Without spices, food would be just victuals, or “vitals” as the Beverly Hillbillies would say; nourishment to sustain bodily function; dog food. Wasn’t it a lucky break that thousands of years ago, some adventuresome souls experimented to find ways to prevent meats from spoiling, to make them edible even when spoiled, and to help digestion of these rotten and often fatty foods. If they only knew that today, eating has become a sort of hobby rather than a basic survival skill.

            In China, a ground mixture of five spices now known as Chinese five spice was created to address these problems. This aromatic, licorice-scented seasoning has become a defining flavouring for Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.

            “Five” was not merely a random number, but likely chosen because in Chinese numerology it a lucky number. Although there are now various interpretations of the traditional five, the original, present in equal amounts, are: cassia, clove, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan pepper.

            Cassia is ground from the bark of a laurel tree common to China. It is the close relative of cinnamon, and although slightly more bitter than cinnamon, cassia is increasingly used in the ground cinnamon we buy here in North America because it is more available and cheaper. Cassia, also known as Chinese cinnamon, helps the body process foods by breaking down fats. It also relieves flatulence and bloating, making it a popular spice for stomach remedies and after-dinner treats. In ancient Egypt, it was also used in the mummification process. (That had nothing to do with food, obviously; I just find it interesting.)

             Cloves were also important historically in aiding digestion and improving breath. (We have Dentyne gum for that now.) The conveniently tack-shaped clove is the dried flower bud of an Indonesian myrtle tree. It is perfect for sticking into pork and other roasts before cooking. The flavour is strongly aromatic, intense, and burning, as anyone who has accidentally bitten into a whole clove from the Easter ham or from the centre of a cinnamon candy knows. Its numbing quality also makes it useful for easing toothaches.

            Clove is generally used as part of a mixture of spices. It is an integral ingredient of curry powders, garam masala, and pumpkin pie seasoning. It is a predominant flavour in the popular Worcestershire sauce and whole, it is always found in pickling and mulled-wine spice mixtures.

            In its native Indonesia, surprisingly, the major share of the clove harvest goes into making clove cigarettes, known as kreteks. It is said that the air in the outdoor markets is filled with the sweet scent of clove; not from the foods being sold but from the smokers.  

            Fennel seed is just one of the ingredients that impart the licorice flavour I most associate with five spice. Fennel has a long history in aiding digestion and food preservation. In France and Italy, it is used for baking, booze, and sausage making. Often, the closely related anise seed is used instead of or with fennel seed in the five spice powder.

            The beautiful star anise is perhaps the most dominant essence in the spice mixture. This fruit pod of an evergreen native to China, although essential to Chinese and Vietnamese cooking, has never truly caught on in the Western world.  In products geared to the western markets, star anise, with its intensely aromatic licorice flavour, is often reduced significantly or omitted. It is replaced with the unrelated anise or fennel seeds which are less dramatic.

            In China and Vietnam, star anise is used to flavour soups and braised dishes. I use it myself in creamy sauces for poultry and fish; you just have to make sure your guests don’t accidentally choke on the woody pods. The essence is often used in cough syrups and for flavouring liqueurs, most prominently, Pernod and Anisette.

            The final of the five is Szechuan pepper, or fagara, which is not a pepper at all. It is the dried berry of the Chinese prickly ash, and although it is sometimes wrongly accused of being hot like peppercorns it is better described as having a spicy, woody aroma, with a “tingly or biting taste.” The Chinese have a word to describe this flavour: ma. It is this ma, along with the heat of chilli, which produces the essential flavour in Szechuan cooking. But for five spice, it should be Szechuan pepper alone. I have a jar of five spice that uses chilli pepper instead of Szechuan—who do I report this infraction to?

            Szechuan peppers are no longer allowed whole into the States. The FDA has banned it due to the presence of a citrus disease it carries, and anyone who has ever driven across the States, through one of those produce check-stops, knows how serious they are about their agriculture. Many gourmet cooks insist upon grinding their own five spice, and are in a dither about this ban. Apparently they can get it from Canada—perhaps while they are here getting their flu shots—or from some guy named Vinny.

            You will find commercial five spice with ginger, licorice root, allspice and even tangerine root, often as many as 8 ingredients, but try one as close to the original five as possible. You won’t (and shouldn’t) use this spice too often, but try it in marinades and rice dishes once in awhile. It makes for a fragrant and exotic change. Hopefully, you won’t require it to disguise the taste of your cooking.