemicals as defences against insects and microbes by poisoning

Question 9

What is the best theory for why recipes from warmer climates include more culinary spices?

Answer 9

• Places where food spoils faster use more bacteria killing spices per recipe and the ones used most often turn out to be the strongest bacteria killers
• the idea of the spices being magical might be why these spices are ingredients (eye of newt is mustard seed, tongue of dog is hounds tongue, lions hair is turnip leaves)

Question 10

Can culinary spices make spoiled food good to eat?

Answer 10

No, they work by keeping fresh meat fresh for longer

Question 11

What are chilli peppers?

Answer 11

Question 12

What are the two classes of chilli peppers?

Answer 12

sweet peppers and hot peppers

Question 13

nutrition of sweet peppers

Answer 13

Question 14

What causes pungency in hot peppers?

Answer 14

The class of compounds causing pungency is capsaicinoids

Question 15

What is the major capsaicinoid in hot chilli peppers?

Answer 15

capsaicin

Question 16

Where is capsaicin primarily found?

Answer 16

white membrane that holds the seeds in the pepper

Question 17

When happens when you eat capsaicin?

Answer 17

Question 18

How is capsaicin heat intensity rated?

Answer 18

intensity of the heat is reported on the scoville heat units (SHU) or is measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Question 19

What are the two capsaicinoids in peppers?

Answer 19

• capsaicin
• dihydrocapsaicin

Question 20

What are some common hot dishes?

Answer 20

• South Asian Vindaloo
  
  • Chinese mapo tofu

Question 21

Why does water not relieve the heat from capsaicin?

Answer 21

Capsaicin is a lipophilic chemical - non polar molecule so will not dissolve in water its just spreads the capsaicin around the mouth

Question 22

What can you do to stop the burn of capsaicin after eating a pepper?

Answer 22

whole milk and icecream - Contain fat, and casein might help remove capsaicin fro the receptor, ice cream is cold and block the signal by numbing it

Question 23

Why eat hot chilli peppers?

Answer 23

• Some foods might be bland like beans and rice so adds flavour
• build up tolerance
• euphoria
• Scoville used as selling point
• Benign masochism and thrill seeking
• Machismo

Question 24

Benign masochism

Answer 24

Enjoying negative experiences that are harmless but brain thinks it is threatening

Question 25

Machismo

Answer 25

Men cultural obligation to be able to handle more painful things

Question 26

In China what association was found between hot chilli peppers and health?

Answer 26

May help you live longer - antimicrobial properties which could slow food spoilage but also reduction of co-morbid deaths such as reduction in cancers, heart disease and respiratory ailments

Question 27

In the US, what association as found btw hot chilli peppers consumption and health?

Answer 27

12% lower morbidity

Question 28

What happened in mice when capsaicin binds to TRPV-1 receptors?

Answer 28

Trigger increase in levels of adiponection

Question 29

What role does adiponection play in the body?

Answer 29

Hormone involved in regulating the sugars in your blood and its linked to both obesity and diabetes and thought to be important for preventing insulin resistance - lower in patients with obesity

Question 30

If capsaicin encourages the production of brown fat, why is that important?

Answer 30

Good fat which helps burn energy to keep you leaner overall

Question 31

If capsaicin block angiogenesis, why is that important?

Answer 31

May prevent growth of new blood vessel which can help shrink or kill tumours

Question 32

In China, what association was found between capsaicin and and sodium consumption?

Answer 32

at about 3 fewer grams of salt a day