The origin of most of the spices supplies is found on the tropical regions of Asia and from the Banda Islands in the Molukas (Indonesia), whereas some others could be found in the Mediterranean.
The Egyptians were the first ones to try to find one route of spices to Orient. Europe started with this trade during the Crusades and eventually America, as well. In fact, Columbus discovered America because he was looking for another route to trade with spices. In the 1600s, the Dutch formed the East India Company, which became one of the most powerful trading companies in history.
Firstly, spices arrived to Mediterranean countries thanks to the merchants: the Genovese, the Catalans, the Venetians… They had to pay taxes to cross Muslim and Turkish lands. They increased their prices, and because of that, Mediterranean merchants were forced to find out alternative routes for transportation.
Those who managed to open new routes to the Orient in the sixteenth century (that was called “The Route of Spices”) to transport these appreciated condiments, were the Portuguese, Henry the Navigator, and the Spanish, Blasco de Gama.
In fact, when Columbus discovered America what he was looking for was a new route for spices. So, it was Portugal who dominated the sale of oriental spices and Spain who dominated the sale with American and Orient, too.
From the eighteenth century, the Dutch, English and French managed to monopolize this sale. The spices lost price, and with this cheaper price, almost everybody had access to consumption of spices.
In the past, spices had great value as a condiment, medicine or perfume, as well as the important role that had some of them as a preservative, as taste masking the food without the possibility of cold storage. Nowadays our use of the spices is different than they used to be in the last century, as they are used for their great ability to enhance the flavour and we can get great effects in flavouring and making tasty foods in very small amounts.
Spices can be classified into two different groups: those that change both the taste and the appearance of the food, in this group would be the saffron, cinnamon, thyme and rosemary, etc., and those that excite the palate, such as pepper, paprika, nutmeg and several varieties of chillies.
In conclusion, the European interest in the spices can be nowadays understood as the beginnings of a global economy society, where countries around the world were interested in the commerce of this kind of product.
4TH LEVEL
(Ester Vallverdú, Albert Mas, Catalin Puiac, Manoli Cabeza, Xavier Martí, Alba Minguella, Alba Piqué, Sònia Guerra, Natàlia Torres, Eva Vall, Montse Farré, Pili Herrerias, Jaume Riart.)
