BrainStuff Classics: How Does Chinese Five Spice Work?

Chinese 5-spice powder can contain a lot of things (including more than five spices), but it's all rooted in ancient medicine and philosophy. Learn more in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/chinese-five-spice-powder-tasty-and-not-necessarily-five-spices.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi
brain Stuff. I'm Lauren bog Bam, and today I have
a classic brain Stuff episode for you. It's about the history, components,
and even philosophy behind Chinese five spice, the adaptable spice
blend that I certainly started using more of after we
did this episode. Hi brain Stuff, Lauren Vogebam. Here, it's

(00:27):
easy to take Chinese five spice powder for granted, you
might even wonder if it's culturally authentic. But not only
is this curious spice blend an important part of China's
culinary tradition, it's an attempt to balance the crucial five
flavors identified in Chinese culture. The spice blend itself is
far from set in stone. You'll frequently find five spice
powder that contains cinnamon, starnie, cloves, fennel, and Schwan peppercorns,

(00:51):
but these specific ingredients vary. They don't even have to
total five. That's because it's less a matter of combining
five sources of flavor, but rather the creation of a
spice blend that provides a balance of the five flavors
themselves bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, and pungent. According to chef
and author of Stir Crazy Ching he Hung, these flavors

(01:12):
are crucial for balanced dishes in Chinese cuisine, and their
use is more complex than a Western branded bottle of
five spice powder might suggest. Huang said, sometimes the West
confuses Chinese five spice with allspice, which can contain liquorice, nutmeg,
and black pepper. The spices and Chinese five spice separately
and sometimes together whole, are used in numerous dishes, from

(01:33):
stir fries to braised and stewed dishes a wide range
of recipes, whereas the West often uses it just in
powder form and just for marinating. In her own cooking,
Huang uses the powder for a variety of casseroles, spice rubs, marinaids, roasts, stocks,
and soy braised dishes. While she admits that store bought
five spice works perfectly well, she prefers to make it herself.

(01:54):
Huang said, I make my own with equal quantities of sechuan, pepper,
star anie, cinnamon, fen and clothes. First dry toast it,
place it in a spice grinder and grind until it's
very fine. You can use a fine sieve to make
sure there are no gritti or larger pieces. Huang also
points to the deeper understanding of the five flavors, one
based in traditional Chinese medicines, deep history of herbal medicine,

(02:17):
and body energy manipulation. According to Beijian University of Chinese
Medicine professor Dang Ye, the five flavors ensure proper organ
function and overall health in traditional Chinese medicine. The various
ingredients in five spice powder factor into other herbal medicine
traditions as well, though Western medical evidence tends towards the inconclusive.
The doctrine of the five flavors became established in China

(02:39):
around the fourth century b C, and tradition places its
origin in the ancient myth shrouded Jia dynasty of the
second millennium BC. Whatever its exact origins, the concept proved
pervasive enough to influence realms outside of medicine and cuisine,
including philosophical discourse. As philosophy professor Spencer Wortz discusses in
his book Food and Philosophy, Selected Essays, the ancient philosopher

(03:02):
Alloosi claimed the five flavors caused men to not taste
at all. While this would seem counterintuitive to many modern readers,
the Taoism founder's point was that if you use any
sense to its fullest udulsibility. Other Taoist thinkers made a
point of championing the simple tastes of foods like rice
and kongji, tastes that are arguably annihilated by intense spices.

(03:24):
Laugi's lesson on over indulgence is obvious, but other Chinese
philosophers saw the value in a perfect balance of the
five flavors. As Words points out, a simple bowl of
soup served as a potent political metaphor in the fourth
century b c. E text Zochuan. A harmony of spices
in the soup, it was said, would result in both
the harmonious flavor and a harmonious mind. Of course, you

(03:46):
don't have to risk political unrest or sensory decadence in
your use of five spice powder. The next time you
reach for it, however, take a moment to consider the
millennia's worth of tradition embodied in that tiny bottle of
balanced flavor. M Today's episode is based on the article
Chinese five spice powder pasty and not Necessarily five Spices

(04:09):
on how stuff Works dot Com, written by Robert Lamb.
To hear more from Robert, check out his podcast stuff
to Blow Your Mind. Brainstuffs production of I Heart Radio
in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and is
produced by Tyler. Play four more podcasts my heart Radio,
visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.