WEBVTT - What Is Chinese Five Spice?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works Hi brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Voga bamb Here it's easy to take Chinese

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<v Speaker 1>five spice powder for granted, you might even wonder if

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<v Speaker 1>it's culturally authentic. But not only is this curious spice

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<v Speaker 1>blend an important part of China's culinary tradition, it's an

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<v Speaker 1>attempt to balance the crucial five flavors identified in Chinese culture.

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<v Speaker 1>The spice blend itself is far from set in stone.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll frequently find five spice powder that contains cinnamon, starnese, cloves, fennel,

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<v Speaker 1>and schwan peppercorns, but these specific ingredients vary. They don't

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<v Speaker 1>even have to total five. That's because it's less a

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<v Speaker 1>matter of combining five sources of flavor, but rather the

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<v Speaker 1>creation of a spice blend that provides a balance of

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<v Speaker 1>the five flavors themselves bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, and pungent.

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<v Speaker 1>According to chef and author of Stir Crazy Ching he Hung,

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<v Speaker 1>these flavors are crucial for balanced dishes in Chinese cuisine,

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<v Speaker 1>and their use is more complex than a Western branded

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<v Speaker 1>bottle of five bice powder might suggest. Huang said, sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>the West confuses Chinese five spice with allspice, which can

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<v Speaker 1>contain liquorice, nutmeg, and black pepper. The spices and Chinese

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<v Speaker 1>five spice, separately and sometimes together whole, are used in

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<v Speaker 1>numerous dishes, from stir fries to braised and stewed dishes

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<v Speaker 1>a wide range of recipes, whereas the West often uses

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<v Speaker 1>it just in powder form and just for marinating. In

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<v Speaker 1>her own cooking, Huang uses the powder for a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of casseroles, spice rubs, marinads, roasts, stocks, and soy braised dishes.

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<v Speaker 1>While she admits that store bought five spice works perfectly well,

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<v Speaker 1>she prefers to make it herself. Huang said, I make

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<v Speaker 1>my own with equal quantities of sechuan, pepper, star anie, cinnamon, fennel,

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<v Speaker 1>and cloves. First dry toast it, place it in a

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<v Speaker 1>spice grinder and grind until it's very fine. You can

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<v Speaker 1>use a fine sieve to make sure there are no

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<v Speaker 1>gritti or larger pieces. Huang also points to the deeper

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<v Speaker 1>understanding of the five flavors, one based in traditional Chinese medicines,

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<v Speaker 1>deep history of herbal medicine and body energy manipulation shan.

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<v Speaker 1>According to Beijian University, of Chinese medicine, professor Dang Ye

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<v Speaker 1>the five flavors ensure proper organ function and overall health

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<v Speaker 1>in traditional Chinese medicine. The various ingredients in five spice

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<v Speaker 1>powder factor into other herbal medicine traditions as well, though

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<v Speaker 1>Western medical evidence tends towards the inconclusive. The doctrine of

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<v Speaker 1>the five flavors became established in China around the fourth

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<v Speaker 1>century b C, and tradition places its origin in the

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<v Speaker 1>ancient myth shrouded Jiah dynasty of the second millennium BC.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever its exact origins, the concept proved pervasive enough to

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<v Speaker 1>influence realms outside of medicine and cuisine, including philosophical discourse.

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<v Speaker 1>As philosophy professor Spencer Wortz discusses in his book Food

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<v Speaker 1>and Philosophy, Selected Essays. The ancient philosopher Laogi claimed the

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<v Speaker 1>five flavors caused men to not taste at all. While

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<v Speaker 1>this would seem counterintuitive to many modern readers, the Taoism

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<v Speaker 1>founders point was that if you use any sense to

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<v Speaker 1>its fullest, udult's ability. Other Taoist thinkers made a point

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<v Speaker 1>of championing the simple tastes of foods like rice and

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<v Speaker 1>konge tastes that are arguably annihilated by intense spices. Laugi's

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<v Speaker 1>lesson on over indulgence is obvious, but other Chinese philosophers

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<v Speaker 1>saw the value in a perfect balance of the five flavors.

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<v Speaker 1>As Words points out, a simple bowl of soup served

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<v Speaker 1>as a potent political metaphor in the fourth century b c. E.

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<v Speaker 1>Text Zochuan. A harmony of spices in the soup, it

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<v Speaker 1>was said, would result in both a harmonious flavor and

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<v Speaker 1>a harmonious mind. Of course, you don't have to risk

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<v Speaker 1>political unrest or sensory decadence in your use of five

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<v Speaker 1>spice powder. The next time you reach for it, however,

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<v Speaker 1>take a moment to consider the millennia's worth of tradition

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<v Speaker 1>embodied in that tiny bottle of balanced flavor. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Robert Lamb and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>You can hear more from Robert on his podcast Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow Your Mind, and of course, for more on

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<v Speaker 1>this and other pungent topics, visit our home planet, tastaff

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<v Speaker 1>Works dot com.