that can train some animals to be deterred by
smell alone.
Turning Weapons Into
Pleasures: Just Add Food
And yet humans have come to prize these
weapons that are meant to repel us. What
makes herbs and spices not only nontoxic and
edible but delicious is a simple principle of
cooking: dilution. If we bite into an intact leaf
of oregano or a peppercorn, the concentrated
dose of defensive chemicals overwhelms and
irritates our senses; but those same chemicals
diffused throughout a dish of other foods — a
few milligrams in a pound or two — stimulate
without overwhelming. They add favors that
our grains and meats don’t have, and make
those foods more complex and appealing.
The Chemistry and Qualities
Of Herbs and Spices