I heard this on the Nature weekly podcast. I wanted to make a proper submission for this, but I can't get access to the paper, so all I've got is the abstract and what I heard and remember from the podcast.
Some researchers looked at thousands of recipes from all over the world to see if spicy foods really are more prevalent in hot countries (and specifically, whether they imbue antimicrobial protection from food-borne illnesses, which apparently is one theory for hot countries using hot spices), and they basically said no. The main correlation they found was that spicier spices were more prevalent with lower incomes and that it happens that hotter countries have lower incomes.
Bromham, L., Skeels, A., Schneemann, H. et al. There is little evidence that spicy food in hot countries is an adaptation to reducing infection risk. Nat Hum Behav (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-01039-8
ABSTRACT:
Spicier food in hot countries has been explained in terms of natural selection on human cultures, with spices with antimicrobial effects considered to be an adaptation to increased risk of foodborne infection. However, correlations between culture and environment are difficult to interpret, because many cultural traits are inherited together from shared ancestors, neighbouring cultures are exposed to similar conditions, and many cultural and environmental variables show strong covariation. Here, using a global dataset of 33,750 recipes from 70 cuisines containing 93 different spices, we demonstrate that variation in spice use is not explained by temperature and that spice use cannot be accounted for by diversity of cultures, plants, crops or naturally occurring spices. Patterns of spice use are not consistent with an infection-mitigation mechanism, but are part of a broader association between spice, health, and poverty. This study highlights the challenges inherent in interpreting patterns of human cultural variation in terms of evolutionary pressures.
Why Do Hot Countries Have Spicy Food?
Coincidence, it seems.
I heard this on the Nature weekly podcast. I wanted to make a proper submission for this, but I can't get access to the paper, so all I've got is the abstract and what I heard and remember from the podcast.
Some researchers looked at thousands of recipes from all over the world to see if spicy foods really are more prevalent in hot countries (and specifically, whether they imbue antimicrobial protection from food-borne illnesses, which apparently is one theory for hot countries using hot spices), and they basically said no. The main correlation they found was that spicier spices were more prevalent with lower incomes and that it happens that hotter countries have lower incomes.
Bromham, L., Skeels, A., Schneemann, H. et al. There is little evidence that spicy food in hot countries is an adaptation to reducing infection risk. Nat Hum Behav (2021).
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-01039-8
ABSTRACT:
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