The meaning of OT and Spice/ was And now my request to you and everyone:OT

[Guest guest]

> I'm a little confused. Does OT mean " off topic " ? Where do you draw the

line? For

instance, my salad dressing recipe had garlic, canned peppers and mustard, which

are all

spices but I don't think it is that spicy. . . .

 

OT does mean Off Topic - or Off Theme (if you prefer) when it comes to recipes

that don't

quite fit the theme of this list. I thought I had said so in my email.

 

As for what a spice is - in the precise way we try to use it here - It has been

stated and re-

stated several times very very recently. I draw your attention to the following:

 

" NOTE: For the purpose of this group, we define `SPICES' as aromatic or pungent

seasonings from the seeds, roots, fruits, buds, stems or bark of plants and

trees (as

distinct from herbs which, by contrast, would be defined as leaves from plants

without

woody stems). By *'HOT' AND SPICY* we mean the addition of such spices as

chillies,

cloves, ginger, etc., to produce spicy 'heat'. "

 

That's on the homepage - and has been in recent emails from me.

 

This does NOT mean of course that a rosebud is a spice because it is a bud (even

though

rose petals can be eaten). It does not mean that a pumpkin seed is a spice just

because it

is a seed. Nor does it mean that a turnip is a spice because it is a root, etc.

 

(It may be instructive to look at the list of spices I recently posted as being

among those

currently in my own spice cupboard. You know, things like cloves, cinnamon,

turmeric,

cardamom, coriander, blah blah blah - all those things that were traded along

the spice

route in ye olden dayes plus a few more like chillies, which everyone has

cleverly adopted.)

 

As for HOT and spicy - which is what we ask for in our soups, salads, main

courses,

condiments, etc., that is generally understood to mean the addition of such

spices as

cayenne, cloves, etc. (as above). You get the picture.

 

>I also sent in one with Lavendar because you said

buds of plants but lavendar is definitely not spicy.

 

That's right, it's not a spice :-)

 

>Is there a criteria?

 

There ARE criteria indeed. We are not terribly strict, but when we opened up the

theme to

include non-hot but spice-containing baked goods and desserts, we meant that

they

should feature *spice* or *spices*. And the rest of the recipes, of course,

follow the theme

of the list in containing spices AND being 'hot' to the tongue (from the spices,

not

temperature, which is why 'spicy heat' is sometimes used). Everyone has their

own

definition of what is 'hot' - but we do warn, on the webpage, as we have always

warned,

that this is 'not for the faint-hearted'. (Those who do not enjoy the heat of

chillies or

similar heat in their spiced dishes would not find themselves comfortable with

our recipes,

I'm afraid.)

 

Best, Pat (list owner)