This summer, as you season a pasta salad or make a rub for your favorite meat, consider this: The U.S. is a far spicier nation than it used to be.
The consumption of spices in the United States has grown almost three times as fast as the population over the past several decades. Much of that growth is attributed to the changing demographics of America.
"We've had a very big influx of immigrant populations — from Mexico, from the Far East, the Southeast Asia areas, from India," says Peter Furth, CEO of the consulting firm FFF Associates, whose focus is specialty foods, including spices.
Immigration, Furth says, has resulted in a broader array of restaurants. At the same time, food blogs and television cooking shows have spurred more home cooking. Together, those trends have resulted in a much more adventurous national palate.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: NPR.