Spice
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A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavoring.
Many of the same substances have other uses in which they are referred to by different terms, e. g. in food preservation, medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, perfumery or as vegetables. For example, turmeric is also used as a preservative; licorice as a medicine; garlic as a vegetable and nutmeg as a recreational drug.
Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes. Herbs, such as basil or oregano, may be used fresh, and are commonly chopped into smaller pieces; spices, however, are dried and usually ground into a powder.
[edit] History
Spices have been prominent in human history virtually since their inception. Spices were among the most valuable items of trade in the ancient and medieval world. In the story of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to spice merchants. In the biblical poem Song of Solomon, the male speaker compares his beloved to many forms of spices.
Spices were one of the primary reasons Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama sailed to India in 1499. After Christopher Columbus returned from the Americas, he described to investors the many new spices available there.[citation needed]
[edit] Further reading
- Turner, Jack (2004). Spice: The History of a Temptation. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40721-9.
- Food Bacteria-Spice Survey Shows Why Some Cultures Like It Hot Quote: "...Garlic, onion, allspice and oregano, for example, were found to be the best all-around bacteria killers (they kill everything)...Top 30 Spices with Antimicrobial Properties..."
- August 18, 1998, Common Kitchen Spices Kill E. Coli O157:H7 Quote: "...The study is the first in the United States that looks at the effect of common spices on E. coli O157:H7. Previous studies have concluded spices kill other foodborne pathogens. "In the first part of our study, we tested 23 spices against E. coli O157:H7 in the laboratory," Fung said. "We found that several spices are good at killing this strain of E. coli."..."
