0:00:04 > 0:00:08You know, we believe that Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Not only can we boast fantastic ingredients...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13There they go! Look at them!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'..Outstanding food producers...'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Oh, look at that!
0:00:17 > 0:00:22'..And innovative chefs, but we also have an amazing food history.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Oh, brilliant!- Oh, wow!
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Don't eat them like that. You'll break your teeth.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'Now, during this series, we're going to be taking you on a journey'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35into our culinary past.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39- Everything's ready, so let's get cracking.- 'We'll explore its revealing stories...'
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Wow!
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'..And meet the heroes that keep our food heritage alive.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48It's a miracle what comes out of the oven!
0:00:48 > 0:00:54'And, of course, be cooking up a load of dishes that reveal our foodie evolution.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Look at that! That's a proper British treat.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We have a taste of history.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Quite simply,
0:01:07 > 0:01:08- BOTH:- The Best of British!
0:01:25 > 0:01:27# Sugar and spice And all things nice... #
0:01:27 > 0:01:31'Today's show is a whistle-stop tribute tour of the type of ingredients
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'that we Brits most certainly couldn't cook without.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:38# Sugar and spice And all things nice... #
0:01:38 > 0:01:43'We're talking about the salt, pepper and spices that have lifted our
0:01:43 > 0:01:48'dishes out of the ordinary and turned them into taste-tingling sensations.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Spices that, today, we take for granted,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54but once, one of the most valuable commodities known to mankind.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'A handful of cardamoms... well,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'that was equivalent to a working man's annual wage,'
0:01:59 > 0:02:04where slaves were bought and sold for, you know, a cup of peppercorns.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08And, you know, spice has been the subject of most extraordinary
0:02:08 > 0:02:12wheeling and dealing throughout the centuries.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15'We'll be lifting the lid on our spicy past as well as adding a bit of
0:02:15 > 0:02:18'va-va-voom to some good old British squid...'
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Look at that! It's just so nicely curly. That's what it's meant to be like.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27'..Going back to the Middle Ages to see how they spiced up a sweet snack...'
0:02:27 > 0:02:29This is a very exotic, very expensive dish.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33'..Playing around with some pepper and strawberries...'
0:02:33 > 0:02:36The smell of these is more strawberry than strawberry!
0:02:36 > 0:02:41'..And sampling some rather fiery little chillies.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:45- It gives you a lift! - It gives you a lift?! Your eyes are out on stalks, man!
0:02:49 > 0:02:53'Our taste-tingling Odyssey begins with a Hairy Bikers potted history
0:02:53 > 0:02:55'of the oldest food flavouring in the world...
0:02:55 > 0:02:57'salt.'
0:02:57 > 0:03:02'Traditionally, salt has been sifted from the sea and brine,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05'and either boiled or left in the sun to evaporate.'
0:03:09 > 0:03:13'It was once traded ounce for ounce for gold.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'People trekked for hundreds or even thousands of miles to transport it.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21'Wars were fought over it, high taxes were placed on it,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26'cities were built around it, and Roman soldiers were even paid in it.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:27'And no wonder.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'Neither humans nor animals could live without it.'
0:03:30 > 0:03:35'In the Middle Ages, it was considered very bad luck to spill the salt.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:38'Maybe because it was so expensive.'
0:03:38 > 0:03:42'A superstition that's been linked back to Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45'which shows Judas knocking over a small pot of the stuff.'
0:03:45 > 0:03:47'Not a great sign of things to come.'
0:03:47 > 0:03:52'And the only way to ward off the evil was to chuck a pinch over your left shoulder.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:56'First-footing Scots have continued to bring a pinch of salt
0:03:56 > 0:04:01'and a piece of coal over the threshold on New Year's Eve to bring some good luck.'
0:04:02 > 0:04:06'Looks a bit more than a pinch to me, man!'
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'Salt has also been a status symbol.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13'Wealthy hosts placed a salt cellar towards the middle of their dining tables,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18'and guests in favour were invited to sit "above the salt",
0:04:18 > 0:04:21'whilst those with less clout sat "below".
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- 'I'm not sure where they would have put us, then, Dave. - Ahh! Maybe under the table?!'
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'By the mid 1980s, salt was everywhere.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:34'And scientists were beginning to worry about the amount we were consuming.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:39Now there's growing concern that perhaps too much salt might be bad for us.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44Well, opinions do vary, but in America, where a lot of these food scares seem to begin,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46they've labelled it "killer salt".
0:04:46 > 0:04:48'Are you a saltaholic?'
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'Research linked over-consumption to high blood pressure,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57'and shoppers began to demand more information on their pre-packed food.'
0:04:57 > 0:05:03'This essential ingredient brings out the flavour of food, it keeps nutrients in your vegetables,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07'helps the rising processes in bread, and enhances batters and cakes.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:10'It's a great preservative, and a good luck charm to boot.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'What's not to love about the stuff?'
0:05:13 > 0:05:15'In moderation, of course.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:29'Nestled next to the salt grinder stands the pepper pot.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34'After water and salt, this is the third most popular ingredient for any recipe.'
0:05:34 > 0:05:38'But not in our Best of British Kitchen. For our first recipe,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43'we're going to promote the modest peppercorn and give it a starring role.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:47If variety is the spice of life, there's nothing more varied than this recipe.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50It's wacky, it's weird, and it tastes wonderful!
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It's our strawberry and pepper scones, or
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- POSH ACCENT:- scones.- Yeah!
0:05:55 > 0:05:57'Just slather with clotted cream.'
0:05:58 > 0:06:03'It's the most mega grown-up strawberry and cream scone you could ever taste.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:08'Right. For the roast strawberry and black pepper scones you're going to need
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'400 grams of hulled and halved strawberries.'
0:06:11 > 0:06:15But what you do, you see, you mix sugar and the strawberries with some pepper,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19ground black pepper, and then you bake them. Magic, innit?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22It sounds a bit weird and wonderful,
0:06:22 > 0:06:27but remember when people first suggested putting mint and balsamic vinegar on your strawberries!
0:06:27 > 0:06:30You thought that was peculiar, too.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35- You never thought that were cream, though?- No, strawberries and cream. - It's just one of them things you do.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41What we're doing, really, is we're dehydrating them to intensify the flavour, and honestly,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45when you put that in a scone mix, with the pepper, you get the spice,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49you get the fruit, you get the ah! Seasoning! You see?
0:06:49 > 0:06:54When you get this little nugget of flavour, in your golden scone,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56your eyes light up.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Strawberries. Hulled, halved, on a baking tray.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05'Now sprinkle or grind about a teaspoon of black pepper over the strawberries.'
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Pepper's been around, it's been precious, for such a long time.
0:07:10 > 0:07:17Going back to Roman times, Pliny complained that white pepper cost twice as much as black pepper.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Oh! Well, Alaric the Goth.- Who?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- "Our Rick"?- No, Alaric the Goth!
0:07:24 > 0:07:32- Right.- As a ransom for Rome, he declared "I want 3,000 pounds of pepper, please.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37"And then you can have your city back, until then, it was..."
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- Right.- See!- Sugar.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Couple of teaspoons of sugar.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47'Now, what can I come up with to trump Kingy? I've got it!'
0:07:47 > 0:07:49And did you know that in the 12th century,
0:07:49 > 0:07:54a pound of pepper was the equivalent of a carpenter's weekly wage.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Was it?!- Yep!
0:07:57 > 0:08:01And did you know that pepper, when it was introduced into the UK,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05was blamed for gout, because it held all the toxins,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09or so the medics thought, around the joints.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Hmm.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16So put your peppered up and sugared up strawberries into the oven.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21About 120 degrees C, or 100 degrees if you've got a fan oven.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23For about an hour and a half, very slow.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Et voila, an hour and a half later, dried strawberries.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- They are absolute flavour bombs. - They are super, super strawberry.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They are, aren't they? Let's make scones.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41Now for the scone mix, you're going to need 100g of cold butter.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Thank you.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Just cube the butter. 'Then you'll need 500g of self-raising flour.'
0:08:49 > 0:08:53For scones, you always have to have self-raising flour.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56If not, you need to put baking powder into ordinary flour.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59And sometimes, we've been known to sneak, if it's a heavy scone,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02an extra teaspoonful of baking powder,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05it makes you scones go whooo!
0:09:05 > 0:09:09So, we'll put the butter in, and now we rub that butter.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Put the sugar and salt in first, before you rub, though.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Oops. Dave's right. So in goes 50 grams of caster sugar.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20And some salt.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Well, we've got pepper, got to have salt.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- Seasoning, you see. - It goes together like Si and Dave.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- Yeah.- Rub.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And just rub it together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37These strawberries which we did yesterday,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41you have to scrape off the paper.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44This is serious, serious flavouring.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's concentrated strawberries.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58All those kind of jammy bits, we want them as well.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06Let's put the dried pepper strawberries in there
0:10:06 > 0:10:12and work them through as well as evenly as you can.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I tell you what, Dave, the smell of these strawberries
0:10:15 > 0:10:18is more strawberry than strawberry, if you know what I mean.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23- They are really good. - I've got my flour ready for dusting.
0:10:23 > 0:10:31- What's the fastest food in the world, Kingy?- Dunno.- Scone!- Hahaha!
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- So how do you say it? - Scone.- Me too. Scone.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- There is a North-South divide, isn't there?- There is.- Scowhn.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It's not a scowhn, it's a scone.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Now add 300 mill of cold milk.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48If it ends up being too soggy, put a bit more flour in.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- If it's too dry, put a bit more milk in.- It's not hard, is it?- No.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59# Scones that can be as light as a B
0:10:59 > 0:11:05# Are lovely things to eat in the afternoon
0:11:05 > 0:11:09# But they can be better
0:11:09 > 0:11:12# When you bake them up with pepper
0:11:12 > 0:11:15# You have them with cream, they're a dream. #
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Eat your heart out, Paul McCartney!
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Did you know that scones, for years, in their various forms,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25were always cooked on a griddle? They weren't baked.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Baking scones like this is relatively new-fangled.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- Is it?- Yep. - Go on, that's it, man.- Whoo!
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- Look at that. Mr King...- Yes, sir.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- That dough...- It's light, innit?- Yes, it's great.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And as they say, as with bread, the softer the dough,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45the lighter the loaf.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It's like my belly, that.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- Twice as lumpy. - 'Now it's time to cut out the scones.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58You've got to be firm with this. If there's a strawberry in the way, it'll drag.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01But if you're bold and butch, it won't.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Look at that.- Oh, man. ITALIAN ACCENT: It's a beautiful thing.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I'm quite asconce with myself.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Look at that, that's got a big hunker in the middle. But you know,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14a traditional scone is strawberry jam and cream.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Are you a jam first and then cream or cream first and jam?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It depends on my mood. If I feel like being unctuous
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and watching the jam fall over the mound of clotted cream I've stuck on my scone, yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26If not, and I'm in a hurry, I'll just put jam on,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28cream on and then stuff it in me gob.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Oh, it's got to be jam first, then cream.- Has it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Look at that. 'If you say so.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:42You set your oven at 180 for a fan, 200 ordinary, Celsius.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Brush these with milk.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50And we're going to bake these for about 15 minutes. Right.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Why don't we sit down and I'll teach you a few things about strawberries.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Oh, you think so, do you?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And did you know that in medieval times,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac?- Were they?
0:13:11 > 0:13:17And were served in a soup of strawberries, borage and sour cream?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21You are getting competitive now about your strawberry facts.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- I can see it but the tone of your voice.- Do you give up?- No.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33And did you know the myth and legend of ancient Egypt suggested that
0:13:33 > 0:13:35if you consumed a vast amount of strawberries
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- you may turn into an evil cat. - (HISSES)
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Did you know another myth that if two people consume together
0:13:44 > 0:13:48a double crowned strawberry, they will fall in love?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- We haven't eaten one of them, have we?- Go on then. Tell me another.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56- You've run out, haven't you? - No, I haven't.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Do you know the weight of the world's biggest strawberry?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02575 kilos, actually.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06- Rubbish, that's over half a metric tonne.- What is it?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- Well, I don't know, it's about... - You don't know, do you?
0:14:09 > 0:14:10No, but neither do you.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I do know that it was a big strawberry.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15We're nearly done.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Look at that.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26Scones. They don't get much better...
0:14:26 > 0:14:30than this. Now just leave them to cool.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- I'll go and get the cream.- Right.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Look at this.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Oh, yeah.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Yes.- Lovely. Look at the strawberries.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48They've kind of rehydrated a little bit in there, haven't they?
0:14:48 > 0:14:54Bit of the old crusty clotted, eh? Go on, my friend.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59- Well, now that's one of the best of British, isn't it?- It certainly is.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Strawberries and cream, a British institution. Combined with scones.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Yes. Now, salt and pepper and seasoning
0:15:06 > 0:15:08in a way that you wouldn't have thought.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Would you ever believe?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Do you know, Kingy, the way we've done these strawberries,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18combine that with the pepper, they're really intense flavours.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21As you eat the scone, they just burst on your palate.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- Where's yours gone? - I've eaten it.- Already?
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- Yeah, it was lovely. - Si's may have scone,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32but fortunately we made plenty of these tasty treats.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36The pepper truly enhances the flavour of the quintessentially British strawberry,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40turning this teatime classic into something amazing.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Spices have been flattering our imaginations and playing havoc with our senses since prehistory.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52For many centuries, the Arabs traded spices to Europe
0:15:52 > 0:15:55but kept their sources a closely-guarded secret.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01By the 15th century, anyone who had a boat was off exploring the world
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and when Vasco de Gama anchored off the coast of India,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06the sea route was established
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and the Arab spice monopoly crumbled.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The Portuguese held on to the spice trade for a century
0:16:12 > 0:16:16until the Dutch formed the Dutch East India Spice Company
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- and took the reins.- The Dutch established the monopoly trade
0:16:20 > 0:16:23of clover and nutmeg but British cooking was heavily scented
0:16:23 > 0:16:26with spices such as ginger, pepper and cinnamon.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And so, the British East India Spice Company was formed,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and its merchants turned London into
0:16:32 > 0:16:35one of the great spice capitals of the world.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39The two empires continued to compete for the spice trade for years
0:16:39 > 0:16:41and it wasn't until the Treaty of Breda in 1667,
0:16:41 > 0:16:47when the British swapped the Dutch a nutmeg-rich island called Run
0:16:47 > 0:16:50for Manhattan that a truce was called.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53One spice that we haven't actually fought any wars over
0:16:53 > 0:16:57but still takes pride of place in our cooking is the chilli.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02And back on our best of British spice trail, we've got wind
0:17:02 > 0:17:05of a rather special food fair dedicated entirely
0:17:05 > 0:17:07to this hot little number.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10So we're heading off to Hertfordshire
0:17:10 > 0:17:12to sample some hot home-grown produce.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Here, in a field in deepest Hertfordshire,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26there's something in the air.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29It's hot, it's colourful, and sometimes a little bit dangerous.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It's the chilli.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34This is just one of hundreds of festivals that have sprung up
0:17:34 > 0:17:39all around the UK that keep our food heritage alive.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Now, the chilli's been eaten in South America since 7500BC.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49We didn't start eating them until explorers brought them back in the 15th century.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Since then, the Brits have gone chilli bonkers.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58And Joanna Plum has been growing chillies for years.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- That's an incredible array of chillies.- It's fabulous.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- All grown in Bedfordshire. Nice and fresh.- A mixed bag!- Yes, absolutely.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09You've got some very hot ones and some nice mild ones.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Joanna, why do you think we have such a passion
0:18:11 > 0:18:14for chillies in the UK? Cos clearly, this is a chilli festival.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17There's hundreds and hundreds of people here.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21What happens is you eat a chilli and it's really, really hot
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and your endorphins are released to counteract that pain
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and it gives you a natural high.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The nice thing about chilli is it's not just the heat, is it?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32You've got different flavours. Chillies for all seasons.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Chillies for various purposes.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37The poblanos, they're nice, mild, Mexican chillies
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and they stuff them in Mexico.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42These Hungarian peppers are great, as well.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- They're fantastic.- So sweet. - With cheese and tuna - delicious.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49We've also got the Bhut Jolokia here which is extremely hot.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52That's over one million Scoville heat units.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- Oh, say that again.- Over one million Scoville heat units.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57'What units?
0:18:57 > 0:19:01'In 1902, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville
0:19:01 > 0:19:04'invented a way of gauging the heat of a chilli.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08'Put simply, it measures the amount of sugared water it would take
0:19:08 > 0:19:12'to dilute a chilli to counteract its effects.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14'And that's putting it simply?'
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Joanna, what would happen if I just stuffed this in my mouth and ate it?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21My gosh, you would start to sweat, you might start hiccupping.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24But then, this euphoria would kick in
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and you may even start hallucinating.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29'Neither of us are feeling quite brave enough
0:19:29 > 0:19:31'for a bit of hallucination,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34'but we keen to sample something that's going to pack a punch.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36'Jeremy Green is a chilli champion,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39'who can rustle up a mean chilli con carne.'
0:19:39 > 0:19:42What that's made with is a blend of 18 different chillies
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and spices and what you get is flavour and warmth
0:19:45 > 0:19:49and that has smoked chilli in it so you get that lovely back pop,
0:19:49 > 0:19:50that smokiness.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52And I'll tell you what is really good
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and lots of people get it wrong when they come to chilli
0:19:55 > 0:19:57is the balance of heat, savoury and sweetness
0:19:57 > 0:20:00cos there's a sweetness there that's quite natural.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- This is just perfect.- It is. - Perfectly balanced, man.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07- Absolutely fabulous. - You can't stop eating it!
0:20:07 > 0:20:08That was good chilli.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10'We still had a bit of room for dessert,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'so we found a stall selling chocolate.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17'Over 2,000 years ago, the Aztecs were grinding cocoa seeds
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'together with chillies as a special drink for their Gods.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24'Nowadays, lesser mortals are able to enjoy this heavenly combo.'
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So, Sarah, how did you start this off?
0:20:26 > 0:20:28This is obviously a passion.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Well, I had a chocolate business
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and there was an event at the Chilli Fiesta in West Dean
0:20:32 > 0:20:34that I really wanted to have a stand at.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38So, I had to come up with something with chilli and chocolate
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and so I came up with the chilli chocolate brownie
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and they sold so well that each year,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45we just kind of add more and more to the range
0:20:45 > 0:20:47and then, a couple of years ago,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51we decided to get some whole chillies and dip those in chocolate, as well.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54'A whole chilli dipped in chocolate?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'Who'd be stupid enough to try that?!'
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's a whole, pressed chilli in chocolate.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06You're laughing and I don't know why but I think I'm going to find out.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- I'm getting it.- Are you getting it?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Her caramels are lovely.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It's lovely, but you do get the chocolate first.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21And the chilli just comes under it like an Exocet missile.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24HE COUGHS
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Whoo!
0:21:29 > 0:21:30It gives you a lift!
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It gives you a lift?! Your eyes are out on stalks, man.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36What are you doing to yourself?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39You only went for it cos it was the biggest.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41'My macho moment was pretty tame.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44'Well, compared to a group of chilli chompers we've heard about
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'on the other side of the festival.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'They are playing culinary Russian roulette
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'by taking part in a chilli-eating competition.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56'The rules are simple - the last man standing wins.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00In each round, the contestants eat a chilli of increasing strength,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02'and this goes on until they can face no more.
0:22:02 > 0:22:08'Round one starts at a relatively mild 1,000 Scoville units.'
0:22:08 > 0:22:12To be honest, I think it was a waste of ink signing the paper.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14'But the chilli in the second round weighs in
0:22:14 > 0:22:18'at a whopping 7,000 Scovilles.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20'Forget making your mouth water,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'these chilli peppers will make your eyes water,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24'your nose run, your head spin
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'and the even produce the odd muscle spasm.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:33'The first reluctant retiree leaves, quickly followed by another.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36'Two down, eight to go.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41'Round three and the chillies reach 8,000 Scovilles.'
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- Another one's gone. - I'm not surprised.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- How is it going?- All right. A bit numb around the mouth.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- Going out for a curry tonight? - No, not tonight. No.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55'Round four and things are hotting up.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57'This must be getting painful!'
0:22:57 > 0:23:00100,000 Scovilles. That's like a Scotch Bonnet raw.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05'How do they do it? 100,000 Scovilles?
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Have you seen this fella on the end, here?
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- He hasn't... He's just chatting. - He hasn't broken a sweat yet.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Oh, you don't eat Scotch Bonnet chillies like that, do you?
0:23:15 > 0:23:16It's wrong.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20'And the next round separates the men from the boys.'
0:23:20 > 0:23:27The next one is 900,000 Scovilles.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30'I can't bear it. I can't watch.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33'At this point, we're going to strongly advice
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'you don't try this at home or anywhere else for that matter!
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'The muscle spasms are kicking in now.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'How will the five contestants standing
0:23:42 > 0:23:44'take the incredible heat of the chillies to come?'
0:23:44 > 0:23:45It'll kick in, now.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49We now have the Naga Jolokia, ladies and gentlemen.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55These regularly register at over a million Scovilles.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'Sensible lad - he's thrown in the towel
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'before even trying the Naga Jolokia,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04'the pepper the Indian army considered using as a weapon.'
0:24:04 > 0:24:06How you doing, mate?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- I don't know. I think I'm blind. - You're going blind?
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It's round about now the first one will be kicking in.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16'And finally, even the toughest contestants
0:24:16 > 0:24:19'begin to struggle as the chillies bite back.'
0:24:21 > 0:24:23'With one last crunch,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'we are left with an asbestos mouthed winner
0:24:26 > 0:24:29'who gets to claim the bragging rights
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'and the all-important T-shirt.'
0:24:33 > 0:24:37- So, Ian, respect. - Victorious winner. Amazing!
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You haven't even... No, not a bead of sweat.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Do you like chillies?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43That's the first time I've had them that hot.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46I mean, that's quite remarkable, dude.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I am completely gobsmacked, I have to say.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Well done, Ian.- Well done, mate. - Thank you very much.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00We may not all be daft enough to take part in a chilli challenge,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04but it's fantastic to see we Brits know how to celebrate our spices.
0:25:08 > 0:25:14# I'm just mad about saffron, Saffron's mad about me... #
0:25:14 > 0:25:19Spices are the most exotic ingredient in any recipe,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21and we Brits love 'em.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23They're not just found in food from far-flung lands.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Our ancestors were spicing up dishes as far back as mediaeval times.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Our Best of British food historian and chef, Ivan Day,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34is the Indiana Jones of the food world.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Rediscovering historic British dishes and bringing them back to life in his Cumbrian kitchen.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Today, he's resurrecting a medieval spice cake called trayne roste
0:25:43 > 0:25:46that has an ingenious use for dried fruit.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49This is the kind of pestle and mortar that was once found
0:25:49 > 0:25:53in just about every well-provided-for kitchen.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57It's incredibly good, because it's so easy to use.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01All the work is actually done by a little hoop up there,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06and I can grind things incredibly easily with this action.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It could be used to grind any spice.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13In fact, it could be used to grind these
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I've got this incredible array here,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18of spices which are not so popular now,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22but were really important in the mediaeval period.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27This one, here, which looks more like a catkin than a spice...
0:26:28 > 0:26:32..is long pepper, which was imported all the way from Indonesia.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34In fact, this one here,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37which is another type of pepper called cubeb pepper,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41which has a very strong, pungent, almost eucalyptus flavour,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44very important in flavouring alcoholic drinks.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Perhaps my favourite, though,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49is this very romantic-sounding spice,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52which is called grains of paradise,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56which is a species of cardamom from the West African coast.
0:26:56 > 0:27:03But the most expensive and the most select of all spices was saffron.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Alexander the Great used it for medicinal purposes
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and Cleopatra bathed in it.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13The use of saffron dates back more than 3,000 years.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Derived from the three red stigmas of the saffron crocus,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19which can only be harvested by hand, the world's most expensive spice
0:27:19 > 0:27:22costs up to a staggering £4,000 per kilo.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Flamin' Nora!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And saffron's slightly bitter, hay-like flavour
0:27:27 > 0:27:31is so unique, it cant be replaced with any other ingredient.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35And it's this spice that I'm going to use,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38but what I'm going to do with it
0:27:38 > 0:27:43is use it as the dominant flavour in a very unusual spice cake.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48And the original recipe, which is from 1420, tells us
0:27:48 > 0:27:52to take a thread, "the length of a man".
0:27:52 > 0:27:57And then we're instructed to thread an almond, and then a date,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00and then another almond, and then a fig,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05and then another almond and then, finally, a raisin.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09So what we end up with is nothing that looks like any cake
0:28:09 > 0:28:12that you would have seen, but is in fact an necklace,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16it's almost like a bracelet or some kind of jewellery,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18rather than anything at all edible.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23The rich, exotic ingredients Ivan is using were introduced to Britain around the time of the crusades.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Considered a luxury food, dates and raisins were only used
0:28:27 > 0:28:32on special occasions like Christmas, for puddings and mince pies.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Ooh, lush!
0:28:34 > 0:28:36But it wont be baked in an oven.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Like many medieval dishes, it's roasted on a spit.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44What I'm going to do is a little trick that was done by these guys
0:28:44 > 0:28:47who cook continuously in front of a fire,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52and that is, I'm going to use a piece of chalk to rub onto the spit.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Now, this, hopefully, will help me,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58in that the cake won't stick completely to the spit.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07And this is what I love doing the most.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11I'm turning it a bit like one of those DNA molecules,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14by the time the guy finished with it,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18so just make sure that there aren't any gaps in between each row.
0:29:18 > 0:29:24It doesn't seem at all English, this, it's like an exotic sweet.
0:29:24 > 0:29:30- After a lot of patience and skill, Ivan's DNA dessert..- Trayne roste..
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Is ready for the next stage.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37I'm just going to put this down to warm up. While I make the batter.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42This is where the spices come into the mixture.
0:29:43 > 0:29:50I've got a lavish amount of ginger, quite a lot of cloves,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54and this one, which I'm not going to put in till the end is saffron
0:29:54 > 0:29:58which was worth more than its weight in gold, literally.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02As well as the spices, we've got some plain white flour
0:30:02 > 0:30:06and some sugar, which to the medieval cook, was a spice too.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09It came from a far-off land and you couldn't grow it here in England.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12So this is a very exotic and expensive dish.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Ivan mixes the dry ingredients together
0:30:15 > 0:30:20and adds the egg yolks, using a sweet wine to make a thick batter.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Saffron gives its colour better
0:30:24 > 0:30:28when it's dissolved in alcohol than water.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29I can demonstrate that
0:30:29 > 0:30:34very easily just by putting the saffron into the batter.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38You'll see it going a very bright yellow as the alcohol dissolves it.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42Roasting food in front of an open fire may seem primitive to us.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48But it's a highly sophisticated procedure a distinct flavour.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52I've got everything ready for the fire.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58I'm going to load the basting stick with some batter.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04I can hear the trayne roste is beginning to cook.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08Whoever invented this must've been very imaginative,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11because it is such complicated procedure.
0:31:11 > 0:31:17When thinking of spices, most chefs look to other cultures for ideas.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23But, like us, Ivan believes our own culinary traditions are often overlooked.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27It's such a revelation to make dishes like this from the past,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31because you understand that these people were sophisticated.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34They weren't primitive, we didn't have rubbish food.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38There were times when food in England was better than it is now.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41And all the good cooks worked, not in restaurants,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43but for private families.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48After 40 minutes, when the trayne roste has turned golden brown,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51as the saying goes, "It's done to a turn".
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Wow.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02God, that smells absolutely extraordinary.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05I always find this the most worrying point.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08This isn't easy to do, so I'm going to hold on
0:32:08 > 0:32:13to the string at this end and then very carefully...
0:32:17 > 0:32:21..slide it off the spit.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31The remarkable thing about this is that the thread
0:32:31 > 0:32:38that everything was harpooned on, has actually stayed on the spit.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40They were clever folk, them Plantagenets!
0:32:43 > 0:32:47I'm just going to see if I can take the first slice out,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50And there we have it - look! Isn't it beautiful?
0:32:50 > 0:32:57So you get a nice pattern of nuts, figs, raisins and dates going right through.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03What I'm going to get in there is all the spices of the Orient,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06all the fruits of the Mediterranean.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Everything exotic and from far-away lands,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13which was the ultimate status-symbol in a period
0:33:13 > 0:33:17when everything travelled by caravan train and sailing ship.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20That looks delicious, Si?
0:33:20 > 0:33:23He's keeping a bit of British food heritage alive, you know!
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Just like our medieval ancestors,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34we often look to other cultures for inspiration.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37So the final stop on our spicy tour is, of course,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41- our Best-Of-British kitchen. - Where we'll be spicing up
0:33:41 > 0:33:45a scrumptious British ingredient with a bit of help from the Orient.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50Salt and Szechuan peppercorn squid with a fragrant dipping sauce.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Oh, the accent.
0:33:52 > 0:33:59The squid is beautiful. It's hot, it's frizzly, it's lovely,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01and it celebrates the squid.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Now, British waters are heaving with these creatures.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09We've got loads of squid. Most think that they come from Greece or the Mediterranean.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13There's loads around our cold, coastal waters and our squid's great.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18Now, he doesn't immediately say, "Eat me", and actually,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22he requires preparation in order to make him appetising and lovely.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24I'm going to show you have to do squid.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28I've got four here and I'm going to merrily get on and butcher them.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34First off, I need to pull the body from the tube, like so.
0:34:34 > 0:34:40If this makes you squeamish you can always get your local fishmonger to do it for you.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45Now, peel the fins off and this yucky-looking membrane.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50And underneath you find this wonderful pure white meat. That's what we're after.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Look what's inside? The quill.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57It looks, for all the world, like a quill.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02It looks like it's made of plastic. That's the spine. I'll just remove that.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Next, we slash this, open it up,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09and inside, there's a little bit of guts.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16See that membrane there? Peel that off, just tidy up the edge.
0:35:16 > 0:35:22That wonderful piece of squid meat. Now, on to the body.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27Pull the tentacles off here. Like so. I tend to put off the big one.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Cut them there, just below the eyeballs.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33While Dave's butchering his squid,
0:35:33 > 0:35:37I'm going to prep what can only be described as the dipping sauce.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41- But what a dipping sauce!- Oh, what!
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Put 50ml of water into a pan, along with one tablespoon of white wine vinegar
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and 100 grams of caster sugar.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Dissolve the sugar and boil for a minute.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Next take a chilli.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05- Seeded or deseeded? What do you fancy? Seeded, eh? - Oh, yeah. We like it hot.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11- Chop your chilli along with a thumb-sized piece of ginger. - Sliced very finely.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16And two cloves of garlic.
0:36:16 > 0:36:22Add these to your syrup, then let that cook for about a minute.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25- It doesn't take long. - It doesn't, mate, no.
0:36:26 > 0:36:31Then add one more tablespoon of white wine vinegar before allowing to cool.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Have you noticed what we're doing?
0:36:34 > 0:36:39We're balancing the sweet and sour because we've got sugar in there,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42two tablespoons of vinegar, but also a load of spice.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47Sweet, sour and spice go fantastically well together.
0:36:47 > 0:36:55They compliment each other so well that it pushes those flavours on your mouth to the fore.
0:36:55 > 0:37:01It's a great way of tasting each individual spice.
0:37:03 > 0:37:09Let that just stand and go cool.
0:37:09 > 0:37:15Before we move on to the next stage, wash the slimy bits off the squid and get rid of any ink.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23To get the best out of these fantastic ingredients,
0:37:23 > 0:37:28we're going to add to a dry frying pan - no oil in it -
0:37:28 > 0:37:30two teaspoons of black peppercorns.
0:37:33 > 0:37:40Two heaped teaspoons of Szechuan peppercorns. This is interesting.
0:37:40 > 0:37:47Szechuan peppercorns are not a pepper, they're a berry. I bet you didn't know that.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53A tablespoon of sea salt flakes.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58And half a teaspoon of chilli flakes.
0:37:59 > 0:38:05As we push heat through them, the natural oils that's trapped in the drying process
0:38:05 > 0:38:10will be released and make a more pungent and a bigger, more rounded flavour.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15It really is the best way to get those flavours out of those spices. Fabulous.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Now, the squid.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I cut the bunches of tentacles in half
0:38:23 > 0:38:27and they're just ready for frying. These big pieces, what we do is this.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30To get a decent shape and cook them,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33you score them with a chequerboard pattern.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Not all the way through.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40But just across like that.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44Now cut those into ribbons, just like that,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47but when they cook, they're gonna go like this.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53And you get like, twists. They're much easier than rings for picking up the sauce.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58The way that you can tell that these peppercorns are nearly ready
0:38:58 > 0:39:05is that you can smell them. They start to have that beautiful fragrance.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Smell them, mate.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- Oh, yeah. It's quite nutty. - Yeah, aren't they?
0:39:11 > 0:39:12We're going to put those...
0:39:15 > 0:39:20- You all right, mate?- It's a bit heavy, you know? I was surprised.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24Put those in the pestle and mortar
0:39:24 > 0:39:28and we'll just grind them to a nice powder.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Have you ever heard of about fast food? There's a bit of faff in the preparation,
0:39:36 > 0:39:42but we're talking about a minute or 90 seconds to cook these squid strips out.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Then you have a heap of them.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46You sit there with your dipping sauce, cold beer in one hand,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50that in the other, and there's nothing finer.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53With all our recipes, if you notice what we're doing,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57particularly recipes that come together quite quickly, is that we're prepping everything.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59And it's dead important.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Cos it's takes the stress out of your cooking
0:40:02 > 0:40:04and you just enjoy it more.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- You have a right good giggle. It's brilliant.- Oh, look at that. - There you go, mate.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13Oh, that's the Szechuan pepper and salt.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Beefed up with black pepper and chilli flakes,
0:40:17 > 0:40:21that's going to set the squid alight. So put that into a bowl.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26And add five tablespoons of cornflour and five tablespoons of self-raising flour.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31Self raising, five. I'll just mix that up with the spices.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35It's like the ultimate seasoned flour really. That's it.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40Into your wok or medium saucepan pour two centimetres of sunflower oil,
0:40:40 > 0:40:45and heat it to 180C or 350F.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50That's it, we're there. Now, take a piece of squid, like so...
0:40:50 > 0:40:54dredge it in that wonderful Szechuan-peppery melange...
0:40:54 > 0:41:00Pop it in the fat and repeat. Mr King will man the pan.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03We only want this to cook for about a minute.
0:41:10 > 0:41:17As Dave's dropping them in, I'm not touching them. If you do, the spiced flour will fall off.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19You've got to be careful and leave it alone.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23They will only need between one and two minutes.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Try not to overcook them or they'll end up like rubber bands.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32Let's do a few tentacles next. I like these cos they just go like a spider that been deep-fried.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36As Dave's dropping the squid in, it lowers the temperature of the oil.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Just keep tweaking the temperature up.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Turn it up as you go through the cooking process.
0:41:42 > 0:41:48The easiest way to do this is with a deep-fat fryer with a thermostat.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52It's also safer too. It's just easier to see when it's like this.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58When the squid is done, remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03To serve, put your dipping sauce in a bowl
0:42:03 > 0:42:08and garnish with finely chopped coriander and a slice of lime.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Then pile up the twists of delectably succulent squid.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Right, shall we dive into the spice? - Lime juice?- Yes, please.
0:42:19 > 0:42:25- Look at that!- It's just so nicely curly. That's what it's meant to be like.- It's coming through.
0:42:25 > 0:42:32- And the texture of the dipping sauce is enough to cling. It's a proper sweet chilli sauce.- Oh, man!
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Thank heaven for spice, because it defines our cuisine.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- Yeah.- And I'm very pleased we have it.- Oh...
0:42:40 > 0:42:43This is our gift to you from the Spice Boys.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46MUSIC: "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls
0:42:50 > 0:42:53For centuries, our little Island has been experimenting
0:42:53 > 0:42:56with exotic flavours and tastes
0:42:56 > 0:42:59to create some truly amazing dishes.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07So whether you like a sprinkle of salt or a dash of something peppery with strawberries,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09or a seriously hot chilli from the shires...
0:43:09 > 0:43:16It's worth remembering that good seasoning maketh the man... and the dish.
0:43:16 > 0:43:25To discover amazing facts about the history of food, visit...
0:43:25 > 0:43:29And to find out how to cook the recipes in today's show.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:39 > 0:43:42E-mail subtitling@redbeemedia.com