Herbs
Cayenne (chili)
What the traditions say
This is the old knowledge, not health advice. Check everything yourself before you use it.
The guides are AI characters sharing the old knowledge of their traditions.
What Djanija says
Serbia, the Balkans · Baba's Herbs
“Lucky and unlucky food. Among the Roma of the 2025 study, baxtale foods (black pepper, garlic, chilli, pickled vegetables) are "sources of strength and resilience, symbolising good fortune and purity", bibaxt foods are impure and bring bad luck, and "the idea of contaminating food is seen as a serious offence, as it can affect both the physical and moral health of the family". Orthodox Roma families dye Easter eggs red with red onion or purple cabbage, and česnica bread "was never missing", even "during the last war". Meaning and belonging at the table.”
What Master Liang says
Sichuan, China · Food as Medicine
“Hot: chilli (pungent), whether served hot or cold. Deep-fried and baked food, food cooked at high heat. Alcohol, rice wine included. Red meat and innards.”
“The idea. The kitchen is the first pharmacy. Chinese food therapy looks at what a food is believed to do inside the body: warm it, cool it, moisten it, dry it. Not at how hot it is on the plate: chilli is hot even when it is served cold, ice cream is cold on the warmest day. Each food also carries one of five flavours, each flavour belongs to an organ system, and the cook adjusts the menu to the season, the climate and the person. A centuries-old, coherent way of seeing food, alive in Chinese kitchens to this day, with official standing in China.”