The Gift of the Mysterious World: Spices

Asst. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan's new article in the Journal of Food Taste was featured under the title "Gift of the Mysterious World: Spices". Doğan touched upon issues such as the use of spices and types of spices in his article.

Dr. Instructor Member Murat Doğan,

Dear readers, have you heard of a country called “Baharat”? If you haven't heard, let me tell you: Yes, the official name of a country is BHARAT. In India, Indians do not call their country India. Their country name in their language is BHARAT. When we go into the depths of history, we see that spice is one of the most valuable trade goods and comes from this geography. About the country of origin, we called these mysterious sources of flavor, which exude their scent from heaven, "spices". To name a few of the Indian spices… Adrak (Ginger), Dania (Coriander), Elaiçi (Cardamon), Jaifal (Muscat), Kabab Çani (Allspice), Laung (Clove), Moti Saunf (Fennel), and many more. There are hundreds more besides the familiar spices I have mentioned above. Don't mind if I didn't say black pepper, it is the most known gift of the East. We can say that there have been wars for its sake, continents have been crossed to reach it, and it has even pioneered new geographical discoveries.

Spices are usually herbal, and by drying their flowers, leaves, or bark, they give flavor to the food and heal the sick. It is known that many types of spices have been produced since ancient times and used for medicinal purposes as well as food. Spices such as fennel, thyme, mustard, and saffron are mentioned in historical records found in archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia. The first known and known spice in our geography and Europe was black pepper. Spices, especially black pepper, were brought to the port of Alexandria by caravans and Arab traders. For example, it was thought that cinnamon, which went to Europe in the Middle Ages to make ointments and medicines, was grown in the Arabian geography. Merchants wouldn't tell the truth because it suits them. All of the spices were either grown in India or came to India from Far East countries such as Ceylon and Indonesia. Skoridos, a physician and pharmacologist (pharmacologist) from Anavarza (close to Adana), who lived during the Roman Empire, in his work "The Persians brought ginger to the Greeks," without knowing that ginger came from India. Ginger played a large role in the cooking of the Romans. In the Byzantine period, spices were brought to Anatolia by caravans via African countries. The spices that came to Southern Anatolia on camels were then sent to Constantinople from there.

Spices began to be brought to Iskenderun by sea during the Ottoman Period. Due to the difficulty and cost of the route, some spices began to be grown in our lands over time. However, some spice varieties such as black pepper and nutmeg, which cannot be grown due to unsuitable climatic conditions, are still imported by our country today.

Today, Indians use spice most, but it is widely used in Europe and America. The importance of spices, especially in Italian and French cuisines, cannot be disputed. We cannot imagine pizza or Bouillabaisse (Buuyebez-Marseille fish soup with saffron) without spices.

Coming to our country, we use spices too much to be underestimated. According to the changing and developing food culture, the use of spices in food has increased or decreased over time. As we all know, we can say that the region where spices are mostly produced and used in dishes in our country is the result of the historical interaction of Southeastern Anatolia with the Arabian food culture. One of the most important virtues of a good cook is knowing the spices well, and knowing where and when to use them very well. Some consist of leaves as in mint, rosemary, and thyme, seeds like pepper and mustard, fruits like juniper, and underground tubers like onions and garlic.

If you wish, let's talk about the use of spices in food. The most consumed meat dishes, one of our favorite food types, are those prepared with red meat. We usually fry or boil red meat. We know that red meat is tough because it contains too many veins. Therefore, if we are going to grill the meat, we should marinate it for a few days with the appropriate spices. For example; For 1 kg of red meat, 1 tea glass of onion juice, 1 tea glass of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of red pepper powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 4 cloves of crushed garlic will be sufficient. If it is boiled meat, the spices should be put first. If it is added later, when the meat is started to be boiled, the flavor of the meat cannot be captured. We smell heavy spices. Similarly, we can use spices for frying and boiling white meats such as chicken. However, I do not recommend using onion juice due to its strong odor. We can limit the marinating time to a few hours. In fish dishes, we use bay leaves, rosemary, and black peppercorns for steaming. We may prefer to use ginger and tarragon in fish dishes with sauce.

If you want, let's finish by talking about new scientific developments. Although the inclusion of spices in whole or ground form still maintains its importance, advances in food science and technology have enabled the extraction of extracts, that is, the active ingredients of many spices. In addition to these, it has many advantages in terms of obtaining and using many products such as various food supplements, essential oils, and different spice mixtures. For example, the color substance Curcumin in turmeric is extracted as an extract and used as a support in cancer treatments.

If you are aware, we made a brief introduction to the mysterious world of spices. We will go into more detail in the next articles. Stay healthy…

We congratulate asst. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan and wish him success in his work.