By: Pat White
FT. LAUDERDALE – After eating food from a Jamaican restaurant a couple days in a row, I wondered why they are so heavy on the pepper.
We know that hot peppers are a big part of the Caribbean and Hispanic cuisines, because we do not like our food bland, but I wonder if we douse the food with pepper because we are limited in our knowledge of spices.
Take for instance, the spice Rosemary; I did not really discover that spice (and many others) until sometime ago, when some friends of mine (a couple) gave me a spice rack as a Holiday present. It was a very pleasant discovery for me. I think it works great with poultry. One of the ways I use it is to put it under the skin of the breast as well as seasoning the entire chicken with it, before putting the roaster in the oven. The end result after an hour is wonderful aroma and a fresh, sultry taste.
I’m not saying the food isn’t good from these restaurant. They are, but why does my nose have to be running, my ears burning, and my eyes watering when I’m trying to enjoy the meal? Its crazy!! Advice to anyone with a stuffy nose – eat some spicy Jamaican food and your sinus will flow and clear up. It makes you wonder if – without the pepper, would the food still be tasty. Do we need to experiment with other spices to bring out the flavor of the food? Cloves is another spice we do not use a lot of unless we are cooking ham, but I discovered it is also great on your everyday pork chop, or stew pork. They are all from the same meat group. I believe Haitians use this spice a lot too.
Historically, we used peppers to cure the meat, because there were no refrigerators to keep the meet fresh. Peppers and other spices do the job of keeping the meat from spoiling. The practice continued during the ages and has been passed from generation to generation. Some people will not touch their food unless it has hot sauce or peppers in it. I think just enough should be used to bring out the other spices in the food. I guess its kind of like salt. Without it you can’t really appreciate the other seasonings. Therefore just enough should be used to wakeup the other flavors of the food. So much should not be used to the point where you cannot enjoy the meal.
Are you one of those that like it piping hot??!!
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Pat White
Community Blog: Pat’s Pet Peeves Daily Blog. Sometimes Controversial – Sometimes Humorous – Always Thought Provoking.
