For the modern cook, a pinch of cinnamon or a dash of black pepper is a mundane convenience, an affordable luxury kept in a kitchen cupboard. However, for the vast majority of human history, these dried seeds, barks, and roots were the world’s most precious commodities. Spices have funded empires, launched the Age of Discovery, prompted the rise and fall of civilizations, and quite literally mapped the world we live in today.
The history of spices is not just a culinary narrative; it is a story of adventure, greed, war, and the relentless human desire for the exotic. From the ancient Silk Road to the maritime routes that connected East and West, the trade of spices has been the engine of global globalization for millennia.
The Ancient World: Spices as Sacred and Secret
Long before they were used to flavor stews, spices were revered for their medicinal and ritualistic properties. … Read more