why were spices so valuable

If the modern age has a definitive beginning, it was sparked by the spice trade, some historians have argued. Vampire squid fossil 'lost' during the Hungarian Revolution rediscovered, Humpback whale survives 4-hour attack by gang of orcas, Cosmologists create 4,000 virtual universes to solve Big Bang mystery. Spices, along with salt, would have been incorporated in mixtures to pickle and preserve meats; the pungent spices were useful for relieving the salty taste of such foods. Europeans countries trade spices in Venice. Spices are very important as food and as medicine. Tonight you might grind a bit on Caesar salad or use it to perk up a steak, but pepper was once so valuable that it could be used to pay the rent. Pungent spices can cause sweating, which may even cause a cooling sensation in tropical climates; on the other hand they can add a sense of inner warmth when present in cooked foods used in cold climates. At one time it accounted for a whopping 70 percent of the international spice trade. At the time, spices were very valuable. They also had a better chance of profit. NY 10036. UCLA Why were the spices so important in Europe They wanted to cut out the middleman to get the prices of items sold at the origin which was cheaper. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1798 Flags were planted and ship paths formed a web of sorts across the world's ocean like never before. One is now called Manhattan. The increasing custom duties in the 15th century resulted in a 30-fold rise in the price of Indian pepper, at a time when the social desire for pepper and other exotic spices was maximal. Most Popular In the Middle Ages, spices were valued commodities, but not, as most people assume, for their ability to preserve meat. Because they played many important roles, as when they were used in beauty care, religious services, and burial of the dead. Cinnamon, one of the most popular flavors in cooking, was considered to be particularly good for digestion and for sore throats. Subsequently, the islands were an important strategic base for the highly profitable spice trade. Jammed with nutmeg trees, a tiny island called Run became the world's most valuable real estate for a time in the 1600s, when England gave it up to The Netherlands in a treaty to end hostilities between the two nations. Because Europeans conquer many parts of the world, spices had been found from the homeland, and brought back to Europe. Spain and Portugal were two of the most powerful countries in Europe, though Venice (which was its own country during that era) wasn’t far behind. Zingiber officinale, family zingiberaceae. Even the aristocracy — one of the biggest consumers of imported spices — began finding it hard to afford their shipments of peppercorn and clove. Some spices, such as pepper and cinnamon, do have antimicrobial properties, but their reputation as food preservatives is unwarranted. Spices were also thought to have medicinal properties, adding to their allure. Nutmeg and cloves largely drove the spice trade. Before the age of exploration these spices made their way to Europe via the silk road. Back then, the colorful grains were used for flavoring food, but also for such tasks as making perfume, embalming the dead, preserving meat and sprucing up salve recipes in traditional medicine. Why the Spice Trade Routes were Important to the Europeans. Why were Europeans so enthusiastic about spices. It is noteworthy that rheumatism was believed to be caused by abnormal “rheum”, or phlegm; the appropriate therapy would be pepper – just as it is today, with the topical use of capsaicin, a chile pepper extract. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Chocolate pods at one time were so valued that they also were used as the equivalent of money by Aztecs. Disappointed he hadn't reached India, Columbus' name for the native people he encountered in America and their local version of a spicy condiment — "Indians" and "peppers" — stuck nonetheless. Europeans valued literally for adding flavor to their food and for use for making medicines. Spices can improve the palatability and the appeal of dull diets or spoiled food. Spice Exhibit URL: http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm Conquerers would accept spice stores as booty or as a victory tax. The flow of pepper along trade routes provided opportunities for trade taxes to be imposed at major trading cities by Arabians, Egyptians, Turks and Venetians. What evidence shows how valuable spices were back in the fifteenth century. Spices didn't just make merchants rich across the globe — it established vast empires, revealed entire continents to Europeans and tipped the balance of world power. Since spices were once worth their weight in gold, control of the Moluccas was synonymous with extreme wealth. Piquant flavors stimulate salivation and promote digestion. Visit our corporate site. They bring out the unique natural taste of cuisines and could be use to change the look of food to make it more attractive in colour. Spices were so important because they helped mask the flavor of not-so-fresh food. In exchange for Run, The Netherlands swapped a couple of colonies across the pond — including what is now known as the island of Manhattan. They wanted to trade, they wanted to find an all water route to Asia, and they wanted to discover/find new land. The Red Sea ports were an important gateway which connected India to the western world and established trading of spices into the western markets. The Dutch monopolized the nutmeg trade and kept it centered in the Moluccas. Giant 14-foot-long crocodile found with human remains in stomach, Great white-shark-sized ancient fish discovered by accident from fossilized lung, Russia reports first cases of humans catching bird flu H5N8, Extremists struggle with certain kinds of brain processing, research shows, Rare Roman-era phallus carving found in UK. iii) Also the belief that spices and spiced foods served valuable medicinal functions: as shown on the screen, various spices were reputed to serve as digestive, stimulants, cures for halitosis, fevers, headaches, colic; and as 'carminatives,' i.e. Thus, ginger would be used to heat the stomach and improve digestion; clove was believed to comfort the sinews; mace would prevent colic and bloody fluxes or diarrhea; nutmeg would benefit the spleen and relieve any bad cold. Despite their enormous losses, the incredibly valuable cargo of 50,000 pounds of cloves and nutmegs from the Moluccas made the enterprise seem like a commercial success. These drinks were accompanied by another choice of spices which intended to aid digestion. Aromatic spices, such as cloves, cardamon and mint, would be useful to disguise the foul breath of onion and garlic eaters who were likely to have additional halitosis from caries and gingivitis. History & Special Collections By that time, burgeoning European outposts already formed a ring around the Indian Ocean, bringing enormous wealth to their home countries and fuelling the colonization of any territory deemed suitable for crops. They went through great lengths to preserve their monopoly. At one point in the 1300s, when tariffs were at their highest, a pound of nutmeg in Europe cost seven fattened oxen and was a more valuable commodity than gold. Changes in pepper prices had an effect on national economies and on aggressive reactions comparable to that seen in the Western appetite for fuel oil today. The map of the colonial period was largely drawn in those frenzied years when all of Europe clamored for a piece of the spice trade, using dubious and often brutal tactics to establish a foothold in India and Southeast Asia. © told through eight everyday products. Nearly 2,500 years ago, Arab traders told stories of the ferocious cinnamon bird, or cinnamologus. The era was the 1400s. Pepper’s popularity quickly spread through world cuisines once more trade routes were established. Now, these six bottles cost around $40 at Wal-Mart. These two widely-used spices were originally only native to this group of islands. Many countries came and trade spice around the city. At that time, spices were quite sought after, but supply was low. No Innocent Spice: The Secret Story Of Nutmeg, Life And Death : The Salt Nutmeg is a feel-good holiday spice found in cakes and cider, and even spiking our spinach, if we're … During the Spice Wars of the 17th and 18th century the Dutch uprooted groves of nutmeg and cloves trees to keep prices high and cut their competitors out of the market. People would have killed you to take possession of these spices. C.They made it easier to perform calculations. Two thousand years ago, this spice rack would have been extraordinarily valuable. Please refresh the page and try again. Spices can improve the palatability and the appeal of dull diets or spoiled food. There was a problem. Spices were an important component of ancient commerce well before the 15th-century, but were monopolized for centuries by Middle Eastern and North African middlemen who guarded the Asian provenance of their valuable sources closely and became fabulously wealthy for it. But the first Western peoples to use black pepper extensively were the Greeks and they introduced the love of this spice to the Romans. Pepper, along with other spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, was such a hot commodity five centuries ago that it drove nations to sail across vast oceans searching for … Thank you for signing up to Live Science. (See the box “ Uses of Aromatic Spices in Bible Times.”) Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. why was the spice trade so big during the age of exploration? what kinds of spices were traded? Rabab Khan. Yes cinnamon and nutmeg taste nice, but the real reason they were valuable is because they were a luxury item for the wealthy. Food wasn't tasty 2. Salt in the Middle Ages Salt was considered so important it was stored in the Tower of London. COVID-19 vaccines: What does 95% efficacy actually mean? Spices were highly valued because, as well as being used in cooking, many had ritual, religious or medical uses. Thus, spices served to make a political statement when a baronial lord invited possible rivals to an expensive display of profligacy at a sumptuous banquet. https://brewminate.com/the-spice-islands-and-the-age-of-exploration One fascinating tribute to the value of spices, such as peppercorn, was their acceptance in medieval times as a substitute for money; thus, some landlords would be paid a “peppercorn rent”. Europe dangled at the far end of the trading chain for spices, without access to eastern sources or the power to contest exorbitant prices. Fax: 310/825-0465, ©2002 Regents of the University of California, http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm, UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library. The lack of refrigeration and poor standards of hygiene meant that food often spoiled quickly and spices were in great demand to mask the flavour of food that was far from fresh. 12-077 CHS, Box 951798 Learn why this spice is so important in cooking and why humans have been looking for substitutes and equivalents throughout human history. The cost of spices was so great that they were presented as gifts. Why were such spices and related products so valuable and expensive in Bible times? They were of high value because of their relative geographical scarcity. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The excessive value of spices in Europe is revealed by the fact that Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe started with five ships which were supplied to last their 250 or so crew members for many months; the expedition limped home with only one ship and an emaciated crew of 18 surviving men who returned to Spain in 1522 after their three-year horrendous expedition. But in my experience, some spices were more likely to cause it than cure it. Spices also fitted into philosophic concepts of improving health, since it was understood that they could affect the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile) and influence the corresponding moods (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic). Tel: 310/825-6940 Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Also looking for spices, Vasco de Gama was the first to 'round Africa, and a crew led by Ferdinand Magellan fully circumnavigated the globe. Ginger. You likely concoct dishes full of cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric and even salt, but these now common seasonings were once exotic, and in some cases, rare. Pepper, along with other spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, was such a hot commodity five centuries ago that it drove nations to sail across vast oceans searching for new routes to the spice-rich Orient. First out of the blocks came Christopher Columbus who, in searching for a quicker route to India, bumped into the Americas instead. Europe used brutal tactics in India and Southeast Asia in efforts to get in on the spice trade. These expensive imports could be added in large amounts and in complex mixtures to each course and to accompanying alcoholic beverages to provide a gustatory statement about the wealth, power and initiative of the host. cure for flatulence. So, by the 1400s, when navigational equipment had improved to the point that long-haul sailing became possible, the kings and queens of Europe set out to change the balance of world trade by funding spice-hunting missions of their own. It is rumored that Alaric I (King of the Visigoths) as well as Attila (Ruler of the Huns) both demanded a ransom of black pepper (over a ton worth) in order to stop attacking Rome in the 5th century. UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library Spices had several uses at the time that include culinary purposes, preservation of food (the largest use case), uses in embalming the dead, making perfumes and usage for execution of certain religious rituals. I can tell a bit about why Europeans valued spice. Some of them grow in the wild and are very good source of food preservative especially for industrially processed foods. Therefore, spices were valued even more due to their low supply. Local and inexpensive herbs and flavors, such as garlic, onion and horseradish, sufficed for the poorer people of old Europe, but influential, rich hosts would wish to impress or politically intimidate their guests with the liberal use of rare exotic spices. The Netherlands really, really wanted a small Indonesian island called Run for it’s high volume of nutmeg, so it traded a few colonies across the Atlantic. Image is from Georg Braun and Franz Hogenber's atlas Civitates orbis terrarum. Hot pungent spices were used more liberally in winter diets or to treat “cold” diseases accompanied by excess phlegm. 5. The costs of spices rose so much that spices such as nutmeg and saffron cost more than the same weight of gold. Europeans used spices to flavour their food but, unfortunately spices did not grow anywhere near them so they were very valuable and if they could find a way to get them they would be very rich. During the Middle Ages, spices were as valuable in Europe as gold and gems and the single most important force driving the world’s economy. Pepper was so valuable, that it was used as currency or collateral. Calicut, India as rendered in 1572. For better and for worse, the world's first crack at globalization had begun, all in the pursuit of a more flavorful dinner. Burnt spices or incenses could be used to help counteract the malodors that were prevalent in rich homes that lacked sanitary mechanisms for the disposition of excreta and rotting foods. 6. Spice Wars and and the Nutmeg Trade. The costs of spices rose so much that spices such as nutmeg and saffron cost more than the same weight of gold. WHY WERE SPICES IMPORTANT? You will receive a verification email shortly. It could have been converted into almost anything – including real estate, gold, silver, merchandise, or even Roman slaves. 1. The spice trade refers to the trade in spices between historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe.Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, Cayenne pepper, and turmeric were known and used in antiquity for commerce in the Eastern World. Spices were very ex Peppercorns were used in place of coins and spices by the pound was used as payment for taxes, fees, etc. Piquant flavors stimulate salivation and promote digestion. The word “spice” derives from the Latin species, or ‘special wares’, and refers to an item of special value, as opposed to ordinary articles of trade. Salt was used to … Rather, it was because medieval cuisine placed a premium on a variety of flavors. Spain and Portugal spent much of the 16th century fighting over cloves, while England and the Dutch dueled over nutmeg in Indonesia. From Sanskrit singabera (in the shape of antlers) … Over the years the upper classes in Europe developed a taste for them, and their limited supply made them very expensive. Many of the wines also contained spices! Vanilla ($50-$200 per pound) ‘Little pod’ is the meaning of vanilla, which accurately describes how a … New York, At first, Europeans convinced themselves that spices in the west were so expensive because they were incredibly rare in the east.

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