Famous Death Row Last Meals
Food Fights: The Biggest Culinary Scandals Of 2011
Photo: atmtx, Flickr
What would a dinner table be without its salt and pepper? They've become so ubiquitous in everyone's kitchen. However, we rarely wonder why. Both were heavily used in cuisine for hundreds of years, but so were several other spices. What made people focus on salt and pepper?
The story begins with salt. In Ancient Rome, it gained popularity as a condiment. Italians during the Renaissance served salted dishes at the same time as sugared dishes. It was not until the 17th century that the French created a salt-sweet divide. Salted foods were eaten throughout the meal because they stimulate the appetite. Sweet plates were served at the end; they satiate the appetite and shutdown our desire to eat.
It was in France that salt met its inevitable spicy partner, pepper. 17th-century Classic French cuisine, which developed at the court of Louis XIV, considered pepper and parsley as superior to the various spices imported from the Middle East. In fact, it viewed all spices as vulgar ingredients masking the true flavor of a dish. Pepper was the only spice acceptable. And, it eventually attained the same status as fine herbs which were thought to be more wholesome and exquisite. The French heightened the importance of pepper giving it the status it has today.
PHOTOS: Best And Worst Of Grammy Dresses
Whitney Houston Dead: Singer Dies at 48, Body Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel
LINSANITY CONTINUES
Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
TV's Best Music Moments
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death
Grammy Red Carpet 2012 (PHOTOS)
WATCH: Chainsaw-Wielding Thug Attacks Pub Crawlers
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
Jennifer Hudson Whitney Tribute: Grammy President Reveals Why Singer Was Chosen for Musical Memorial
Katy Perry Grammy Performance 2012: Did the Diva Diss Her Ex-Hubby With Revealing New Song?
5-Hour Energy: A Success Equal Parts Caffeine, Chemistry and Meditation
People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says
8-17-2008 @5:52AM Ben said... This is interesting, but it would be great if you could provide some references or links.
Also, you mention "fine herbs" and "vulgar spices" without describing their differences. Herbs tend to be leafy and spices tend to be seedy. Herbs were probably easier to grow and find than spices, which tended to be imported from exotic locales. Why were spices vulgar?
Reply
8-18-2008 @12:43AM Yongho Shin said... Interesting! I always saw salt and pepper together, but did not think about why.
I wonder what would happen if France did not come into the picture? Maybe salt would pair with... ketchup?
Nah.
Reply
8-18-2008 @1:01PM NYCubsFan said... I found a link: http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/salt_n_pepa/bio.jhtml
Salt n Pepa came together at a Sears store in Queens in 1985.
Reply