Walking into the restaurant in North London one damp winter evening, one could have been forgiven for thinking they had been transported to Bombay or Delhi. Immediately we were confronted with the bustle of the table boys in crisp white cotton, carrying large trays of steaming bowls and platters. They deftly manoeuvred themselves from the kitchen through the narrow, crowded restaurant, arriving at tables with their carriage & departing as swiftly.
The air was thick with the warmth & the smells of Indian cooking – coriander, saffron, cardamom & cumin. Dishes passed as we awaited our first course, the lingering aroma of spice heightening the anticipation of our meal...

Such is the power of spice. Throughout the world, its use distinguishes flavours and regional styles. Mexican cooking, for example, is characterised by the liberal use of chillies, Thai by the use of chillies, kaffir lime and lemongrass, Indian, by the liberal use of complex blends of spices – often up to 15 different spices may be blended to flavour a single dish. Even the humble pizza is likely to be embellished with garlic, oregano, thyme and other herbs.

Through the centuries, spice has had a major influence in mankind’s development. Spice has played many roles; currency and flavour, medicine and preservative. The Egyptians are known to have used spices in foods, cosmetics and embalming lotions. The spice trade, controlled by the Arabs for over 5000 years, opened trade from Europe to China. Marco Polo, born in 1256 AD, once wrote of Java, ‘it abounds with rich commodities. Pepper, nutmeg… cloves and other spices and drugs are the produce of the island’. Columbus, in search of gold & oriental spices, not only found the New World, but he also discovered vanilla.

With the availability of spice today, it is hard to believe that, at one time, a pound of ginger would buy a sheep, or that dockworkers, loading & unloading ships in London were once made to sew up their pockets to deter them from stealing so much as a single peppercorn. And, while fifteen to twenty years ago, spice racks may have been displayed proudly on the wall; the spices themselves were likely to have been used sparingly.

The advent of international travel over the past several decades has had tremendous impact on the palate of the Western world. Pick up any typical cookbook from 1950 and the difference is marked. Today’s cookbooks and magazines read like travelogues – highlighting the flavours and colours of regions around the world with all the spice and zest that we have come to expect with our food today.

We frankly wouldn’t want it any other way. It is precisely those cooking magazines that have given us the confidence to experiment with foods and tastes – ingredients we may have once called “exotic” are now commonplace at our table. We’ve rediscovered spice in the kitchen because it allows us to truly experience food – how else could a simple chicken traverse from Bangkok to New Orleans, or a bowl of rice from Spain to Morocco?

We’re also inspired by developments in what has been called Fusion cooking. The result of many influences, of kitchens and cooks rooted in diversity, Fusion is a heady mélange of spices, cooking techniques and textures, which emphasise simplicity and balance. Fusion seeks to push the boundaries of flavour by blending together what we think are regional tastes. What governs the creative process is what works – if a food looks and tastes great, then it should be enjoyed.

So the next time someone offers you a bite of chilli-chocolate cake, why not have a taste. The interplay of the sweetness of the chocolate, with the warmth of the chilli just might go down rather pleasantly. Would you like a glass of port with that? ◊ VT