First use of spices & herbs

Origins pre-date ancient Greeks & Romans, etc.

Today we use spices & herbs primarily to make good food taste even better.

In the days before refrigeration, spices were used to hide the taste and odor of less-than-fresh food, and to prolong the freshness of food (especially in warm climates).

Today, some perfumes, soaps, and lotions are lightly scented with spices & herbs.

In the days before people took frequent baths, spices/herbs were used as deodorants. Those who could afford to do so had spices/herbs sown or tucked into their clothes to hide their body odors.

Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982

Not a united network but a series of routesParts

Red Sea, Persian Gulf, ArabiaBay of Bengal to Straits of MaluccaMalucca to South China Sea

One ethnic group dominated each zoneArabs in WesternIndians in CentralChinese in Eastern

The largest peaceful zone of exchange of period

Groups had no formal agreements but cooperatedStates kept piracy down to minimumGroups met at key entrepot cities to exchange items

Linked to Mediterranean and Silk Road by land routes

15 Minute

History: http

://15minutehistory.org/2014/03/26/episode-47-indian-ocean-trade-from-its-origins-to-the-eve-of-imperialism

/

INDIAN OCEAN NETWORK

SPICES Consider this: What do you know about spices & herbs?• What is the difference?• Where do they come

from?• What are they used for?• Do you have a favorite?

Divide into groups of 3 or 4• Choose a recorder• Choose a reporter• Choose a merchant• Choose a culinary

expert• All are researchers

Difference between spice and herb?

No clear distinction

Herbs usually leaves (sometimes seeds), usually from temperate-origin plants

Spices usually flowers, fruits, or bark of tropical-origin plants

“SPICE”

Derives from the Latin word species, meaning specific kind, and later, goods or merchandise.

Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982

SPICE Activity• Pass around the spices.

• Use sight and smell to identify them

• Match the # ground/extracted spices with the plant it comes from (letter).

• Complete the chart for each spice using the provided websites.

• Recorder will record the group identification & matching of spices.

• Reporter will share group’s findings during discussion

• Merchant will pass spices to the culinary expert of the next group.

• Culinary expert will make sure lids are secure and matched correctly to the container before spices are traded.

Answer KeySpice

Ground Spice

(number)

Whole Spice

(letter)Spice

Ground Spice

(number)

Whole Spice

(letter)

Anise Seed 5 A Mustard

11  K 

Cinnamon 12 B Oregano

 14 L 

Cloves 2 & 3 C Pepper  7 & 7b M 

Coffee 16 D Poppy Seed

 We Don’t Have this 

Coriander 6 E Rosemary

 9 O 

Cumin 17 F Sage  1 P 

Fennel 8 G Salt  4 Q 

Ginger 13 H Sesame Seed

 We Don’t Have this

Marjoram We Don’t Have this  Tea

15  S 

Mint 10 & 10B J Tumeric  We Don’t Have this 

Why were spices popular &traded?

it was very lucrative

transported easily

improved food & health

very popular with the upper classes

spicy food considered classy, sign of wealth

What do spices have to do with the trade routes on your map?

INDIAN OCEAN TRADE ROUTES

COFFEESLAVESIVORYHORSESSILKSGOLDSTEEL

CLOTHYARNSILKSINDIGOPEPPERGEMS

ANIMALSDRUGS

SILVERLACQUERSILK

PORCELAINSUGARLUXERIESTEA

First use of spices & herbs Origins pre-date ancient Greeks & Romans,

etc.

Today we use spices & herbs primarily to make good food taste even better.

In the days before refrigeration, spices were used to hide the taste and odor of less-than-fresh food, and to prolong the freshness of food (especially in warm climates).

Today, some perfumes, soaps, and lotions are lightly scented with spices & herbs.

In the days before people took frequent baths, spices/herbs were used as deodorants. Those who could afford to do so had spices/herbs sown or tucked into their clothes to hide their body odors. Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982

Spice Trade, post-dark ages

Crusades in 1096: Europeans are out fighting in the Middle East and taste exotic spices and want to bring them back.

1180’s: Pepperer’s guild, predecessor to herbalist and physicians.

Middle Ages: spices valuable trade item used to pay bills, taxes.

1300: Polo brothers travel to China and bring back tales of spices. *

By 1300’s: spice trade was a legitimate profession.

Age of Exploration onset of an “age of

exploration” that lasted almost 500 years

Columbus discovered America in 1492

didn’t know the size of the Earth or about the Pacific Ocean

Charles V and King of Spain sent Magellan on an expedition to reach the Spice Islands

westward route through the South Seas and Spice Islands

Papal Race for Spice Islands

During the late 15th century, the popes favorites

Spain and Portugal

After that, Pope issued a decree to divide the world between Spain and Portugal from Pole to Pole

Portugal got the EAST, Spain got the WEST

Were Columbus and Magellan voyages

“failures” ? Neither won for Spain the easy access to spices that she wanted.

Columbus never found the spices or the lands he sought.

Magellan’s expedition reached the Spice Islands, but the route across the Pacific Ocean was much too long and much too dangerous to be practical then.

Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982

What spice trade accomplished

New lands were discovered, and the question of whether the world was spherical or flat was finally decided.

New plants and animals were discovered; some of them were transported to continents where they had never been before, but where the climate was suitable.

People’s diets became more varied and better balanced. Europeans, whose homelands were beginning to be overpopulated, colonized the newly discovered lands, some of which had plenty of space.

Generally, this worked out well for the Europeans, but rather badly for the natives of the colonized countries.

For better or worse, the search for species brought together the civilizations that had developed separately in the ancient worlds. They would never be isolated again.

Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982

Anise

Cinnamon Cinnamon is mainly produced in China, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. It is used

mainly for culinary reasons, including seasonings, and

being necessary to make chocolate and

apple pie. The sweetest version is used most often in the United States.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum

(cinnamon)Parts used- oil & bark

Evergreen tree native to India & Sri Lanka; in Laurel family

Properties- Astringent, stimulant, anti-infective, anti-fungal, digestive aid

One of the oldest and most valuable spices

Related spice, called cassia, from C. cassia.

ClovesCloves are native to

the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. They

are used as a seasoning in

cuisine and also used in some

kinds of cigarettes. They

are also used as a painkiller by

dentists.

Eugenia caryophyllata(clove)

Parts Used: closed flower buds

Active Compounds:  Clove oil is 60 to 90 percent eugenol, which is the source of its anesthetic and antiseptic properties.

An evergreen tree, 15 to 30 feet tall; in Myrtaceae (Myrtle) family

Native to the Spice Islands and the Philippines, but also grown in India, Sumatra, Jamaica, the West Indies, Brazil, and other tropical areas.

Coffee

CorianderNative to Southern

Europe, North Africa, and

Southwestern Asia, Coriander is a spice that

is used for eating; all parts

of the plant that it comes

from are edible. Also known as

cilantro.

CuminCumin is from the Eastern

Mediterranean region and India mostly. It is used

for culinary purposes like

flavoring cheeses, soups, and chili's. It is used in many

Tex-Mex meals

Fennel

Ginger Ginger was first cultivated in East Asia but made

it’s way into Africa and the

Caribbean. It can be used as ginger ale, gingerbread,

medication, antibacterial

shots, tea, or a food preservative.

Zingiber officinale (ginger)Member of “ginger” family

Perennial native to tropical Asia

Plant part used = Rhizome

name from Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers.

In English pubs and taverns in the nineteenth century, bar-keepers put out small containers of ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer — the origin of ginger ale.

Marjoram Marjoram is indigenous to the island of Cyprus and to Turkey. It is used for the

management of diabetes, asthma,

insomnia and nervousness. It

can be used as a antioxidant.

Mint

Mint Family (Lamiaceae)Native to Mediterranean

region

Includes thyme, sages, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, savory, hyssops, basil, the various mints, catnip, and horehound.

Common garden mint is spearmint, not peppermint .

Square stems & aromatic simple leaves with oil glands.

PeppermintMentha piperita

Soothe your stomach

Refresh itchy skin

Cool spicy foods

Active ingredient: menthol

Mustard

The major producers of mustard seed are Canada, Hungary,

Great Britain, India, Pakistan and the United States since the seed grows in temperate climates. It’s uses

range from culinary and preservatives to the unconventional

weapon of mustard gas

Mustard (Brassicaceae)

White & yellow, Brassica alba; black (brown), Brassica nigra.

Volatile oil derived from sinigrin/sinalbin & enzyme, myrosin.

Mustard plants produce about 1,000 pounds of seeds per acre.

In one year at New York's Yankee Stadium, more than 1,600 gallons plus 2,000,000 individual packets of mustard are consumed.

Most of the mustard seeds used in Dijon, France are actually grown in the United States and Canada. Canada produces about 90 percent of the world's supply of mustard seeds.

Over 700 million pounds of mustard are consumed worldwide each year.

The Mustard Museum is in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.

world's largest collection of mustards, with over 3,500 varieties.

Oregano

PepperBlack Pepper is indigenous and

mainly cultivated in Southern India.

Its uses range from being used

as a spice to many medical

uses like relieving insect bites,

insomnia, and earaches.

Piper nigrum(black & white pepper)

Climbing vine native to India and East Indies; in Piperaceae (pepper) family

Berries picked green, darken & shrivel upon drying.

Biting flavor due to volatile oils, flavor dissipates after grinding.

White pepper – berries ripen on vine, outer hull removed.

The most widely used spice today.

Poppy SeedPoppy seeds come mainly

from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It has a

wide range of uses including: breads, oils, skin

moisturizers, seasoning, and the drug opium.

http://www.deamuseum.org/ccp/opium/history.html

Rosemary

RosemaryRosemary officinalis

De-stress the stomach

rosmaricine

Help heal a headache

Have shiny hairUse as hair rinse

Sage

SageSalvia officinalis

Sore gum soother

Subdue a sore throat

Refresh skin after shaving

Boost flavor of low-fat foods

Camphor & other volatile oils

Salt

Sesame SeedsSesame seeds are mainly cultivated by

Burma, China, and India. They are very rich in oil and are widely used

for food, most commonly for the sesame seed buns for your Big Mac.

Tea

TurmericTurmeric is a spice native to Southeast Asia. Its uses can be in traditional South

and Southeast Asian ceremonies, antifungal

medication, dyes, hair removal, and in

food like stir fry dishes and ice cream.

Curcuma longa (turmeric)Member of “ginger” family

Perennial native to tropical Asia

Part used: rhizome

Culinary uses (e.g., Middle East & India)

Dyes uses too (yellow)