SC - Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.

[LYN M PARKINSON]

Philippa,

>> I quite understand growing up using what to some would be "heavy
handed" spicing, but for what reason did this heavy use of spice start? 
It is now tradition, but what were the origins?  And even if it weren't
to cover the taste of meat going slightly "off", could it have been
because the wild vegetables and gamier meat had stronger basic flavors
which are balanced better by stronger spicing?<<



If you try eating the dandelion greens and other wild herbs, you will
find them to be quite bitter.  A great deal of game has a strong taste
compared to our supermarket meats.  These would be very good reasons to
add sugar to so many foods and to use many spices.  Given the natural
foods and the use of verjuice in so many receipts, I think that medieval
preferances must have been rather different from ours.  Personally, I
don't much like 'sour' and do not at all enjoy 'bitter'.  And, I'm far
too fond of salt.  A medieval diner, transported to one of my feasts
would very likely say 'Yech!' to even my carefully redacted attempts. 
And I'd do the same in reverse...  :-p



However carefully we attempt to redact, there is a certain propensity for
tastes in the modern palate that I believe are different than the period
ones.  We do the best we can, but do we really think we're doing the
same?  I don't.


As for the current heavy use of pepper in foods, I think that followed
the popularity of Mexican--or American-version Mexican--foods.  Tests
have been done by restaurant chains and food companies, and they have
found that more people ate more food if it were heavily spiced.  



Allison