History 2158A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Maluku Islands, Spice Trade, Geopolitics
10 May 2018
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The Spice Trade and how it Changed the World
Introduction
●Spices were not always common or affordable
●One of the world’s first global commodities
●When the Romans ransacked, they stole pepper like it was gold
●Columbus’s voyage was mostly for the spice trade, namely pepper
●How did spices end up at the center of global geopolitics when they are so unessential for nutrition?
Herbes vs. Spices
●Herbs are generally leafy whereas spices generally come from other parts of plants (bark, seed, etc.)
●Herbs tend to grow in temperate climates while spices grow in tropical areas
●What we think of as spices and what people of the past think of as spices is not necessarily the same
Pepper
●Native to India’s Maldive coast
●Pink pepper is technically not related to actual pepper
The Spice Islands (Molucca Islands): Nutmeg and Cloves
●Nutmeg and Clove are native to the Molucca Islands in Indonesia
○Cloves
■A natural anesthetic
○Nutmeg
■A seed of an apple-like fruit
Cinnamon
●Native to Sri Lanka
●Most of us have not actually eaten real cinnamon - Cassia is almost identical
Le Ménagier de Paris (1393)
●Late 14th century recipe for Beef Stew
○Cinnamon Brewet. Break up your poultry or other meat and stew it in water, putting wine therewith, and
[then] fry it; then take raw almonds in their shells unpeeled and great plenty of cinnamon and bray then very
well and moisten them with your broth or with beef broth and boil them with your meat; then bray ginger,
cloves and grain [of Paradise] etc., and let it be thick and red.
●They used a lot of spices - why?
○One of the most popular explanations is inaccurate: used to preserve food
○Used for the same reasons we use spices - they make food taste better
Health and Medicine
●Spices fit into an overlapping of cuisine and health, regarded as legitimate drugs and medicines
●According to the medical thoughts of the time, illness was a result of an imbalance of the four humors
○Thought to be constantly in flux and carefully maintained and adjusted - through food and spices
○Spices mostly viewed as hot and dry, counteracting the moist and cold properties of meat and fish, balancing
the meal, and therefore balancing your body
○Vinegar was cold and dry, therefore vinegar-based sauce was counteracted with spices
○Ill people with fevers were told to stay away from spices, which would heat them up
○Medieval foods now make more sense, when understanding it as an odd balance
●There was little difference between a spice merchant and an apothecary
●Spices were associated with wellness, and had religious overtones
Document Summary
The spice trade and how it changed the world. One of the world"s first global commodities. When the romans ransacked, they stole pepper like it was gold. Columbus"s voyage was mostly for the spice trade, namely pepper. Herbs are generally leafy whereas spices generally come from other parts of plants (bark, seed, etc. ) Herbs tend to grow in temperate climates while spices grow in tropical areas. What we think of as spices and what people of the past think of as spices is not necessarily the same. Pink pepper is technically not related to actual pepper. The spice islands (molucca islands): nutmeg and cloves. Nutmeg and clove are native to the molucca islands in indonesia. Most of us have not actually eaten real cinnamon - cassia is almost identical. Break up your poultry or other meat and stew it in water, putting wine therewith, and. One of the most popular explanations is inaccurate: used to preserve food.
