What does black pepper smell like? Pungent, sharp, aromatic and, well, peppery. But how does that differ from white or green pepper? In A Natural History of the Senses, essayist Diane Ackerman describes smell as “the mute sense.” “Lacking a vocabulary,” she writes, “we are left tongue-tied, groping for words in a sea of inarticulate pleasure and exaltation.”
Human beings can smell 10,000 different scents, but most of us would be hard pressed to describe any one of them without comparing it to something else, or even to itself. What does “earthy” smell like? That’s easy. Clay, or wet dirt, or perhaps leaf mold. But how would you describe the heavy scent of tuberoses in the humid night air on the island of Bali? Or the fragrance of cinnamon and cloves simmering in apple cider on a frosty morning? Our reference point in almost every case is either the scent itself—cinnamon or tuberose—or an analogous fragrance—clay or wet soil.
In the world of spices, smell is paramount. It is aroma that tells us, for instance, that Tellicherry peppercorns are dark and bold, while those from Sarawak are lighter and almost lemony. Smell transforms the one-dimensional sense of taste--which registers sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (“meaty” or “brothy”)-- into a complex construct that defines flavor. Smell allows the palate to capture the subtle nuances that distinguish one taste from another, not only to tell the difference between wine and water, but between Chateau Lynch Bages and Two Buck Chuck.
When evaluating a product, spice tasters use a special vocabulary to describe flavor and aroma. At The Spice Hunter, an herb and spice company in San Luis Obispo, California, a sensory team has devised a 78-word list of flavor characteristics that they employ in weekly product samplings. Here is a short selection of especially vivid terms:
ANISE: The flavor and aroma of black licorice or fennel. [Licorice, further down the list, is said to taste like anise.]
ASHY: Character of ashes and burnt paper.
BROWN SPICE: Aromatic associated with cloves, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg.
DIRTY SOCKS: A moldy, musty flavor or soured aroma, sharp [A term used to describe white peppercorns that have been improperly dried.]
EARTHY: Soil, clay, mushroom or musty. The flavor of a raw potato peel.
FRESH: Bold, lively, refreshing and brisk.
GREEN: Grassy, unripe, stem-like fresh foliage or new wood.
HEAT: The bite of chili pepper, fresh ginger or black pepper.
MAPLE: A sweet aromatic characterized as woody, caramelized, vanilla-like blend of notes.
MUSTY: Smell of closed air spaces: closets (dry) and basements (wet).
SCORCHED: Sharp, smoky aroma and flavor, burnt.
SILAGE: Fermented hay or straw.
TEA-LIKE: Astringent, tannic, tobacco-like, dry sensation on your tongue.
TINNY: Smell of inside of a tin can or taste of aluminum foil.
WOODY: Pencil shavings, bark chips, green twigs or wood sticks.
Editor’s note: For more on The Spice Hunter, see www.spicehunter.com. We highly recommend Diane Ackerman’s book, A Natural History of the Senses, Vintage Paperbacks, 1995. It is a pleasure to read. Find it at www.amazon.com.
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