Salt and pepper

Regardless of the quality of ingredients, food will not taste good without spices. Using spices well is not simply a matter of creativity, but also of talent. Though spices have become everyday commodities by the 20th century, the 21st century is expected to bring new developments regarding their use. New discoveries are made constantly regarding their positive effects on health. Many spices contain a lot of antioxidants, while others can help in preventing cardiac diseases or cancer. Spices also play a special role in fine dining restaurants. Guests in such restaurants can identify the differences between different spices of the same kind. For example, it is possible to tell where different kinds of pepper come from and to distinguish different types as well. In countries with a more sophisticated culinary culture, elegant restaurants look for classic types, produced in small quantities, which represent exceptionally high quality. Gourmet salt also exists. Manufacturers have developed products which contain trace materials and essential minerals, or are enriched with spices or aromas. These products often come in spectacular colours, like orange or pink. Many of these are very expensive, “boutique” sea salts which are produced using only manual labour. Apart from their naturalness, gourmet salts are popular among chefs because they can be used as decoration as well.