Food Theory: You are WRONG About Spices!

Hello Internet! Welcome to Food Theory, the show  that's hotter than a ghost pepper and just as likely to make you cry. Today is going to be a  spicy episode all about spices. Specifically, why spices, though? As in why do we use  them? That at first might seem like a dumb question. We use spices because  it makes the food taste better. Duh. But not so fast. Other animals don't spice their  food, which means that within the animal kingdom, humans are unique in this way. Sure, there are  some pri

mates like chimpanzees that are known to chew bitter leaves before they eat, which  suggests that they might be trying to enhance the flavor of what they're about to consume.  But overall, humans are very differentiated in the fact that we use spices. And that's kind of  a big deal, other traits that you'd assume are uniquely human are totally not: Having a sense  of morality? Nope, rats and monkeys have both been shown to reject food in order to prevent  another animal from receiving electric s

hocks. Burying the dead? No again, both elephants  and magpies have been observed engaging in what's known as body care when another animal  in their species dies, basically covering the body with leaves and branches, sometimes even  dirt, to protect the body from scavengers. Even tool use is a trait that is shared  between us and certain species of crow. So the fact that we're practically alone in our use  of spice is weird. But perhaps weirdest of all, the things that make spices spicy are ave

rsive  chemicals, which evolved specifically to keep organisms away. These chemicals are specifically  harmful or painful to insects, fungi, bacteria, and oh yeah, mammals; a category that  we humans happen to be a part of. The sensation of spiciness is literally your  pain receptors being activated. You'd think that animals would perceive that as a bad thing, and  indeed it is a bad thing for all other animals, including mammals. And yet here we are  actively seeking it out. So why? Why are we

doing it? What is the history of human  spice use? And what, if any, evolutionary advantage has it served us over the years? First, it's important to note that spices never used to be as plentiful as they are now. During  the Middle Ages, a pound of black pepper was equivalent to 18 days wages for a common person.  Compare that to today, it’s around $4, basically half an hour's wages at minimum wage. A pound of  nutmeg back in the day? That would trade for seven healthy oxen as opposed to $20 of

modern currency. Of course, the high cost of many spices in Europe throughout much of recorded history is explained  by the fact that these things had to be imported and international shipping was a lot slower and  a lot more expensive when those things had to be done via horseback. But as you can imagine, with  prices like that, spices, especially when you're talking about Asian spices, were used mainly  by the extremely wealthy in medieval Europe, which means that the next time you sprinkle s

ome  ground pepper on your meal or you order a cinnamon latte from Starbucks, take a minute to appreciate  that you're quite literally living like a king. Thus, it should come as no surprise that  the cultures that have a long history of cooking with spices are the ones where those  spices are native to the region. For instance, the famous habanero chili pepper originates  in the Amazon. Ah, rainforest, not online store. And thus all the countries that have  a long history of cooking with the ha

banero chili are located in and around Latin America. Ditto for peppers like the jalapeno. On the other hand, in certain parts of the world, namely  Europe, spices were much less abundant. That's why northern European countries are known  for having food that's notoriously bland. Ummm, sorry, I actually don't want to make  any enemies here. So let's just say that the flavors of northern European countries are  more… subtle, than the spice you're cooking that you find closer to the equator. But a

vailability only tells us part of the story. For example, take the Thai chili commonly  used in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and, of course, Thailand. This Thai  chili must then have originated in Thailand. Obvious answer is obvious, right? wrong!  Like the habanero and jalapeno, the Thai chili actually originated in Latin America.  Before they made their way over to Thailand. The Thai chili was more commonly known as  the Bird's Eye Chili. In fact, that seems to be true for

almost all known species of chili.  Ironically enough, the pepper famously known as the Thai chili didn't make its way to Thailand  until the 16th century, when traders brought it over as part of the Columbian Exchange.  Yup. Columbian as in Christopher Columbus. If you want more info on that world shaping event,  check out last week's episode where we explored the food that they ate during the medieval times  by looking at Medieval Times; the restaurants. It is wild how much the Columbian Exch

ange  changed the face of food from around the world, and peppers were obviously one major part of that.  By the way, the fact that Christopher Columbus is responsible for introducing chilies to the rest  of the world is also the reason that they're called chili peppers, despite the fact that  these chilies look nothing like these peppers. You see, pepper and chili plants have two totally  different genuses. A pepper is a member of the genus Piper, while chilis are members of  the genus Capsicum

. The reason why Chili Peppers are often called peppers is actually  due to just historical error. In his classic signature move of just slapping on whatever  label he felt like, Columbus tasted chilies that were native to Latin America and was  like, Hey, these are some hot, spicy plants. They must be related to that spicy black pepper  that we have over in India. And from there, the name just kind of stuck despite the plants  being completely unrelated. Back to the point, though, none of this

answers the question of  why early people started harvesting and farming spices to begin with. If you're a subsistence  farmer, a.k.a a farmer who grows crops mainly for yourself and your family, adding things to  your food just because it tastes good? Seems like a luxury that takes away from time that you  could be using to grow more nutritious food. So why are you doing it then? And more  importantly, why would cultures that use spices outcompete those that don't in the evolutionary  battle ro

yale? What do I mean by that? Well, from an evolutionary perspective, a culture that  wastes time and resources growing and eating, things that don't have nutrition and are literally  trying to be caustic to potential predators. Yeah, they should probably lose out to a culture  that doesn't waste a bunch of time and resources on that very thing. And yet, here we are, a  spice loving society. Survival of the fittest has dictated that spice savors’ survive.  But why? What gives? Well, I suspect th

at there are a handful of factors all at play here.  First, notice the list that I mentioned earlier. Spices have chemicals that serve to keep  organisms away. Things like bacteria, fungi and insects. That's good news for us because  less bacteria means that the food is going to be able to last for longer periods of time. In short,  foods that are heavily spiced are much less likely to rot. Now, take a look at this map and notice  where in the world cultures use the most spices. If you look at w

hich parts of the world are home  to the people with a long cultural history of using spice in their food, high on the list  are countries like India, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Notice anything about all  those countries? They're all near the equator, meaning that they're more likely to have  themselves a hot climate. More heat means greater risk of meat rotting and rotting meat  can be home to all sorts of harmful pathogens. So a good spice rub or anything that can help  reduce t

hat risk can result in a big health benefit. Sure, it might not be as good as chocking  that big old steak in your freezer for the next year until you're ready to eat it. But a little  preservation of food is going to go a long way in the days before refrigeration becomes mainstream. Also, look at this. Most traditional recipes seem to use spices in ways that maximize their  effectiveness. For example, cilantro is a spice that has antimicrobial properties, but only when  it's fresh. Cooking the

cilantro actually kills a lot of those health benefits. Now, look at how  cilantro tends to be used in various cultures: Mexican salsa, guacamole, ceviche, all places  where cilantro is kept fresh and uncooked. Indian curries and chutneys, again cilantro  gets sprinkled on top fresh. Cilantro in Vietnamese Pho, thrown in at the end fresh. In  the Middle East, cilantro is used in Tabouli, a cool, fresh salad. The cultures that have  lasted to pass down the recipes and the recipes that persist to

this very day are the ones  that preserve the natural health properties of the ingredients that they're using. On the other hand, if you look at spices that do get cooked, they tend to be things like  onions, garlic, chilies, spices that maintain their antimicrobial properties even after the  cooking process. All of these points support the idea that spices benefited early humans by  adding microbe killing properties to their food, reducing the risk of getting sick  from the stuff that they were

eating. And what's even more fascinating is that these  cooking practices date back thousands of years to a time way before we understood what microbes  even were. I mean, our understanding of bacteria didn't come around until the 1800s. If we  follow the theory of cultural evolution, the early people that started using spices in their  cooking had a higher likelihood of surviving. They might not have known why people who  eat spicy foods seem to get sick less and live longer lives. But over ti

me, in certain  parts of the world, the cultures that used spices in their cookings were the ones that  outlasted the others and the cultures that didn't tended to die out, or at least adapt  the practices of using spice for themselves. And over time, scientists have come to a better  understanding of why those long enduring foods are more beneficial. Maybe that's a lesson  that all of us can take away today. Lots of traditional recipes had health benefits long  before we understood the scientif

ic reasons behind why they were beneficial in the first  place. And that's not all. While the spices themselves may not have nutritional value. By enhancing the flavor of food, spices may result in people just eating more. In one  study published in 2008, researchers found that by adding spices, test subjects on average  eat 60 more calories per meal. Now, it might not seem like that big of a difference, but it  is a difference. And in the game of survival, every extra bit of energy is going to

matter. Another study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that adding red pepper  to a meal increased both energy intake and feelings of fullness for overweight and obese  participants. The researchers suggested that the increased caloric intake may have been due  to the pleasant sensation of warmth from the pepper and the desire to just drink more water.  In the end, I wanted to bring this random topic up because at every step along the way it shows  us that there are hidden tru

ths under everything. These things we call Thai Chili Peppers?  Not actually Thai, not actually peppers. It was all because of one shady, geographically  challenged dude from the 15th century. Why do certain cuisines taste blander than others?  Blame Columbus, again. We eat spices because they taste good. But why do they taste good?  Why does our body crave them? Because they literally helped our ancestors survive, despite  being actively caustic to other creatures. Why do certain recipes surviv

e throughout history?  Because those are the recipes that preserve the natural health effects of their ingredients,  thereby helping our ancestors survive and pass those recipes onto us today. The history of  food is literally the history of life itself and you know what? That is pretty darn cool. But hey!  that's just a theory, A FOOD THEORY! Bon appétit. And hey, if you want another really awesome  episode, check out our explanation of why everything tastes like chicken. Guess who's to  blame?

Yep! But also, there's a lot of chemistry involved. That link is on the left. Lick it, stick  it. Whatever you do, just make sure you watch it. Meanwhile, the video on the right is one that  YouTube actively chose for you, saying it's the best possible video for you to watch right now. Let me know if it was a good choice down in the comments below. And as  always, I'll see you next week.