The history of spices parallels the history of world exploration. Cave men wrapped meat in leaves from a nearby bush, accidentally discovering that the taste of the meat improved with the use of leaves, nuts, seeds, berries and bark.
In ancient times, there were few ways to keep food fresh. The smell and taste of food was often unpleasant. Spices and herbs were used to mask the smell and taste of the food. No wonder spices were so valuable to Europeans in the Middle Ages. Spices were so expensive that handfuls of peppercorns and cardamom were bought by selling slaves.
The "worlds" discovered by Columbus, Magellan, and others belong to their sovereigns, but the treasures were that plants, fruit, spices and flavorings they brought back on their ships. The 15th and 16th centuries spice trade was dominated by Spain and Portugal. In the 17th century, Elihu Yale, born in Boston, raise in England, worked for British East India Company, which held a monopoly on all the spice trade in India. They imported the first cargos of nutmeg and cloves from Moluccas, Indonesia. Later, R. Yale became the governor of Madras, India. His fortune from the spice industry helped endow Yale University.
At the end of the 18th century and beginning of 19th century, the clipper ships of New England dominated the world trade in peppercorns. It was so bountiful they saturated the market and the value of pepper went to 3 cents a pound! At that time piracy of the China Seas made it too dangerous to pursue spices.
In the 1800's our countrymen were moving west. In 1835, settlers in Texas combined various peppers from Mexico and produce chili powder. America had so many nationalities settling here, it was hard to find native spices they used. Food was so abundant here that the need for spices started to change. Traditional recipes from the old countries were changed.
The use of spices have been documented since 2600 B.C. when the laborers were building the pyramids they were fed onions and garlic. 460-377 B.C. Hippocrates documented over 400 medicinal uses for spices. Columbus was seeking a direct route to Spice Island when he discovered America. Because of spices, wars were waged, new land discovered, and explorer circled the earth. I hope this gives you a flavor of the influence spices have had on history.
Exploring,Spices
Cooking has always been a source of pleasure and an expression of love to my friends and family. I have 10 years of restaurant management experience and have also catered for weddings and parties. When I decided to go into business for myself, CookinGadgets was born. This website has enabled me to use my second love, teaching. My website offers cookware, bakeware, knives, and a variety of kitchen utensils. For me, the best part is that I am able to share knowledge to the novice that wants to learn how to cook. These articles will be a way to inform and hopefully encourage confidence and creativity in the kitchen.
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