On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 483

meaningsincludesgratification,pleasure,
satisfaction,enjoyment.It’sthenatureoffruit
totastegood,toappealtoourbasicbiological
interests,whilevegetablesstimulateustofind
andcreatemoresubtleanddiversepleasures
thanfruitshavetooffer.
HerbandSpiceThetermsherb andspiceare
more straightforward. Both are categories of
plant materials used primarily as flavorings,
and in relatively small amounts. Herbs come
from green parts of plants, usually leaves —
parsley, thyme, basil — while spices are
generally seeds, bark, underground stems —
black pepper, cinnamon, ginger — and other
robust materials that were well suited to
international trade in early times. The word
spice came from the medieval Latinspecies,
whichmeant“kindofmerchandise.”


Despite the fact that we consider them
vegetables, capsicum “peppers,” pea pods,
cucumbers,andevencornkernelsareactually
fruits: plant parts that originate in the
flower’s ovary and surround one or more
seeds.
PlantFoodsThroughHistory

HowlonghastheWesternworldbeeneating
theplantfoodsweeattoday,andintheway
thatweeatthem?Onlyaveryfewcommon

vegetableshavenotbeeneatensincebefore
recordedhistory(therelativenewcomers
includebroccoli,cauliflower,brussels
sprouts,celery).Butitwasonlywiththeage
ofexplorationinthe16thcenturythatthe
varietyoffoodswenowknowbecame