ages. The aromatic essence of cardamom contains dozens of interest-
ing molecules, with such names as limonene, menthone, eucalyptol,
terpineol, terpenylacetate, myrcene, sabinene, phellandrene, and so
on.
The point of all this is not to learn a bunch of different names
and structures but to appreciate that plant aromas are composed of
dozens of different molecules that we inhale into our noses, which
then activate various combinations of olfactory receptor proteins,
and that from this our nervous system constructs in some still mys-
terious way the subjective mental experience of the unique aromas
of cardamom, cinnamon, or black pepper—a beautiful and amazing
scenario!
Limonene Menthone EucalyptolBlack pepper—one of the world’s most prized spices—is the fruit
of another plant native to India, Piper nigrum (Fig. 12.3). Once again,
its aromatic essence is a mixture of numerous molecules, including
sabinene, linalool, piperine, limonene, caryophyllene, pinene, carene,
and many more.