[Sca-cooks] Hot Peppers

[margali]

Was replying to the list in general - there being enough contrasting
discussion going on, just wanted people to realize that spicy is hot,
pungent is hot as well;-)

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
> Margali, i am not assuming your message was directed exclusively at
> me, since i consider messages posted to the list to be part of a
> conversation among many participants, but i will respond...

> And the time i put a huge honkin' raw horseradish root in a food
> processer to make a puree - whew! has to open the windows for quite a
> long time! It was for a sauce from de Nola. In addition to the
> horseradish, it included almonds and white wine with a little sugar
> and a little salt and it came out delicious and relatively mild. But
> the first step in processing it was painful, indeed.

Lol, I feel your pain...done it myself. Came to the decision to use the
preground horseradish for ever after...I ended up getting the scott
airpack out to finish as it was a very nasty winter in western NY state
and if the windows were open i would freeze while trying to cook...

>
>> secundus, cinnamon IS hot. in the chemical burn your mouth way that
>> capsicum is. to whit - atomic fireballs candy is hot by everybodies
>> definition, and it is heatened with cinnamon oil.
>
>
> The extracted oil is very pedas, and I know that foods and beverages
> with cinnamon oil can be quite pedas.
>
> But it's not what most of us use in cooking. I have not experienced
> an increase in heat (pedas) with cinnamon sticks, either cassia or
> true cinnamon, nor with cinnamon powder used in what i consider
> normal quantities

Actually, if you used a selection of the medieval spices in a balanced
mix, you would break a sweat as well...

>
> Personally, i dislike what i consider the overuse of cinnamon in
> sweet baked goods in America, when there are so many other flavors
> (sometimes the fruit alone is sufficient), since it lends a single
> note to a wide variety of dishes (scones, muffins, pies, sweet
> yeasted rolls, etc.)
>
> However, in savory dishes, i find that cinnamon used with other
> spices adds depth and richness to the flavor. I think cinnamon is
> super with meat - which i was familiar with from all the ethnic
> cooking i've been eating for almost 40 years - before i began cooking
> Medieval food 3 years ago.

I like a nifty flavoring agent - fiore di sicilia - citrus and vanilla.
fades into the background and that combined with nutmeg is what makes
commercial donuts taste way different than homemade. most people didnt
have access to it until king arthur flour started selling it. I
personally like allspice in baked goods...


> A personal illustration of the *hot* cinnamon oil or extract issue:
>
> Back a decade or more ago - whenever it was that "Iron John" came out
> and it became popular to have men's drumming circles, at a large
> Pagan festival i attended, a group of men decided to have an all
> men's ritual. So far, so good. As part of their anointing, the ritual
> organizers decided to include cinnamon oil.
>
> I know to use it with great caution, and dilute it with a neutral
> vegetable oil, with my experience making soap from scratch, and
> making ritual oils, incenses, bath salts and herbal bath bags.
>
> But they were using straight cinnamon. The men in the circle were
> naked. They were instructed to anoint their tender male genital
> tissue with the cinnamon oil. Big mistake. I don't know if anyone
> blistered, but many were in extreme pain.
>
> I will add that since i'm not a man i didn't experience this
> personally, but i did get to hear the stories the next day. I would
> certainly know better than to apply it to my tender female genital
> tissue - what a scary thought!

sort of like the prak of putting wintergreen sports salve in a jock
strap...owie!

>
>> Having dealt with flavor profile designers at US fodservices, i learned
>> way more about commercialy prepared food products than i ever wanted;-)
>
>
> Sounds interesting - and such knowledge probably induced more than a
> little shuddering...
>
> I read "Fast Food Nation", and i found the chapter on food flavorings
> fascinating... Made me want to learn more about that aspect of the
> food industry - and made me read the labels on processed foods i buy
> with a new eye. (i always read labels before i buy - even familiar
> products can change their ingredients)
>
> Anahita

Yup - though not as terrorizing as actually touring a prep facility for
usda commodities for agency use - the cheese processing facility in
hartford springs to mind. Not to mention the repackaging of certain
types of baked goods for selling in the caffeteria [like individually
wrapped muffins and the like] eep!
margali