Early Chinese writings date the trading and use of spices back to 200 B.C., when China was actively importing cloves from the Spice Islands. As the Pepperheads like to share a few good stories and a tip of the (chef’s) hat to people who historically spread the passion for good food, we’ve woven a bit of a visual Chinese theme into this page.

Rome joined the passion for spices later in the first century A.D. (see:
Dark Secrets BBQ Sauce for more on the Roman pantries). The ‘Spice Trail’ stretched from China to Rome. Camel caravans, over brutal long routes, became the main source for the delivery of spices. The hardships of weather and bandits were given very frightening spins by adding tales of monsters, dragons & wild unknown tribes that were supposedly encountered along the dusty caravan routes. This helped keep the competition down and prices up. Peppercorns were sold individually. Besides livening up meals, conversations around those tables must have been magical as the tales of how the spices traveled there were told. It was the beginning of an exchange of ideas, cultures & beliefs, that new food discoveries continue to trigger today. World peace & understanding through our stomachs. It brings a whole new, or old, meaning to ‘Think Globally ~ Eat Locally’. Just think of the impact of fire on our social customs...once early man learned how to cook with fire (quite the improvement), the clan would gather around the fire to share meals and it's glow would protect them against hostile animals. The chefs at Pepperheads often daydream about this as they were rubbing down their latest creations. Everyone relaxes with a good rub down. It causes us to unwind and slow down.
Food also brings more pleasure when you unwind and ‘slow down’.

Marco Polo’s book, after his travels between 1271 and 1292, helped unlock the sources of these traders. He had come home from his last trip, part way by sea, which led to a 200-year quest by Europeans to secure sea trading routes to help fill the demand for ways to change the boring meals being served back home. These early sea voyages were only slightly less dangerous, but the demand continued to grow. Ships rarely came back with the full original crew. In the middle ages, a pound of ginger was worth the price of a sheep, a pound of mace bought three sheep & a cow, and the guards on the London docks, in the Elizabethan times, were instructed to have their pockets sewn shut to make sure they didn’t walk off with any spices.

When America was discovered…it was all a mistake! Poor old Christopher Columbus, he was sent out to find a new access to spices. He was heading for the Spice Islands, made a wrong turn and ended up in America. He confused chiles with peppers and native North Americans with Indians. Who says history is written by scholars?

The Romans had long since locked into the main arteries of the spice routes. By the beginning of the 10th century, Venice had grown rich by controlling the import of spices. Spain wanted in on the action. In 1498, six years after Columbus made his now infamous wrong turn, Vasco da Gama got it right and opened a new route to the Spice Islands. A decade later, it was the Dutch, battle fleet in tow, that monopolized the Eastern spice trade. While the chefs at Pepperheads appreciate all this ‘enthusiasm’ about spicing up a meal with the best you can find, a simple visit to the ‘Where To Find Pepperheads’ page would have saved a number of lives. Speaking of lives, in the 11th century, a sack of pepper was worth a man’s life. Enough history, you’re here for ways to play...

“Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at, and I sigh.”
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Irish dramatist, poet.

"I roasted a whole chicken this weekend on the BBQ with some applewood chips. I created a paste with the rub and olive oil then slathered the chicken inside and out. The result was just wonderful."
~ From: C.J. Katz's "Prairie Foods Bytes" (Regina Dec. 1st, 2004 issue)

We keep thinking of this as 'just a good rub', but, as all the uses come in....we listen to your opinions & feedback. We promise to enter our rub in next year's competitions to see how it stacks up against the competition.
Thanks for alll the feedback. Love it with a clean olive oil.....on almost anything, or as a spice.

INGREDIENTS: spices (the mustard, peppers & more are included here), salt (normal rubs contain 40% salt due to it's tenderizing function ~ we've kept ours down to 20% to address your heath concerns), corn syrup solids, fructose, dehydrated onion, garlic powder, honey powder (wheat starch) Note the wheat starch. This means it is not gluten free.

SUGGESTED USES:
WET RUB-mix with olive oil & massage into beef, tofu, pork, chicken, seafood, or game. Our experiments with Tofu were such a hit, that it's been added to the menu for the volunteers at the Calgary Folk Music Festival this year. As everyone plays with this rub, what's really speaking to our collective tastebuds is the way that the rub mixed with a nice clean olive oil (used as a marinade) is complimented by cheese bread! Try chicken strips or thinly sliced breasts cooked this way and pop it in a fine cheese bun...smooth and savoury. When the rub is mixed with olive oil, it's a gentle and effective accent, full of flavour.

ROASTED VEGETABLES & MORE - mix with olive oil & coat cubed veggies or potatoes, roast in oven, or add to carmalized onions. Mix into veggie burgers or potato salads. Combine with flour and bread chicken breasts. Rice fried or steamed: add rub & fresh lime juice. Add to your scrambled eggs! Easy and versatile. Use this as a seasoning mix. A fun full-bodied flavour that keeps changing, as you enjoy what Chef Fred likes to call a 'mouth moment' (rub & olive oil). See the following Heat notes to understand just how this rub works. We'll keep adding more recipes & share your tips and
recipes as they roll in.

HEAT - A full-flavoured 2 out of 10 when you use it by itself as a dry rub, or coating. When you blend it with olive oil, or flour, it drops the heat factor down to a 1. This isn't a problem for you heat freaks, because it blends well with our Wild Garlic Hot Sauce, or the Dark Secrets Hot Sauce.

 

“The only advice I can give to aspiring writers is don’t do it unless you’re willing to give your whole life to it. Red wine and garlic also help.”
          ~ Jim Harrison

R E C I P E S If you want to print any of the following recipes, simply go to the 'Recipes To Inspire' page and you'll find printer friendly versions in the 'Pepperheads' section. This mixture is simple & easy to use, whether as a rub for tofu, veggies, or meats, or as a versatile seasoning mix to play with in the kitchen. Because of the simplicity of uses, we'll be collecting & posting groups of tips together. Enjoy yourselves.....

FOR SALADS & DIPS ~ We kept a coarser grind for other applications. We recommend grinding this finer for your salad & dip creations, or you can let the natural flavours blend by sitting in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. An early simple dip: 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayo, a bit of sweet cream if you wish to thin it a bit & 3 tsp. of rub. Dips are so easy to be creative with & a great place to add some fresh chives, or other treats from your garden.
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"Parsley - the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate."
Albert Stockli

PAUL’S BOTTLE & AGE SALAD DRESSING December 12, 05

1 (375 mL) tall, clear ice wine, or vinegar bottle
3 Tbsp. Honey Garlic Mustard Rub
1 (6-8”) sprig of thyme
Clean virgin olive oil

Make sure your bottle is well sterilized. Put in rub, then thyme sprig, then fill with olive oil. Cap, or cork, and set aside for one month in a cupboard.
“When it’s ready, just put your thumb over the top and drizzle over your salad. They make great gifts, but you have to plan ahead.” ~ Compliments of Paul in Mission, B.C.

BBQ or CAMP CORN ON THE COB August 19, 05

Another simple, fun and tasteful cooking tip – with so many regions in Canada bringing fresh, sweet corn to their local farmer’s markets each August, the stories and opinions about who grows the best corn starts to rage as family & friends gather ‘round to savour that wonderful tradition of eating corn on the cob.

 If it’s in season, buy some fresh picked corn direct from your local farmer at your local market, or their roadside stands. Peel back the green husk of the corn (usually in four sections, remember to keep it attached), remove the silks, fold the husk back over the corn, smother butter inside the husk and shake some Pepperheads Honey Garlic Mustard Rub inside as well. More rub = more ‘spark’. The husk helps protect the corn as it cooks and contains added nutrients. Then wrap each cob in tin foil – shiny side out to deflect heat. Wrap each cob twice.

 If you are CAMPING, make sure your fire has a nice bed of coals, not a raging blaze. Arrange the individual cobs around the outside edges of the coals & turn occasionally for even cooking. A nice addition if you are using coals is to buy some fine sausages from your local butcher, wrap them twice as well in tin foil & cook them along with the corn in the same fashion. After all, you’re camping, so take your time and let them cook slowly, they’ll taste even better.

 On the BARBEQUE, cook at medium to low heat for roughly 15-20 minutes, turning regularly. If you’re stuck, you can roast them in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, but try to cook in the great outdoors – it helps whet the appetite.

Honey Garlic Mustard Rub Cooking Tips (Volume One):

PEPPERHEADS POPCORN
~ Sprinkle Rub on hot popcorn without butter for a high fiber, low fat snack.

PEPPERHEADS OVERNIGHT MARINATE for CHICKEN, PORK, BEEF or LAMB
~ 1 tbsp. of rub for each 8 oz. serving of meat, blended with ½ cup olive oil and one clove of garlic (optional), will yield enough marinate for four 8 oz. servings, or 1 large roasting chicken. Keep remainder for basting while cooking. This easy combo of olive oil & rub is a tasty treat. Overnight just adds to the flavour, but you can do it just before you cook as well.

CHICKEN STRIPS or TURKEY SCHNITZEL
After cutting chicken strips, or pounding schnitzel, sprinkle with Honey Garlic Mustard Rub (1 tsp. rub to each 1 tbsp. flour) for *dredging before egg washing. After breading and frying until golden brown, squeeze on some fresh lime juice.

EASY DIDSBURY CHICKEN & VEGETABLES

A great cooking tip from the folks at Didsbury AG Foods. They always try something different in-store on Saturdays. They took a whole chicken & rubbed over half a jar of Honey Garlic Mustard Rub over the chicken & sprinkled a bit more inside, then they grabbed all kinds of different vegetables from their produce section, placed the chicken, then the vegetables in a cooking bag, added a bit of water on the bottom of the bag & cooked it in their oven. The steam inside the bag as it cooked caused the rub flavours to blend into the vegetables. The cauliflower results were very interesting and the chicken was picked clean to the bones. “It was awesome!” was the feedback.

           ~ compliments of the staff at Didsbury AG Foods

We've come to understand that each new creation we come up with, is like
offering a fresh new canvas to the hungry artist in all of us. We will keep
adding your tasteful artistic visions...