On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 746

and powers. So herbs and spices became
important in the sacrificial fires and incense
of religious ceremonies; they were offerings
to the gods, a way of evoking their presence
and imagining their heaven. Perfumes — a
word that comes from the Latin for “through
fire” — have long been the source of a
similarlymysteriousappeal.
TheAromasofHolinessandParadise
Inthereligionsoftheancientworld,spices
were a means by which spiritual
fulfillment could be symbolized and
experiencedasaformofsensuousdelight.
Agardeninclosedismysister,myspouse;
aspringshutup,afountainsealed.
Thy plants are an orchard of
pomegranates, with pleasant fruits;
camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and
saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all
trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes,
with all the chief spices: A fountain of


gardens, a well of living waters, and
streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north
wind;andcome,thousouth;blowuponmy
garden, that the spices thereof may flow
out.
—SongofSolomon,4:12–15
Allah will deliver them from the evil of
that day and make their faces shine with

joy. He will reward them for their
steadfastness with robes of silk and the
delights of Paradise…. They shall be
served with silver dishes, and beakers as
large as goblets; silver goblets which they
themselves shall measure: and cups brimfull with ginger-flavored water from the
FountofSelsabil.
—TheKoran,“Man,”76:11–15
TheEvolvingWorldofTasteandSmell

Wehumansareanimals,andforallanimals,