I love a good curry. Give me a masala dosa or a vegetarian thali, or an aloo gobi with a Goan fish curry, and we’ll be friends for life. My travels in India are among my fondest culinary memories. Eating food with fingers from palm leaves in vast halls, samosas with chai on railway platforms, long spicy fish lunches at beach huts in Kerala. Ah, but I digress. These are samples of the pungent taste that is the resonance of the Metal Element, tastes that are concentrated, distilled and bursting with an aromatic flavour. Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, garlic and ginger are also in the realm of the pungent.

The season of Autumn is the best time to be adding warming, spicy, aromatic foods to our diet, for this pungent flavour supports the Metal Element and its organs of Lung and Large Intestine.

In the early autumn as the temperature and humidity drop, one should transition from the cooling foods of summer and the damp-clearing foods of late summer to neutral and yin-nourishing foods. As the autumn deepens and the weather gets colder, add warming spices and cruciferous vegetables to support the Metal Element. As the season dries, and especially in dry climates, add lung-moistening foods such as pears, pawpaw and honey.

Vegetables that support the Metal Element include radish, cauliflower, shitake mushrooms, sweet potato, parsnip, spinach, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, leek, broccoli, fennel, onion, spring onions and chives.

Among the fruits, choose apple, tangerine, pear, golden kiwi, guava, persimmon, peach and fig.

Other foods that are supportive of the Metal Element are black sesame seeds, sesame oil, oats, red rice and black beans. For protein: tahini, silken tofu, duck, river fish and crab.

Pungent foods are said to move or disperse Qi, loosen stagnation and strengthen the Lung. This is especially useful when there is an invasion of pathogenic factors such as Wind or Cold. The pungent foods help to expel the invasion via the skin, often by sweating, and releasing to the exterior. The flavour can be used to protect against colds and flu, boosting immunity by stimulating defensive Qi. If, however, the Lung Qi is weak, then pungent food should be consumed in moderation as too much will scatter the Qi.

The Nei Jing tells us that “the pungent taste can ventilate the lungs and open the pores” but that “excessive consumption of the pungent taste may injure the pores and skin.” (Su Wen 5). Not only does too much pungent food injure the organs and tissues of its Metal Element, but it also has a flow-on effect on the Wood Element. “Overindulgence in pungent food can cause spasms, tremors, and poor nails.” (Su Wen 10) This is an example of an excess of the flavour of one Element acting on the grandson Element. In this case, Metal is invading the Wood.

Zoey Xinyi Gong in her Five Elements Cookbook warns that too much hot sauce, chilli etc can bring heat to the lungs (Metal) and liver (Wood), causing skin issues, hair loss, anger, restlessness and insomnia. It can also cause dryness in the Large Intestine leading to constipation. If you are prone to reaching for the 5-star hot sauce, you may therefore want to temper your usage. (Note to self!)

This blog post completes our year-long exploration of the foods of the Five Elements. Normally at this time I am already thinking of a new theme for the coming year. But for the first time, nothing has arisen and I wonder why. My first blog was posted in February 2014, just as the Wood Horse Year came galloping in. Here we are 12 years later in the Year of the Fire Horse, a year that promises change at all levels, so I am reassessing my blogging. Perhaps I’ll take a break, or perhaps I will post when the inspiration arises, rather than setting myself a timetable of blogging on a theme in each season. If, dear reader, you have read this far, I am humbled by your interest. If there is something you’d like to suggest for a topic, or even just to say hello, feel free to email me. My contact details are on the website.

With warm wishes

John