The use of spices in cooking and their history presents sociological aspects regarding how something considered edible changes its status according to the times.
It is said that the use of spices as companions to the foods we eat dates back to hunter-gatherer societies, who discovered that wrapping meats in certain leaves significantly improved their flavor. However, contrary to their origins, the use of spices in cooking was marked by their relationship to health properties. In fact, there was no clear line between spices and medicinal herbs: ultimately, both were considered objects for medicinal use, due to their properties for curing certain ailments.
In Mexico, the use of medicinal herbs dates back to pre-Hispanic times and remains deeply rooted in society. However, there is a distinction between the use of spices to enhance the organoleptic properties of a culinary preparation and the use of spices to prepare infusions that serve to cure certain ailments.
The great civilizations of the ancient world in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China recognized not only the medicinal properties of spices, but at times also associated them with religious mythology or even social hierarchies of the era. For example, it is said that in China, cloves were used in the mouth before addressing the emperor, and in Mesopotamia, various spices were cultivated in royal gardens. Spices were also markers of social status in medieval Europe, as they were considered exotic products from Asia reserved only for the dominant classes. The use of spices in oils to perfume certain events also dates back to ancient times.
Spices are also powerful cultural markers of national cuisines. There are cuisines that, in the eyes of the world, are renowned for their use of spices, such as Indian, Moroccan, or even Mexican cuisine. In some cuisines, the use of spices is less prominent, or historically resulted from overseas trade exchanges. It is said that the taste for certain spices is an "acquired taste," meaning a preference developed through constant exposure to that particular flavor. For example, it is easier for someone in Mexico to accept the taste of cinnamon in a dessert than, for instance, the taste of licorice. The use of spices associated with iconic dishes also differs from culture to culture: for example, cinnamon, which in Mexico is mostly associated with desserts or sweets, is used in savory dishes in Morocco.
Thanks to scientific research, we know that our ability to perceive spices is not the same for everyone. It has been scientifically established that some people perceive the taste of cilantro as soapy due to a genetic mutation, which is why this herb is disliked by many people in other parts of the world. The use of spices in cooking is often overlooked, but within their history and cultural uses lie many of the identities not only of entire cuisines, but also of people who associate their aromas and flavors with collective memories, making the flavors of a cuisine appreciated and thus passed down from generation to generation.
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.
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