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Not sure what definition of spice you're using, but Wikipedia calls it "a plant substance primarily used for flavoring food", which garlic definitely is.
by margalabargala 5y ago
Not sure what definition of spice you're using, but Wikipedia calls it "a plant substance primarily used for flavoring food", which garlic definitely is.
- buildsjets 5y agoI would define a spice as a non-nutritive plant substance used for flavoring and not consumed as an independent entity. Garlic is not non-nutritive, and it is consumed by many people as a whole food. Whole roasted heads of garlic are awesome.
- zajio1am 5y agoChilli peppers are also consumed as independent entities, but chilli powder is definitely a spice. Similarly ginger.
- margalabargala 5y agoWhy does it need to be non-nutritive? That would rule out things like ginger, many chili peppers, some plant greens like basil, even sesame seeds. I would consider all of the above spices, as well as garlic.
- buildsjets 5y agoI would consider all of those to be vegetables, herbs, or other types of consumables, not spices. I would consider dried and ground chili peppers a spice, and fresh whole ones to be a vegetable.
- margalabargala 5y agoThat seems reasonable. But then to bring it back around full circle- would garlic then indeed be a spice, when used as an individual clove finely chopped in a larger dish for flavoring purposes (or garlic powder), by the same logic you're applying to peppers? Not a big deal though. It sounds like you apply stricter categorical food definitions than I do, and that's fine. It's hard to draw exact lines.
- thevagrant 5y agoMy apologies - fresh ingredients like those would be fine in my case. I was unclear and meant processed spices in powdered form which seem to act as some kind of gut irritant (for me)
- malwarebytess 5y agoI guarantee you just about every spice eaten at the same bulk as a head of garlic would be 'nutritive.' Especially fresh.