the spice myth

[hitchhiker]

https://twitter.com/Raykris1/status/1430414406995697664

Debunks the common myth that spices were used to compensate for the taste of rotted meat.

Using something expensive like spices to compensate for the quality of meat, lot of which was of high quality and was relatively cheaply available does not make sense.

I have to say, I never thought about that before! Read the entire thread, it's great.

Comments

[goss]

*waves hi* (Here via Network list)

I found this a really interesting read, and the historical bias somewhat unsurprising. :b Thank you for sharing it here. :)

[hitchhiker]

welcome :) i found the historical perspective really interesting too, including one of the comments that pointed out the british had a similar myth about french food (that sauces were used to compensate for subpar meat).

[amaebi]

Great indeed!

[freyjaw]

Thanks for getting this thread in my TL. It makes sense.

[minoanmiss]

Absolutely. I'm glad to see someone write it out.

[leiacat]

As a supertaster who finds most things (including most European things) oversauced and overseasoned, I find it curious that we're "supposed to" think that the thing that tastes like itself is superior. As someone who actually does think that, I find myself very much in the minority.

[hitchhiker]

you see it in discussions of indian cooking from people trained in classic french techniques; they feel that indian cuisine is in some sense doing it wrong because the spices aren't just a subtle accent complementing the meat.

and in contrast the one time i tried bouillabaisse i found it practically inedible; the seafood was barely seasoned and the broth tasted watery.

[leiacat]

I'm not exactly a fan of bouillabaisse myself, so can't comment as to it. But if I'm having a duck, I really want to taste the duck. (Chicken could use some help, perhaps, it needs to be an amazingly good chicken to stand up on its own.)

I find (certain sub-types of) French with their mother sauces a bit monotonous at times, and am not a huge fan of mirepoix (obviously, having a problem with one of the ingredients). But then, as someone who finds Brit cuisine plenty tasty, obviously I should not be consulted on flavor.

[hitchhiker]

agreed, there are definitely dishes where the taste of the main ingredient is meant to stand out (duck is a good example) and those can be great too. but as you say it depends a lot on the ingredient, and on the quality of the ingredient. i have no problems with british cuisine either :)