Ginger is an excellent anti-nausea agent because of a compound called gingerol, which increases gut mobility. Ginger and nutmeg don’t trick our nervous systems into feeling warm, but they both contain a myriad of compounds that aid in digestion and can fend off viral and bacterial infections. Spicing up our health and digestive systems Indeed, the spice trade can be seen as a microcosm for the story of globalization, with all of its associated benefits and harms. Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine across Asia for its antibacterial properties and as a digestive aid.Ĭhristopher Columbus’ first voyage west across the Atlantic sought to find a direct route to Asia to purchase cinnamon and other spices directly where they were grown. This chemical tricks our nervous system when we eat it by triggering the same pathway that perceives warmth, much as capsaicin in peppers triggers feelings of pain.Ĭinnamaldehyde also helps decrease blood glucose levels, so enjoying some cinnamon tea after a big Christmas dinner can help stop your blood sugar from spiking. In the same way that mint can “taste” cold due to its menthol content, cinnamon’s warm taste is attributed to a compound called cinnamaldehyde, which gives the spice its distinctive taste and smell. Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images What makes a spice ‘warm’?Ĭinnamon, ginger and nutmeg all are widely described as “warm” spices, which probably has less to do with where they come from and more with how they affect our bodies. Sri Lanka is the world’s largest exporter of cinnamon, responsible for 80% of production. The same effect can be achieved outside of monsoon season by soaking branches in buckets of water.Ī Sri Lankan farmer peels freshly harvested cinnamon sticks. Peeling bark from cinnamon tree branches is easiest after heavy rainfalls, which soften the bark, so harvests typically happen after monsoon seasons. Production typically starts after a tree is 2 years old. The two types have different textures and flavor profiles, but both are made from the outermost layer of the trees’ bark. Since this plant yields two spices, the long wait for the trees to mature is worthwhile for producers.Ĭinnamon is made from the bark of two trees: Cinnamomum verum for cinnamon sticks, and Cinnamomum cassia for ground cinnamon. Nutmeg comes from grinding the inner seed kernels its sister spice, mace, comes from grinding the tissue that envelopes the seeds. For spice production, the fruits then are dried in the sun. Workers harvest fruit from the trees, which typically grow to heights of 10 to 30 feet (3 to 10 meters), using long poles to knock the fruits down. The trees start flowering in their sixth year, but peak production comes when they are closer to 20 years old. Nutmeg comes from grinding seeds of the Myristica fragrans tree, an evergreen that’s native to Indonesia. Once cold weather signals to the plant to dip into its underground supply of nutrients, the quality of the harvested ginger will decline significantly. Rhizomes function like underground stems, storing nutrients for the plant to help it survive the winter. That timing is important because harvesting ginger means uprooting the whole plant to get to the rhizomes growing underground. The plants can be harvested at any time of year if they are mature and haven’t been exposed to cold or wind. Ginger roots take between eight and 10 months to fully mature. Take ginger, which features in both sweet and savory recipes in many cuisines worldwide. Spices are prized commodities that have fueled global trade, exploration and conquest for centuries.
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