Why is spicy food predominantly an artifact of regions with hot climates and historically poor refrigeration?

Question

In the past, did people make food spicy to cover up the flavor of rotting meat and vegatables? It is my understanding that regions with historically poor refrigeration and relatively hot climates (india, southeast asia, the middle east, sub-saharan africa, latin america, and equatorial south america) tend to be the predominant purveyors of spicy food.

Answer 1

To deter insects, and kill bacteria, parasites, molds, etc.  The Japanese eat ginger with sushi because ginger kills parasites.  Any spices from the pepper family kills bacteria.  Oregano kills yeasts, etc. etc. etc.   They used spices and herbs to preserve fresh foods until they were eaten.

Answer 2

Quite simply, some of the more aromatic,[ie: 'hot'], spices are natural perservatives when used in foods.

This was a process which was discovered by many ancient cultures in antiquity. Most of those ancient cultures were located in the Near East and Northern Africa.

[They also used some of these spices to preserve their dead in the process of mummification in ancient Egypt.]

Answer 3

I think it has China is not one of those regions you were speaking of...and boy do they make plenty of extra spicy foods.

But as far a regions go, natural herbs grown there are what the people had to choose from. I don't think it was to cover up rotting foods. 200-300 years ago most meats were either eaten fresh or smoked or dried similar to today's jerkey.

Answer 4

It's NOT to cover up the bad taste of deteriorating food.  You actually cook the spices into the FRESH food and the spices act as a preservative so that the food will last longer before it goes bad.

Answer 5

It is not to cover the flavor of rotting meat and vegetables. there are many reasons as to why use spice in food: From Health reasons to culinary ones.

Answer 6

This is why the trade routes to the "spice islands" were so crucial, pepper and other spices did not grow in Europe and in spite of the cooler climate, spoilage was still a problem and spices served to cover up the taste of the rotten food, the warmer the climate, the bigger the problem, the spicier the food has to be to cover it up.

Luckily that's where the peppers and strong spices grew as well.

Answer 7

No, your assumption is not true. Spices are not food themselves but an augmentation to make or taste food better. Spices are to pamper our taste buds and food is a body requirement. Our taste buds too are a product of evolution because when ancient human was wandering on this earth in quest of food, many a times he faced starvation and this caused taste buds to grow which could identify sweet taste because sweet things have more sugar, thus more energy per gram of food.

Answer 8

Well...it may be about covering up the taste of not so fresh food that has been in the heat...but hot spices also kill the germs that make food go bad....and if someone eats germs (aka bacteria) with hot spices...the spices can help kill them and keep them from growing in the gutt and making the person sick.

Answer 9

Maybe they ate spicy foods because spice was available there?

Answer 10

I don't know, they just grow there.

A day without Capsicum chiles is like a day without sunshine. Vitamin C & carotene which we convert to vitamin A, yum, and a painkiller.