Week 11: Culinary Spices and Herbs Flashcards
What are culinary spices and herbs?
Aromatic plants and their seeds
Where do herbs come from?
come from the leaves of a plant
- onion. parsley, mint
Where do spices come from?
come from the seeds, root, fruit, flowers or bark of the plant
- cinnamon, ginger, cumin
Spice trade routes
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.
what is piquant?
‘spicy’ spices
piquant spices
What is the association between latitude and the number of spices used in recipes?
People in warm climates use way more spices even though northern countries have access
How can spices benefit health?
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
What is the best theory for why recipes from warmer climates include more culinary spices?
- 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)
Can culinary spices make spoiled food good to eat?
No, they work by keeping fresh meat fresh for longer
What are chilli peppers?
What are the two classes of chilli peppers?
sweet peppers and hot peppers
nutrition of sweet peppers
What causes pungency in hot peppers?
The class of compounds causing pungency is capsaicinoids
What is the major capsaicinoid in hot chilli peppers?
capsaicin
Where is capsaicin primarily found?
white membrane that holds the seeds in the pepper
When happens when you eat capsaicin?
How is capsaicin heat intensity rated?
intensity of the heat is reported on the scoville heat units (SHU) or is measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
What are the two capsaicinoids in peppers?
- capsaicin
- dihydrocapsaicin
What are some common hot dishes?
- South Asian Vindaloo
- Chinese mapo tofu
Why does water not relieve the heat from capsaicin?
Capsaicin is a lipophilic chemical - non polar molecule so will not dissolve in water its just spreads the capsaicin around the mouth
What can you do to stop the burn of capsaicin after eating a pepper?
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
Why eat hot chilli peppers?
- 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
Benign masochism
Enjoying negative experiences that are harmless but brain thinks it is threatening
Machismo
Men cultural obligation to be able to handle more painful things
In China what association was found between hot chilli peppers and health?
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
In the US, what association as found btw hot chilli peppers consumption and health?
12% lower morbidity
What happened in mice when capsaicin binds to TRPV-1 receptors?
Trigger increase in levels of adiponection
What role does adiponection play in the body?
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
If capsaicin encourages the production of brown fat, why is that important?
Good fat which helps burn energy to keep you leaner overall
If capsaicin block angiogenesis, why is that important?
May prevent growth of new blood vessel which can help shrink or kill tumours
In China, what association was found between capsaicin and and sodium consumption?
at about 3 fewer grams of salt a day
