SC - Piquant foods

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hi all from Anne-Marie
Ras talks about chili peppers and their use.

I'd just like to add that
While medieval European food doesnt use these, you can indeed get quite a
bite with the use of ginger, black pepper, sugar and vinegar. To me, the
term "piquant" refers to a sour/acerbic flavor, like you get with vinegar
and good stout poudre forte. But then I dont like capiscum peppers, so I
may have a unique slant on it...

Ginger, galangale, grains of paradise, cubebs, black pepper, even cinnamon
and clove can combine to give enough of a bite tomake your eyes water, if
you're into that kind of thing.

Here's a brain game for you...imagine chinese food without peppers. No hot
and sour soup! No Kung Pao Chicken! No fishing for those $%& red pepper
pods in your food! Funny how we get used to a cuisine and just assume its
always been that way...one of the dangers of using modern ethnic cookbooks
as a source for "period" recipes.

- --AM, who's idea of chili is beans, meat, onions and tomato paste and a
dash of paprika. My chili cookoff friends are appalled, of course.

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