I’m having fun churning through a bunch of “listicle” books in preparation for Blevins. Shipwrecks, Nellie Bly, plants, more plants and Phineas Fogg.
The latest is The History of the World in 100 Objects, which was a BBC radio show awhile back. I found the CDs through Interlibrary Loan and it’s prodigious – 20 discs! It comes with a pamphlet that have 100 teeny little black and white photos of the items. Luckily I was able to find a website that has nicer photos of the objects, so I’ve been keeping that open while I listen to the CDs.
It’s well done – not nearly as stuffy as I was expecting – and I’m enjoying it, although I’m having to keep at it since you can’t renew ILL items.
All the items are in the British Museum, including a statue of Chicomecoatl, the Aztec of Goddess of Maize and Sustenance. The narration starts out with an overview of food having a divine role throughout history and then moves on to the history of maize, the plant it derives from and where it grows (just about everywhere). Then came this funny bit:
“But crucially, maize is a rich carbohydrate that gives you a rapid energy hit. But it is, let’s face it, pretty stodgy, and so from very early on, farmers also cultivated an ingenious – and tasty – accompaniment, the indigenous chili. It has virtually no nutritional value but, as we all know, it’s uniquely able to liven up dull carbohydrates – and it shows that we’ve been foodies for as long as we’ve been farmers.”
I laughed out loud especially since I had just added a slug of frozen poblanos to a dish I had made about an hour before. Now I want to go to Penzey’s to see if they have any good chili mixtures.
Do you have any “go-to” spices?
Trail Baboon 
We love Penzey’s medium hot chili powder.
LikeLiked by 1 person
First of all, regarding the supposed lack of nutritional value in peppers, they have enough vitamin C that chilis were used on board ships in some places to combat scurvy rather than lemons or limes.
While I sometimes resort to chili powder (and not usually for chili), I generally prefer to put together my own mixture of cumin (which Jacque doesn’t like), oregano, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic powder. That mixture doesn’t have much heat so as I make the chili I can regulate the heat with red pepper flakes.
I also use quite a lot of Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset as a general herb combination.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are using more smoked paprika in our cooking these days, probably because we are cooking more foods from Spain. We also use lots of cumin and coriander. Husband likes turmeric and ginger. We go for flavor, not heat.
LikeLike
I love smoked paprika more and more too. But my mainstays are basil, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Minimal salt any more. Depending on the dish, I also like to use chili powder, sage, rosemary, cumin, curry, and turmeric.
Sometimes I’ll go with a Mrs. Dash’ s blend for ease of use on things like chicken breasts or burgers. But if I’m making up a dish like a stew or soup, all bets are off and I might use a little bit of 10 or 15 different spices. It’s all good if you don’t overdo any single spice.
Chris in Owatonna
LikeLike
I like to use cumin, chili powder, ginger, and dried basil and oregano. I love the taste and smell of cumin. I use it a lot. I also like to add the herb mixture Herbs de Provence to soups. I also add lemon to a lot of things – lemon juice or zest. I add red wine to soups too.
LikeLike
We eschew anything with coconut, be it coconut milk or flakes.
LikeLike