In the time of classical Greece and Rome, when spices were much used in religious ceremonies and in perfumes, not everyone thought that they also belong in foods! The question may be raised, why aromatics and other fragrant things, while they give a pleasant taste to wine, not have this effect on any other article of food In all cases, they spoil food, whether it be cooked or not — Theophrastus, De causis plantarum, 3rd century BCE Today we need “supplements” for meat We mix oil, wine, honey, fish paste, vinegar, with Syrian and Arabian spices, as though we were really embalming a corpse for burial — Plutarch, Moralia, 2nd century CE Flavorings Provide Stimulation and Play One distinctly human characteristic is a drive to explore and manipulate the world of natural materials around us, to change those materials to suit our needs and interests And these needs and interests include the stimulation of our senses, the creation of sensory patterns that engage our brains After the development of agriculture and its radically simplified diet, our ancestors found ways to give our taste buds and nose more to experience again One way was to make use of plant parts that are especially concentrated sources of flavor Herbs and spices made it possible not only to give bland foods more flavor, but to give them more varied flavors, to ornament foods and highlight flavor for flavor’s sake Flavorings are Chemical Weapons And why are some plants’ parts especially potent, intense sources of flavor? What role do the chemicals that give them their flavor ...to explore and manipulate the world of natural materials around us, to change those materials to suit our needs and interests And these needs and interests include the stimulation of our senses, the. .. buds and nose more to experience again One way was to make use of plant parts that are especially concentrated sources of flavor Herbs and spices made it possible not only to give bland foods more flavor, but to give them more... senses, the creation of sensory patterns that engage our brains After the development of agriculture and its radically simplified diet, our ancestors found ways to give our taste buds and nose more to experience again