Winter Foodlore

 India’s Winter Masala

India’s garam masala (‘hot spice’) is popular during the cold months. It is a combination of spices that have been lightly roasted and powdered together. Stirred into curries and soups, sprinkled onto rice, and sometimes added to pies, it has been said to dispel the winter woes.  Here are the ingredients:

Cloves: In winter, they can help improve blood circulation and digestive system. 

Cardamom:  Folklore has it that this warming spice can balance the body’s Ayurvedic energies (Vada, Pitta and Kapha) that circulate in the body.

Black Pepper: Once a sought-after spice, it boosts appetite and helps to ward off viruses.

Cumin seeds: Used for centuries to cure colds and treat coughs. This earthy, flavorful spice maintains reproductive health and is also a powerful disinfectant.

Cinnamon: Herb lore reports that it brings relief from arthritis, sharpens the brain and fights bacteria.

How Much Do You Know About Black Pepper?

According to some legends if you sprinkle pepper onto some soil in a flower pot, a small plant will magically spring life. It will be ready to grant you three wishes.

The Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup was made during the Revolutionary War to take advantage of the lack of food supplies the Continental Army had to work with. Peppercorns, along with meat scraps were said to ‘fire’ the army up so that, at last, they won the war.

Related Information:

Mountain Foodlore

Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup

Black Pepper & Other Spices

The food we eat forms the basis of our food lore. What we believe about our food – how to grow it, prepare it and serve it – all go into food lore. Around the world, customs and traditions have been built upon food which is, undoubtedly, one of the most important elements of our survival.

Holidays and other gatherings that note rites of passage or seasonal changes always include communal eating in some fashion or other. No matter what region of the world you are in, you will find there are many ways to spice up your food.

One of the more common spices is pepper.

Contrary to belief, pepper isn’t just found in the tiny little grains that are put on top of salads. Pepper comes from a flowered plant that is dried and made into a seasoning. It is generally found in India or in any tropical region since that is where the plant flourishes. Ground into powder it has been used as medicine and is actually the world's most traded spice!

Referred to as “black gold” because of its importance and how highly sought after it was, it was often the specific treasure explorers sought. This "king of spices" was so valuable that in ancient Greece and Rome it was used as currency and even as recently as 19th century Massachusetts; it was the source of wealth for some of America’s first millionaires.

Spices in general enhance the flavor of foods. Here are some common spices:

· Anise: a very sweet spice, often described as a licorice-like taste. Hippocrates suggested using anise to control coughing and King Edward IV slept on linen perfumed with anise.

· Caraway: the oldest known spice that was even sometimes used as medicine. It is called "Roman cumin" in the Far East. King Richard II's master chefs combined caraway with coriander, garlic and pepper in their recipe records, Form of Cury.

· Cinnamon: This Indian native spice is definitely a kitchen staple. It was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs. Arab traders brought it to Alexandria, Egypt, where it was sold to Venentian trades.

· Paprika: made from dried red chile peppers. Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing it to Europe. By the 16^th century, it had reached the Balkans and then soon migrated to Hungary.

What’s your favorite spice? Let us know!

Cinnamon: A Holiday Spice

As the holiday season quickly approaches, so do the spicy sweets. Think gingerbread and cinnamon rolls. When it comes to winter treats, cinnamon is one of the most commonly used spices during the holiday season. Dating back to 2800 B.C. Chinese records, it has long been a highly desired and fragrant commodity.

A native of Sri Lanka, (known as kwai in the Chinese language today) its botanical name is from the Hebraic and Arabic term amomon, which means fragrant spice plant. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their embalming process. Ironically, the Italians called the cinnamon sticks canella, meaning "little tube," after their word for ‘cannon’.

Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their embalming process. Medieval physicians used cinnamon in medicines to treat coughing and sore throats. In Ancient Rome, cinnamon was used during funeral processions. In 65 AD, Roman Emperor Nero burned a year's supply of prized cinnamon at his second wife Poppaea Sabina's funeral in order to show the depth of his grief and remorse for having murdered her.

In the 17^th century, the Dutch learned the source of cinnamon on the coast of India. They were said to have bribed and threatened the local king into destroying it to preserve keep their monopoly on this valuable spice.

By the 19 century that monopoly began to crumble. It was discovered that cinnamon could easily be grown in places like Java and Sumatra. Today can also be cultivated in South America, the West Indies, and other tropical climates.

Available in shops all over the world, it has found its way into a variety of fun holiday recipes. Here are two:

Cinnamon Cider

Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon Surprise Coffee Cake