料理にスパイスを使用する意義 ―インドとスリランカに学ぶ

抄録

Countries in the South Asia are famous for spicy food. Use of a variety of spices for cooking is a common characteristic of the food culture in these countries. Rice with several varieties of curries is popular in most parts of the countries with tropical climate. This paper selects the food habits of India and Sri Lanka to analyze how and why such food cultures should spread in Japan. With the detailed analysis of the effects of several major spices used in these countries, this paper proposes that the meaning of the use of spices for food preparation is beyond just adding a flavor, color or an aroma. Expected health effects thanks to the systematic use of spices not only makes food tastier, but assists to spend a healthier life as well. Even though Japan does not use spices as in the South Asian countries, there are fair reasons to examine how the use of spices in Japanese cousins can spread.