G'day

Some historians describing the mediaeval trade in spices say that black pepper, cloves etc. were used to preserve food. Does that work, or do pungent spices simply conceal the taint of spoiling meat?

Regards,


Brett Evill

Well, both. Many times in history there have been food shortages and any meat, rotten or not, would be eaten. Once spices became plentiful they helped to hide the rotten stench. If you count salt as a spice then yes, it does help to preserve the food. Salt is used in pickling and drying foods. It is a natural preservative as are a few other common spices. I'm not sure what those other spices are, but I'm sure you can Google it.

Pepper and other "hot spice" is neutral for micro-organisms. It only affects mammals while insects, replies, birds and bacteria are not affected at all.

quote:

Originally posted by C128:
Pepper and other "hot spice" is neutral for micro-organisms. It only affects mammals while insects, replies, birds and bacteria are not affected at all.

Spoken like an inhabitant of the temperate regions.

There's a reason why traditional dishes in temperate regions use less spices per dish than we do here in the tropics. You guys have natural refrigeration. We don't. That's why we add the spices.

I suggest you take a glance at: ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF SPICES AND HERBS
Copyright 1997 by O. Peter Snyder
Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management; St. Paul, Minnesota

Or

quote:

Top 30 Spices with Antimicrobial Properties
1. Garlic
2. Onion
3. Allspice
4. Oregano
5. Thyme
6. Cinnamon
7. Tarragon
8. Cumin
9. Cloves
10. Lemon grass
11. Bay leaf
12. Capsicums
13. Rosemary
14. Marjoram
15. Mustard
16. Caraway
17. Mint
18. Sage
19. Fennel
20. Coriander
21. Dill
22. Nutmeg
23. Basil
24. Parsley
25. Cardamom
26. Pepper (white/black)
27. Ginger
28. Anise seed
29. Celery seed
30. Lemon/lime

Source: "Antimicrobial Functions of Spices: Why Some Like It Hot," Jennifer Billing and Paul W. Sherman, "The Quarterly Review of Biology", Vol. 73, No.1, March 1998

the spices will not preserve your food, it will just make it taste normal. The Chinese chefs traded the spices to the Europeans telling them that the spices will preserve. Every chef has his/her dirty little secret, even i fool other chefs saying that my spices are specially made. when i buy them from an everyday store.