SC - Spice, Spicey, and Spicier

[Maryann Olson]

Greetings!

On page 16 of the Old Farmer's Almanac Western Edition-1999, it states that
the cuisines of countries are spicier as they climates get hotter.
Apparently research has been done from Norway to India.  They note that in
India, 70% of the recipes use garlic, onions, and hot peppers; however,
Norway with its lutefisk and lefse seldom use these ingredients.  They also
note that "Hot spices inhibit 75-100 percent of the food-spoilage bacteria
against which they were tested, bacteria that are far more prevalent in hot
regions.  Also, hot spices cool people down by making them sweat."

This interests me for several reasons:  

1) As a modern person, it explains differences.  

2) I am wondering what herbs and spices would have been used by different
personas in a meat pie for instance, that would tell others that they were
English, or German, or Italian, or whatever.  Being a German persona, I want
to be able to make something that is truly "German."  However, if I were to
choose to do "Italian," I would want to be true to that culture.

3) My curiosity wonders if the "myth" that medieval food was spiced to cover
spoilage is related to the realities of keeping things edible faced by
different cultures in different climates.

Any thoughts on this?

Gertraud   

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