History of spices. "Dear as pepper" - spices in the history of Western Europe The history of spices and seasonings

Imagine for a moment that all spices and herbs would disappear from the world of cooking ... Who would be pleased with dishes without pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, vanilla? Would there have been Indian and Thai cuisines then, would Uzbek pilaf and Siberian dumplings have been so tasty?

Of course not! Cooking is impossible without spices - this statement is as old as humanity itself.

Spices have been known almost since the beginning of history. It was one of the most valuable trade items in ancient world and the Middle Ages, when ordinary salt was valued more than gold. The spice trade began to develop throughout the Middle East around 2000 BC. Cinnamon and pepper were the first to be sold. And in 3500 BC. The ancient Egyptians used spices not only as food, but also as cosmetics or medicines. Treatises describing and researching the properties of spices are among the earliest manuscripts. Instructions for the preparation of medicines based on spicy plants were found on Egyptian papyri, but the inhabitants of India and Far East who used them to give different tastes and variety to simple dishes. Known throughout the world today, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cardamom were the first spices to be widely used in India. Eating various spices was at the heart of the first Ayurvedic medicine. They knew about spices and spices in ancient China. mention of useful properties spices found in the writings of Confucius, and other ancient treatises mention that Chinese courtiers chewed dry clove buds before an audience with the emperor, thus refreshing their breath. In ancient Rome, the country of winegrowers, spices were added to wine, and they also flavored water with them. Arab doctors prepared the first medicinal syrups based on spicy herbs and Persian sugar, which included ginger, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.

Spices have an ancient and very rich history.

Arabs, in terms of modern language, for a long time and "held" the world spice market - they traded spices for about 5 thousand years, having established an uninterrupted caravan route from the Middle East to the Mediterranean part of Europe. There, the spices brought in passed into the hands of the Romans and from there were already distributed throughout Europe. The Romans were not modest and set the price an order of magnitude higher than the purchase price - the purchase of spices in ancient Rome was one of the most important items of expenditure: they were highly valued. The ancient Roman historian Pliny complained that spices are sold in the markets 100 times more expensive than their original cost. Hippocrates and Paracelsus also mentioned spices more than once in their writings, although they, as doctors, were not interested in market research. The ancient Greeks also did their own small spice business, buying large quantities of black pepper, cinnamon and ginger directly in India, asafoetida in the Middle East, saffron in Asia Minor, pipulu, cubebu, cinnamon, cloves, cinnamon and cassia in South Asia. . From their closest neighbors in the Mediterranean, the Greeks bought bay leaves and libanotis. While pepper was the most common spice, saffron was the rarest and most expensive (and this trend continues to this day, by the way). Egypt was another regular buyer of spices. Camel and donkey caravans carrying spices were always at risk of attack and followed very dangerous routes. Spices and jewelry that were transported by caravans were about the same price ... The Arabs surrounded everything related to spices with a big secret - and routes, and outlets, and sources of supply. In order to discourage those who wanted to search for places of extraction of spices and spices, they invented legends about snake-infested valleys of cinnamon trees, about giant birds guarding cassia thickets, and the like. The cities of Basra and Baghdad were important centers of the spice trade at that time.

Onions and garlic are one of the most popular spices.

However, difficult times came - the Roman Empire collapsed, Baghdad was captured by the Turks, and Catholic Church banned Western merchants from trading with "infidel" Muslims. Catholic states even went on a crusade, and returning from the countries of the Middle East, the crusaders brought with them not only jewelry and fabrics, but also spices. Among them were the already well-known pepper and cinnamon, but also some new ones, such as nutmeg and mace, which were first used in Europe as incense at the coronation of Emperor Henry IV. From spices began to make mixtures and fragrant oils. The ointment "sacred myrrh" was prepared from spices, which was used to smear the face and hands of kings, kings and emperors during the coronation. The composition of this ointment originally included over 50 spices, and its aroma persisted for years. But it wasn’t enough for Europe that the crusaders brought it, and here again the descendants of the Roman Empire came out, not wanting to let go of the thread of the spice trade. In the Mediterranean, a new maritime trading power appeared - Venice, whose merchants persuaded Pope Innocent III, as an exception, to allow spice trade with Muslims. The matter, they say, is charitable - they treat people with spices (not a word about the fact that cooks no longer know how to do without spices). And from the beginning of the XIII century, the right to trade was divided between Venice, Genoa and Pisa, they were allowed to establish their trading centers in India. In Genoa, spices were also monetary units - they could pay off creditors, and 48 gold coins and 2 pounds of pepper were paid as salaries to hired soldiers. But then Venice pulled the blanket over itself and became the sole capital of the spice trade in Europe.

Cinnamon, anise, cloves and zest - for baking or mulled wine

The monopolization of the spice trade led to the fact that the price of already expensive overseas goods rose so much that they became inaccessible to the vast majority of Europeans. For a pound of nutmeg, for example, they gave three or four sheep or a cow. And this despite the fact that even in ancient Rome for 3,000 pounds of black pepper they gave 5,000 pounds of gold. Including thanks to spices - in the Middle Ages, Venice became one of the richest cities in Europe.

Arab legends about snakes, birds and other monsters guarding spices were dispelled by the traveler Marco Polo. For twenty-four years he traveled through China, Asia and India. His lines about the island of Java, where pepper, nutmeg, cloves and all other spices and medicinal plants grow freely, will inspire many sailors to equip ships and go for spices. The Portuguese Vaso da Gama found the closest route to India and established Portugal's trade with Indian Calcutta. He returned to his homeland with holds filled with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. The role of the capital of spices, which Venice so cherished, passed to Lisbon - the Portuguese and Spaniards have long opposed the Venetian prices for spices. They ran a tough business - they organized punitive expeditions on controlled plantations, trying to catch smugglers, and the slightest suspicion of smuggling was enough to execute a person. In addition, if young shoots of nutmeg or cloves were found in any village in the Moluccas, the entire population was punished, all sago and coconut palms were the only source of food. local residents- were mercilessly cut down, and the captured natives were flogged with whips and sticks, and even killed. The distribution and planting of seeds of spice plants for personal purposes was strictly prohibited! But at the beginning of the 19th century, thanks to the Dutch zoologist Temmink, it turned out that all this time the population of the islands had suffered completely in vain - the birds were to blame for the spread of nutmeg and cloves seeds, carrying the seeds in their stomachs and naturally "planting" them where necessary. Holland grew rich on spices, in order to artificially maintain high prices for nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon on the world market, the Dutch even went so far as to destroy already collected spices in warehouses from time to time. Once in Amsterdam, about 4,000 tons of nutmegs, cloves and cinnamon were burned. Eyewitnesses told later that a yellow cloud hung over the city for a very long time, exuding a delicate aroma almost to the whole of Holland. The Spaniards did not stay away from the spice wars - in the 10th century they ousted the Arabs from the territory of modern Catalonia and Murcia, borrowed the culture of saffron from them and since then began to breed it on their own (it did not become much cheaper from this). But the Portuguese began to trade directly with Siam, China and the Moluccas. The role of the Arabs in the world trade in spices was still significant, but they were no longer the only suppliers and could not dictate their terms. The legendary Christopher Columbus, who discovered the New World, enriched Europeans with new spices: chili pepper, allspice and vanilla (this is in addition to tobacco, potatoes, corn and other things). Over time, the “redistribution of the market” began again in Europe, and Holland became the capital of spices. Soon a war broke out between Holland and England and it lasted for two hundred years. When the conflict ended, spices became a much more common and cheaper commodity. End of the 18th century brought America into the spice arena. To date, London, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Singapore and New York are considered to be the main markets for spices.

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world.

Parsley is a constant companion of salads and soups

In Russia at that time it was difficult to obtain spices through Western European countries. Therefore, at this time, the ancient trade route from India and Iran through the Shamakhi Khanate and the Caspian Sea, through which pepper, cardamom and saffron were delivered to Moscow, was of particular importance. At the same time, a new trade route was being established from China through Mongolia and Siberia - along it come not only to Russia, but also to Western Europe the spices of Southeast Asia, which grow in territories not captured by Europeans. These spices were primarily star anise and galgant, as well as Chinese cinnamon. Badian received the name "Siberian anise" in Western Europe, since it was delivered to the West mainly by caravan route through Siberia. Quite a lot of ginger was imported from China to Russia, which, along with pepper, was the most popular spice there. The word "spice" entered the Russian language precisely as a derivative of the word "pepper", from which the word "gingerbread" arose, since pepper, ginger and other spices were put into the gingerbread dough. In Russia, local spices- dill, hogweed, mint, horseradish, onion and garlic. Parsley, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, saffron, cardamom were recognized only in the 15th-16th centuries. Russian cuisine of those times was spicy and fragrant. Spices were added to soups, meat, vegetable, fish dishes, gravies, gingerbread and drinks: teas, honey, kvass, sbitni, fruit drinks. Sbiten was also very popular. It was prepared from honey and at least five types of herbs, making up various combinations of them depending on the desired taste. The main ones were ginger, cardamom, bay leaf, nutmeg, oregano, juniper. In kvass, in addition to natural raw materials, mint, blackcurrant leaves, horseradish, and ground cinnamon were also added. Russian cuisine of the 19th century was generously flavored with celery, cilantro, chervil, borage, purslane, tarragon, chicory, rosemary, lavender, sage, marjoram, thyme and other spices.

Now in Russia you can find almost any spice - from the usual to the Indian mixture of "Garam Masala", the Ethiopian "Berbera" and the North African "Zakhtar". But no matter how the history of spices develops, interest in them never faded. And at present, no cuisine in the world is possible without them. Even in small doses, they can greatly affect the taste and color of the dish, spices can give the product a completely new flavor. Many spices have the ability to influence the state of the product, making meat, for example, more tender, cucumber more crispy, etc., while others - vanilla, bergamot - do not change the taste and texture of the product, but enrich it with their aroma. Spices are widely used as preservatives. For example, star anise does not allow jam to be sugared. spice plants enrich food with vitamins, mineral salts and other useful substances. But it is important to remember that the taste of a dish does not depend on the amount of spice added, but on its skillful use, otherwise you can spoil the product. What goes best with what?

Basil- vegetable salads, cheese, meat, pasta, seafood, eggs

Dill meat, soups, marinades

cilantro- salads, soups

Curry- chicken, meat, rice

Cinnamon– sweet sauces, fruit purees, coffee, pastries

Chile- meat, pasta, marinades

Garlic- hot meat dishes, soups and appetizers

Ginger– meat, fish, pastries, drinks, salads

oregano- vegetables, legumes, eggs, pasta, fish

Black pepper- hot meat dishes, soups, marinades

Rosemary- fish, chicken, meat, stewed vegetables

Sage- meat, eggs

Saffron- meat, rice, pastries, legumes

Nutmeg- pastries, marinades, vegetables

Tarragon— fish, seafood, poultry, marinades

Thyme (thyme)- meat, fish, cereals

Anise– vegetables, sweet soups, marinades, fish

Vanilla- cottage cheese, pastries, dairy dishes

Carnation– marinades, meat, sweet dishes, mulled wine

Coriander– marinades, bread baking, sausages

Turmeric- eggs, meat, soups, rice, chicken

Bay leaf marinades, soups, meat and vegetable dishes

Rosemary- poultry, cheese, bread baking, vegetables, meat (pork and lamb)

Fennel- spicy soups, liqueurs, sweet pies

Caraway– baking bread, potatoes, salads

Cardamom- pastries, marinades

Marjoram- potatoes, pates

Parsley- salads, soups, fish meat

AT Spices have played a huge role in human history. And it's not just that they helped create a modern culinary culture. Spices for a long time remained such a precious and desirable commodity that because of them wars could flare up, peoples migrated and equipped with difficult expeditions.

Archaeologists say that already 5 thousand years ago, primitive people noticed that the taste of fried meat changes if it is wrapped in some leaves during cooking. This discovery marked the beginning of an active invasion of spices into people's lives.

And 4300 years ago, spices were already mentioned in written sources. -- Assyrian cuneiform tablets. They tell the story that the gods, having completed the creation of the earth, got drunk on the joys of wine made from sesame (this plant is also known as sesame and sum-sum).

Ancient history is literally crammed with events in which, one way or another, spices took part. Egyptian papyri mention anise, cardamom, mustard, sesame, saffron. Most of them used -- and not without reason -- for medicinal purposes.

Gradually, the Great Way of Spices was formed - from East to West. This trade artery determined the development of the world economy for many centuries. A profitable occupation was quickly monopolized by the Arabs. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great intervened in Arab business. He reached with his army to the Phoenician city of Tyre, which was, as they would now say, the largest exchange for the spice trade. After the fall of Tyre, profitable trade was concentrated in Alexandria.

AT 4th century, already in our era, the barbarians who subjugated Rome took tribute not only in gold, but also in pepper, which in those days cost a little more than the contemptible metal.

New The East made an attempt to subdue the spice flows to Europe in the 11th century, when the Seljuk Turks took possession of Asia Minor. The Europeans responded with the first Crusade. It was believed that the Crusaders were going to the Middle East to liberate the Holy Sepulcher. However, they returned from there with stolen jewelry, among which a large part were pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In medieval Europe, the demand for spices and spices increased even more. Spices often replaced gold in payments and even served as a measure of weight. So, in the 14th century, 1000 grains of good black pepper had to weigh exactly 460 g, and for one measure of pepper they gave the same measure of gold, and a pound of nutmeg could be exchanged for a cow or four sheep. Spices often replaced gold in international trade, as well as domestic settlements in Medieval Europe.

Interestingly, in France, until the French Revolution, not pharmacists, but spice merchants were considered the most accurate people - it was their corporation that was responsible for the standards of measures and weights.

It should be noted that coffee and tea were not yet known, and the traditional drinks of that time - beer, wine, sbitni - were prepared with the addition of spices. The Christian Church did not allow extensive trade with Muslims, and spices entered the European market through intermediaries and small "free trade zones". This, by the way, largely explains the unprecedented flourishing of Venice, which had the exclusive permission of the Holy See to trade with the East.

To get access to spices without intermediaries - Arabs and Venetians - the most important geographical discoveries in the history of mankind are being made. The first call for a coming revolution in the world of spices was the Columbus expedition, crossing the Atlantic in the holy conviction that he was looking for a new route to India, but in reality he had found a way to hot peppers, vanilla, chili, cocoa and coffee.

But the main blow to the Arab monopoly was dealt by the young and ambitious Portuguese Vasco da Gama. In 1497, with 170 daredevils, he set off to look for a way to India, guessing that Columbus had sailed somewhere in the wrong place. On May 20, 1498, Vasco da Gama landed at Calcutta on the west coast of India. So the sea route to India was opened. It took the Portuguese navigator almost a year to get here from Portugal.

Appearance white shoppers at an Indian bazaar in the city of Calcutta were amazed by everyone, and Arab dealers were scared to death. Apparently, not without their participation, nothing much was sold to the Portuguese, and at Vasco's request to give it to the king with half a ton of spices, the local ruler ordered not to ship the goods to the Portuguese ship, and to detain some of the Portuguese who went ashore. This decision cost him dearly. Vasco da Gama himself took hostages, recaptured his companions, and in October a team of the Portuguese, on ships loaded with Indian goods, set off on the return journey. Among the goods brought by Vasco da Gama were spices. A few years later, he reappeared off the coast of Calcutta, defeated the city, and then brought twenty tons of spices to Europe, finally showing that you can safely do without the Arabs.

In Europe of the 15th-16th centuries, the value of this product was so high that the income from its sale was 60 times higher than the cost of organizing a navigator's expedition.

Today, India is the world's largest supplier of spices. Domestically, the spices are also very hot commodity. When you first try national Indian food, it is even impossible to understand whether it is hot or cold. There are so many spices here that it feels like a fire in the mouth. Europeans can't eat it. And for an Indian food without spices is not food.

In a hot climate and the frivolous attitude of Indians to the rules of hygiene, spices are indispensable. First, they disinfect food to some extent. Secondly, they beat off extraneous aromas.

Many spices do not grow on their own, but only as part of a developed ecosystem ... Plants that give spices grow mixed with ordinary, wild ones.

For example, pepper is a vine. She lives on trees of different species. All types of pepper known to us black, white, green and so on are obtained from it. Spices are harvested only by hand, the trees grow so close to each other that not a single vehicle can pass here. The age of the trees reaches up to one hundred and fifty years.

It turns out that vanilla is also a creeper.

Cardamom is a tricky herb. It grows only in the shade, so trees with a dense crown are planted around the plots with cardamom.

Spices have had a huge impact on our lives and have played an important role in the development of the economy of many countries for centuries. exotic and fragrant spices allow us to enjoy delicious food, are indispensable components of traditional medicine and modern medical preparations, fill our homes with a pleasant smell, enliven our speech with such expressions as "that's the whole point" or "set the pepper." The spice trade brought romance and drama to the story, along with the adventures of ship captains and travelers who went in search of this coveted and expensive prey.

spice trade

As early as 3500 BC, the ancient Egyptians ate sweets, used them to make cosmetic potions and when embalming the dead. The Egyptians believed that the soul returns to the body of the deceased, and therefore the bodies of the pharaohs, their wives and nobles were mummified and buried along with all their wealth. There is a mention in the Bible of how the Queen of Sheba arrived from her native country, Ethiopia, to King Solomon in Jerusalem. Solomon owed his untold riches to the “trade of merchants”, spices were among his treasures: “And all the kings on earth sought to see Solomon .. and they brought him .. both weapons and incense” (1 Kings 10:24-25 ).

The story of Joseph, the owner of "colorful clothes", is also connected with the spice trade. The envious brothers decided to kill him, but they saw that “a caravan of Ishmaelites is coming from Gilead, their camels are carrying styrax, balm and incense: they are going to take him to Egypt.” The brothers sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver and returned to their father, Jacob, with Joseph's bloody clothes. Jacob was heartbroken. And Joseph was bought by the "court of the pharaohs", and he eventually became a high-ranking courtier. Thanks to his ability to interpret the dreams of the pharaoh, the country was saved from famine. Later, Joseph got even with his brothers, who did not recognize him, by selling them bread. The brothers brought him a gift of "balm, some honey, strikas and incense, pistachios and almonds."

The trade in charms, which was conducted only by the Arabs for at least five millennia, spread from the Middle East throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe. Caravans of donkeys and camels, carrying expensive cargo - cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, incense and jewelry, followed extremely dangerous routes. Their journey could have started in China, Indonesia, India, or Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Often enterprising Chinese merchants sailed to the Spice Islands (now Maluku, a group of islands in Indonesia), and then carried their cargo of spices and incense to the coast of India or Sri Lanka, where they resold to Arab merchants. The Arabs tried to keep secret both the source of their supplies and overland routes to places abounding in spices. The classical route crossed the Indus River, went through Peshawar, the Khiber Pass, through Afghanistan and Iran, and then turned south to the city of Babylon on the Euphrates River. From there, spices were taken to one of the cities that reached the greatest prosperity at that time. The Phoenicians, great seafarers and merchants, profited from profitable trading spices. The Phoenician city of Tire was a major center for the distribution of spices, from where they came from 1200-1800 BC. e. Shipped throughout the Mediterranean.

"Chinese cinnamon" - cassia, is made from a close relative of cinnamon, the "cassia" plant or the Chinese cinnamon tree.

When the center of power moved from Egypt to Babylon and Assyria, the Arabs held control over the supply of spices from the East, and this continued throughout the development of Greek and Roman cultures. It is clear that the legends of the Arabs about where the spices come from sounded impressive and plausible: they told that cinnamon was brought from valleys infested with snakes, and cassia - from the shores of shallow lakes, which are guarded by ferocious and huge birds nesting on high limestone cliffs.

According to the Arabs, they collected cassia when these nests fell from the rocks.

The Romans made extensive use of spices, and demand made it necessary to find a route to India that would end the Arab monopoly on the spice trade. Knowledge of weather phenomena, sea currents and monsoons contributed to the fact that soon Roman ships loaded with precious spices were already making voyages to Alexandria, the main Roman port in Egypt. The Romans were recognized gourmets and lovers of luxury: they ate, hung bundles of herbs in their homes, used spice oils for bathing and for keeping fire in sanctuaries. Wherever the Roman legions appeared, spices and herbs were introduced - thus spices first appeared in Northern Europe. Fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and the beginning of the Middle Ages marked a long period of cultural stagnation, including knowledge of spices.

Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, married a wealthy widow of a spice merchant. The zeal of missionaries in spreading his faith throughout the East was inextricably linked with the spice trade. While Western Europe was dozing, this profitable business was rapidly unfolding in the East. Crusader knights from 1000 AD and over the next three centuries brought the appreciation of spices from the East. In the struggle between Christians and Muslims for dominance in trade, Venice and Genoa become shopping malls; ships sailing to the Holy Land with the crusaders return with a cargo of spices, silks and precious stones. Due to the fact that spices were a rare commodity, they were worth their weight in silver and gold, and soon trade began to flourish again.

Marco Polo was born in 1256 into a family of jewelery merchants, fascinated by the wonders of the East. They traveled all the way to China, staying at the court of the Mongol Emperor, the Great Khan, and during this journey, which lasted twenty-four years, Marco traveled all over China, Asia and India. He told about this in the book "The Adventures of Marco Polo", written on pieces of parchment during his imprisonment after the naval battle of Venice with Genoa. In the book, Marco Polo mentions that during his travels he saw how pleasant things grow; he dispelled scary legends and the rumors formerly spread by Arab merchants. The traveler cited poetic descriptions of Java: “... The island abounds in riches. Pepper, nutmeg ... cloves and all other valuable spices and medicinal plants - these are the fruits of this island, thanks to which it is visited by so many ships loaded with goods that bring huge profits to the owners. His book inspired subsequent generations of sailors and travelers who sought to make a fortune and glorify their name.

At the dawn of the Age of Discovery (from 1400 AD), the epic story of spices continued. European navigators were obsessed with the dream of finding the best sea route to India and the countries of the East. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese traveler, was the first to discover the way to India by sea, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of Africa. He was not given a friendly reception, but he managed to load the ships with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and pepper. In 1499, he was welcomed at home as a hero, and, most importantly, he brought a letter from the rulers of Calcutta in which they agreed to become trading partners with the Portuguese.

“Once you bring spices into your home, they stay with you forever. Women never throw away spices. Egyptians are buried with their spices. I know which ones I'll take with me."
Emma Bombeck

The role of the capital of spices, which Venice so cherished in the past, passed to Lisbon. But before Christopher Columbus chose new route to travel to the East: he sailed to the west. In 1492, according to his ideas, he reached the shores of Japan, but in fact he discovered San Salvador (now Watling Island), one of the islands near the Bahamas, Haiti and Cuba. Columbus discovered the New World and became the first Westerner to experience the fiery taste of chili. Having gathered for the second voyage, Columbus left Spain, accompanied by one and a half thousand people, to establish Spanish rule in the New World, where he hoped to find gold and oriental spices. But instead he discovered sweet Jamaican pepper and vanilla, and from South America he brought potatoes, cocoa fruits, corn, peanuts and turkeys to Europe.

Shop clerk in Marrakech, surrounded
many colors of fragrant spices. The Portuguese made the unfortunate mistake of hiring Dutch merchants to trade in Europe and instructing them to sail to the Spice Islands to collect cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. After a century of undivided rule of the Portuguese, the Dutch pushed them back. The Dutch East India Company was created in 1602 in response to the formation of the British East India Company, which received a charter in 1600 from Queen Elizabeth I. Meanwhile, Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe, guiding his ship the Golden Hind through the Strait of Magellan and the Pacific Ocean to the Spice Islands. These islands riveted the eyes of all Europe, each nation aspired to a monopoly on the spice trade, which, as you know, was a source of immeasurable wealth. The Dutch solved this problem in their own way: they introduced restrictions on the cultivation of nutmeg and cloves on the islands of Ambon and Banda (Moluccas). But their efforts were brought to naught by the French missionary Pierre Poivre, who discovered these plant species on the nearest island, where the seeds were brought by birds, and transported them to Mauritius. Cloves began to grow in Zanzibar, which is still the largest producer of this spice, and nutmeg - to Grenada, an island in the West Indies - it is also called Nutmeg Island. Around the same time, the British were experimenting with nutmeg and cloves in Penang; later spices were cultivated in Singapore on the orders of Sir Stamford Raffles, the famous representative of the East India Company and the founder of Singapore.

A fierce and bloody struggle flared up between the British and the Dutch, which lasted almost two hundred years. The conflict was resolved when Britain appropriated India and Ceylon, and the Netherlands gave Java and Sumatra, which remained under its jurisdiction until the Second World War. By that time, spices had become a much more common and cheaper commodity than before.

End of the 18th century brought to the arena of struggle for spices another country - the United States of America. Clippers from New England successfully searched for the islands from which they brought pepper. Through trade and barter, clipper captains returned to Salem, Massachusetts, with holds full of the finest Sumatran peppers. Salem became the center of the pepper trade. The potential profit here reached 700%, the owners of clippers turned into the first millionaires. But such trips were not easy: the voyage could drag on for two or three years, the risk of attack by pirates or local residents was extremely high, and storms and storms in the southern seas were no less a threat.

It is hard to imagine that a pound (0.5 kg.)
ginger cost as much as a sheep. Today, we take the prevalence and availability of exotic spices for granted. It is hard for us to imagine that the cost of a handful of cardamom was equal to the annual earnings of a poor man, that slaves were sold for a few handfuls of peppercorns, and that a pound of dried nutmeg "color" could buy three sheep and a cow, that a pound of ginger cost as much as a sheep. Longshoremen in London were forced to sew up their pockets, not allowed to steal a single peppercorn.

Modern international trade has created a market for products from all over the world.

London, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Singapore and New York are now considered the main markets for spices. Before being stored in huge warehouses, spices are inspected and then sold or sent for processing and packaging. The spice trade brings in millions of dollars a year, with black pepper topping the list of the most sought-after spices, followed by chili and cardamom. The largest producer of spices is India, as well as Indonesia, Brazil, Madagascar and Malaysia. This is one of the most important items of income in the economy of these countries. Now we can no longer do without spices: they give a special taste to everyday food, bring their flavor into our lives. Empires have won and lost historical battles to keep our kitchens stocked with a variety of spices.

The smell in this shop, in the city of Surabai, Indonesia, cannot leave its visitor indifferent to spices.

When it comes to spices, one immediately comes to mind the East, mysterious, bright, exotic, many-sided. It was there that spices originated around 5 millennia BC. Herbs and vegetables with a spicy-spicy, bitter and sweet taste, tart aroma are firmly established in the culinary culture. different countries.

China, India, Egypt - these are the countries that opened the doors to the world of aromatic spices. The Romans and Greeks used spices imported from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Ceylon, India, and the Mediterranean.

Only in the 7th century did a large territory of Europe learn about flavoring additives thanks to well-established trade communications. Arab merchants brought spices to Constantinople, from where they were resold to European merchants by Byzantine merchants. Due to the difficulties of transportation, the participation of intermediaries, the cost of spicy substances was very high. You could get rich by selling them.

The period of the Great Geographical Discoveries and the time of colonial conquests expanded the "spicy" expansion. Europe learned about new types of spices. Cinnamon, cloves, coriander, black and red pepper, saffron, bay leaf, cardamom began to be used in large quantities.

Since the 16th century, spices have appeared in Russia. Ginger, parsley, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, saffron were added to fish, meat, vegetable dishes, soups. Drinks were also seasoned with them: kvass, fruit drink, sbiten. Until the advent of foreign spices, the inhabitants Ancient Russia used local herbs: horseradish, onion, garlic, mint, anise, dill.

In our time, it is no longer possible to surprise with spices. They are used in the food industry and in cooking, medicine and perfumery. The distribution area of ​​spices is compatible with the world map. All countries are familiar with spices and use them in different amounts. The main suppliers of spices are India, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam. Iran and Syria specialize in zira and cumin, while Egypt, Morocco, Romania, Australia, Bulgaria and Russia export coriander.

About confusion in definitions

Scientists, researchers, cooks, and ordinary people are still confused in definitions. Spices are called spices, and spices are seasonings. It must be said that there is still no consensus. One thing is clear: spices are called fresh, as well as dried elements of plants. All other flavors (sugar, salt, vinegar, citric acid) obtained by artificial or synthetic means, as well as flavorings, are called spices and seasonings.

Russian "spice" is formed from the word "pepper" (feathery - peppery). The word “gingerbread” also came from here, since up to 7 spices were added and are being added to the gingerbread dough.

The spice is based on the English “spice”, which is based on the Latin “species” (translated as “brilliant, prominent, inspiring respect”).

Spices are parts of plants (root, rhizome, stem, bark, leaves, inflorescences, seeds, fruits) pungent and fragrant in taste, smell, for example, vanilla, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, horseradish, celery, parsnip, mustard, mint , lemon balm, basil and others. They have a burning, pungent or bitter taste, which either emphasize the taste of the dish being prepared, or completely change it. In addition, spices give the products a special flavor, a certain texture. Aromatic additives are also valued for their antibacterial, tonic properties.

Spices are a set of universal, popular food additives, which give food a certain taste: salty, sweet, spicy. As spices are pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar, alcohol.

Seasonings can be called any spices, spices, flavorings. This also includes sauces, oils, dry mixes, ketchup, mayonnaise. The main criterion by which seasonings are distinguished is their independence. Seasonings are not just as an addition, they can be used as separate products, to be an integral part of the dish.

Of course, the boundaries between "spices", "spices" and "seasonings" are too shaky, and confusion cannot be avoided. However, we have brought a small share of clarity. Seasoning is a broad concept that includes spices and spices. And spices are partly part of spices.

From the substitution of concepts, the essence, of course, does not change. Whatever we call spices, they will not lose their piquant taste and exquisite aroma. A real hostess will never refuse jars and bags of seasonings in her kitchen. Cook with love!

It used to be like this: saffron, vanilla, nutmeg and other exotic spices were worth their weight in gold, enriching cities and rulers and forcing colonial powers to fight for the best routes to supply spices and spices. Many people risked their heads in case of disclosure of illegal trade. Stories associated with spices tell of superstitions and love secrets. Often, spices were attributed magical and healing properties.

These days, exotic spices add flavor to dishes. But spices must be used carefully. All it takes is a little flair and a desire to enjoy experimenting with Kotányi spices and spices.

A long time ago

The spice trade has played an important role for many centuries. She was associated with power and wealth. Many valuable spices came to us from India, China and Indonesia. In the Middle Ages, the spice trade was controlled mainly by the rulers of the Ottoman Empire, who made a lot of money from it. The sailors were tired of the high prices of pepper, cinnamon or ginger and were looking for their own routes to India to break the Ottoman trade monopoly.

Thousands of years of history of spices and spices

Spices and spices were already in use in the Neolithic era: cumin was found in prehistoric pile buildings. The ancient Egyptians used onion, garlic, juniper and cumin 4-5 thousand years ago, not only as food additives, but also as medicinal and cosmetic products. These spices also appear in manuscripts from Mesopotamia. In China, star anise, saffron and ginger were used as early as 3-4 thousand years ago.

Philosophers and physicians in ancient Greece and Rome already knew many herbs and spices 2500 years ago, which are still used today. At that time they were used mainly as medicinal plants. Alexander the Great brought back pepper and cinnamon from his campaigns in Persia and India. The Greeks considered imported spices a sign of prosperity. About 2 thousand years ago, the Romans adopted the knowledge of the Greeks about spices and spices and began to grow them themselves. Julius Caesar, through his campaigns, also tried to break the trading monopoly of the Arabs, who sold their spices at very high prices.

In the 8th and 9th centuries AD, Benedictine monks brought spices and herbs across the Alps to Western and Central Europe. In the 12th century, the abbess Hildegard of Bingen had a very important influence on the cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants, combining traditional knowledge passed down from the Greeks and Romans with folk medicine and making them accessible to more people.

In the 13th century, the Venetian merchant Marco Polo became the first European to discover nutmeg and cloves during his travels; in addition, he discovered pepper, ginger and cinnamon on the Malabar coast. At that time, spices and spices were worth their weight in gold. At the end of the 15th century, Christopher Columbus failed to find the famous Indian spices in America (which he mistakenly thought was India). However, his ship's doctor Diego Chanca brought to Europe spicy pepper Chile. While Columbus was discovering America, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed to Calcutta in 1498, breaking the Ottoman trade monopoly. After the opening of the sea route to India, the Venetian monopoly ended.

In the early 16th century, Hernán Cortés brought cocoa beans from the Americas, where he also discovered that in Mexico, vanilla beans were used to flavor cocoa. At that time, the Portuguese even destroyed spice plantations to keep prices high. At the end of the 16th century, the Spanish and Dutch supremacy in the spice trade began to be challenged by the Portuguese. Francisco Hernandez de Toledo went to Mexico on behalf of King Philip II. He discovered a special type of pepper, which he dubbed "piper tabasci" (piper tabasci) - after the name of the Mexican province of Tabasco. This spice came to Europe under the name allspice.

In the early 17th century, the Dutch succeeded in pushing the Portuguese out of world trade. They were harsh and merciless guardians of their monopoly. In Ceylon they passed a law for the controlled cultivation of cinnamon and nutmeg. Any violator of this law was threatened the death penalty. However, within a short period of time, the British consolidated their dominion in India and established another monopoly on the spice trade. The French governor of the island of Mauritius, Pierre Poivre, brought nutmeg from the Moluccas (a group of Indonesian islands) in 1770 to overcome this monopoly. During this period, the French also managed to spread the cultivation of cloves to other islands. Since then, global spice production has increased dramatically. As trade became easier and transportation improved, both prices and the importance of spices declined.