Scientists Explain Why Vegetable Recipes Skimp on Spices

[Guest guest]

http://www.sciam.com/news/071101/3.html

Scientists Explain Why Vegetable Recipes Skimp on Spices

 

Several years ago, a team of researchers from Cornell University proposed that

the spices used in traditional meat-based

cuisines originally served not as flavour, but to stave off bacteria and fungi.

Now new research is providing further

food for thought: findings reported in the June issue of Evolution and Human

Behavior explain why vegetable-based dishes

tend to lack such spiciness.

 

Plants, it turns out, don't require so much protection against micro-organisms

as meats because they have their own

natural chemical and physical defenses, which continue to function after

cooking. Cornell neurobiologist Paul W. Sherman

and undergraduate Geoffrey Hash thus predicted that if spices first served as

antimicrobials, especially in warmer

climates, vegetable recipes in the same countries surveyed for the meat research

should feature fewer spices. Subsequent

investigation bore this out. Analysing 2,129 traditional vegetable recipes from

36 different countries, the team found

that spice usage was far lower than that found in meat-based dishes from the

same cultures. Indeed, of the 41 spices

considered, 38 appear more frequently in meat recipes; the three that don't fit

this pattern-sesame, caraway and sweet

pepper-offer little protection anyway.

 

" Humans have always been in a co-evolutionary race with parasites and pathogens

in foods, and our cookbooks are the

written record of that race, " Sherman asserts. " We haven't had to 'run' as hard

when we ate vegetables. We haven't had

to use extra pharmaceuticals to make vegetables safe for consumption. " -Kate

Wong

 

========================

Good Health & Long Life,

Greg Watson,

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gowatson

gowatson

[Guest guest]

Yes, but Greg, they are not taking into consideration that herb spices are

medicinal as well. If they would have looked up the properties of all the

spices, they would have found that out. As far as meat spoilage goes, I

asked my mother what they did without refrigeration when she was a child in

Florida here where I live. She said when they butchered meat, they shared

with their neighbors(and neighbors did likewise) some hung up in the barn to

age. However, once meat was cooked, but not all eaten, it was boiled at

every meal time and no one ever EVER got sick. At night the meat was covered

and stored on the porch(coolest place they had)I was so surprised that they

had a method of keeping from getting sick like that. I'm so glad I asked

her. Even though I am now vegan, I was curious about that, and it is good

information to know. My mom is 81 years old.

Elaine

-

" Greg Watson " <gowatson

" Health AntiAgingResearch " <AntiAgingResearch >

Thursday, July 12, 2001 2:23 AM

[herbal remedies] Scientists Explain Why Vegetable Recipes Skimp on

Spices

 

 

> http://www.sciam.com/news/071101/3.html

> Scientists Explain Why Vegetable Recipes Skimp on Spices

>

> Several years ago, a team of researchers from Cornell University proposed

that the spices used in traditional meat-based

> cuisines originally served not as flavour, but to stave off bacteria and

fungi. Now new research is providing further

> food for thought: findings reported in the June issue of Evolution and

Human Behavior explain why vegetable-based dishes

> tend to lack such spiciness.

>

> Plants, it turns out, don't require so much protection against

micro-organisms as meats because they have their own

> natural chemical and physical defenses, which continue to function after

cooking. Cornell neurobiologist Paul W. Sherman

> and undergraduate Geoffrey Hash thus predicted that if spices first served

as antimicrobials, especially in warmer

> climates, vegetable recipes in the same countries surveyed for the meat

research should feature fewer spices. Subsequent

> investigation bore this out. Analysing 2,129 traditional vegetable recipes

from 36 different countries, the team found

> that spice usage was far lower than that found in meat-based dishes from

the same cultures. Indeed, of the 41 spices

> considered, 38 appear more frequently in meat recipes; the three that

don't fit this pattern-sesame, caraway and sweet

> pepper-offer little protection anyway.

>

> " Humans have always been in a co-evolutionary race with parasites and

pathogens in foods, and our cookbooks are the

> written record of that race, " Sherman asserts. " We haven't had to 'run' as

hard when we ate vegetables. We haven't had

> to use extra pharmaceuticals to make vegetables safe for

consumption. " -Kate Wong