1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: brain Stuff. I'm Lauren bog Bam, and today I have 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: a classic brain Stuff episode for you. It's about the history, components, 4 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: and even philosophy behind Chinese five spice, the adaptable spice 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: blend that I certainly started using more of after we 6 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: did this episode. Hi brain Stuff, Lauren Vogebam. Here, it's 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: easy to take Chinese five spice powder for granted, you 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: might even wonder if it's culturally authentic. But not only 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: is this curious spice blend an important part of China's 10 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: culinary tradition, it's an attempt to balance the crucial five 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: flavors identified in Chinese culture. The spice blend itself is 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: far from set in stone. You'll frequently find five spice 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: powder that contains cinnamon, starnie, cloves, fennel, and Schwan peppercorns, 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: but these specific ingredients vary. They don't even have to 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: total five. That's because it's less a matter of combining 16 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: five sources of flavor, but rather the creation of a 17 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: spice blend that provides a balance of the five flavors 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: themselves bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, and pungent. According to chef 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 1: and author of Stir Crazy Ching he Hung, these flavors 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: are crucial for balanced dishes in Chinese cuisine, and their 21 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: use is more complex than a Western branded bottle of 22 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,199 Speaker 1: five spice powder might suggest. Huang said, sometimes the West 23 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: confuses Chinese five spice with allspice, which can contain liquorice, nutmeg, 24 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: and black pepper. The spices and Chinese five spice separately 25 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: and sometimes together whole, are used in numerous dishes, from 26 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: stir fries to braised and stewed dishes a wide range 27 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: of recipes, whereas the West often uses it just in 28 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: powder form and just for marinating. In her own cooking, 29 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: Huang uses the powder for a variety of casseroles, spice rubs, marinaids, roasts, stocks, 30 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: and soy braised dishes. While she admits that store bought 31 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: five spice works perfectly well, she prefers to make it herself. 32 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: Huang said, I make my own with equal quantities of sechuan, pepper, 33 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: star anie, cinnamon, fen and clothes. First dry toast it, 34 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: place it in a spice grinder and grind until it's 35 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: very fine. You can use a fine sieve to make 36 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: sure there are no gritti or larger pieces. Huang also 37 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: points to the deeper understanding of the five flavors, one 38 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: based in traditional Chinese medicines, deep history of herbal medicine, 39 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: and body energy manipulation. According to Beijian University of Chinese 40 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: Medicine professor Dang Ye, the five flavors ensure proper organ 41 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: function and overall health in traditional Chinese medicine. The various 42 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: ingredients in five spice powder factor into other herbal medicine 43 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 1: traditions as well, though Western medical evidence tends towards the inconclusive. 44 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: The doctrine of the five flavors became established in China 45 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: around the fourth century b C, and tradition places its 46 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: origin in the ancient myth shrouded Jia dynasty of the 47 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: second millennium BC. Whatever its exact origins, the concept proved 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: pervasive enough to influence realms outside of medicine and cuisine, 49 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: including philosophical discourse. As philosophy professor Spencer Wortz discusses in 50 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: his book Food and Philosophy, Selected Essays, the ancient philosopher 51 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: Alloosi claimed the five flavors caused men to not taste 52 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: at all. While this would seem counterintuitive to many modern readers, 53 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: the Taoism founder's point was that if you use any 54 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: sense to its fullest udulsibility. Other Taoist thinkers made a 55 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: point of championing the simple tastes of foods like rice 56 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: and kongji, tastes that are arguably annihilated by intense spices. 57 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,239 Speaker 1: Laugi's lesson on over indulgence is obvious, but other Chinese 58 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: philosophers saw the value in a perfect balance of the 59 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: five flavors. As Words points out, a simple bowl of 60 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: soup served as a potent political metaphor in the fourth 61 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: century b c. E text Zochuan. A harmony of spices 62 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: in the soup, it was said, would result in both 63 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: the harmonious flavor and a harmonious mind. Of course, you 64 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: don't have to risk political unrest or sensory decadence in 65 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: your use of five spice powder. The next time you 66 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: reach for it, however, take a moment to consider the 67 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: millennia's worth of tradition embodied in that tiny bottle of 68 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: balanced flavor. M Today's episode is based on the article 69 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: Chinese five spice powder pasty and not Necessarily five Spices 70 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: on how stuff Works dot Com, written by Robert Lamb. 71 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: To hear more from Robert, check out his podcast stuff 72 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind. Brainstuffs production of I Heart Radio 73 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and is 74 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler. Play four more podcasts my heart Radio, 75 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 76 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.