SPICES

HISTORY OF SPICES

Early history• Spice trade developed throughout South Asia and Middle East by at

least 2000 BC (cinnamon and black pepper), and in East Asia (herbs and pepper).

• The Egyptians used herbs for mummification (thyme), placed spices in the tombs (cinnamon, cassia, juniper berries, peppercorns...)

• The ancient Egyptian medical papyrus (Papyrus Ebers) from 1550 BC - Egyptians knew and used cumin, cassia, cardamom, mustard, sesame and saffron.

• Ancient Romans and Greeks crowned their leaders with dill and laurel (babér)

• Early uses were connected with magic, medicine, religion, tradition, and preservation.

Who transported the spices?• Indonesian merchants travelled around China, India, the

Middle East, and the east coast of Africa. • Arab merchants facilitated the routes through the Middle

East and India (camel caravans) - Egyptian port city of Alexandria became the main trading center for spices.

• Indian spices as well as luxury goods traded along the Incense Route (Tömjénút)

• along the Silk Route - connecting China and the Mediterranean Sea through the Asian continent.

• The most important discovery were the monsoon winds and sailing gradually replaced land routes

Silk Route (red), Spice Trade Routes (blue)

Middle Ages

• Spices were among the most demanded and expensive products in Europe and in the Middle Ages - the most common: black pepper, cinnamon (cheaper alternative: cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves

• The most exclusive was saffron, used for coloring and flavoring

• From the 8th until the 15th century, the Republic of Venice had the monopoly on spice trade with the Middle East rich

• Herbs - used to help preserve meat + cover the rotting taste of meals that couldn’t be refrigerated.

• Herbs also helped cover the smell of people who bathed rarely.

• This period was not favorable to the progress of herbs in medicine - the Catholic Church began burning herbalists, associated them with witchcraft and paganism.

The early modern period• Spain and Portugal were not happy to pay the high price that

Venice demanded for spices.

• The control of trade routes and the spice-producing regions Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama sailed to India in 1499.

• The Portuguese took control of the sea routes to India, some spice-producing regions and traded directly with China – many spices were brought to Europe via Lisbon.

• At around the same time, Christopher Columbus returned from the New World.

• With the discovery of the New World came new spices, including allspice, chili peppers, vanilla, and chocolate.

Now

• USA (Germany, Japan and France) is the biggest importer in the world

• India (Indonesia, Brazil) is the biggest exporter (pepper, cardamom, chili, ginger, cumin and curry)

• The most important spice is pepper (paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper)

Maluku islands (Spice Islands)• nutmeg, mace and cloves were originally found only there