Warm-up: What spices do you have at home? eat on a regular basis?
1. Read intro together as a class
2. Create poster
3. Group sharing
4. Closure: Guess which spice?
While groups are working on this, I will go around the room to each group, showing them their spice/
demonstrating (they get to hang on to it)
Then groups will have a “trade show”, representing their info to another group, until all groups have seen each
other (-- minutes)
Poster Guidelines
___ Name of spice
___ Drawing of spice
___ Summary of the history of this spice (can create a timeline)
___ Role of Europeans in trading this spice
___ Location of where it is from (label it on the map - you will probably need to look this up)
Poster Guidelines
___ Name of spice
___ Drawing of spice
___ Summary of the history of this spice (can create a timeline)
___ Role of Europeans in trading this spice
___ Location of where it is from (label it on the map - you will probably need to look this up)
Poster Guidelines
___ Name of spice
___ Drawing of spice
___ Summary of the history of this spice (can create a timeline)
___ Role of Europeans in trading this spice
___ Location of where it is from (label it on the map - you will probably need to look this up)
Poster Guidelines
___ Name of spice
___ Drawing of spice
___ Summary of the history of this spice (can create a timeline)
___ Role of Europeans in trading this spice
___ Location of where it is from (label it on the map - you will probably need to look this up)
Poster Guidelines
___ Name of spice
___ Drawing of spice
___ Summary of the history of this spice (can create a timeline)
___ Role of Europeans in trading this spice
___ Location of where it is from (label it on the map - you will probably need to look this up)
http://m.livescience.com/7495-spice-trade-changed-world.html
Introduction
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.
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.
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. If the modern age has a definitive beginning, it
was sparked by the spice trade, some historians have argued.
America by accident
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. 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.
Europe dangled at the far end of the trading chain for spices, without access to eastern sources or the power
to contest exorbitant prices. 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.
Even the aristocracy — one of the biggest consumers of imported spices — began finding it hard to afford their
shipments of peppercorn and clove. 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.
First out of the blocks came Christopher Columbus who, in searching for a quicker route to India, bumped into
the Americas instead.
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. Also looking for
spices, Vasco de Gama was the first to 'round Africa, and a crew led by Ferdinand Magellan fully
circumnavigated the globe.
Manhattan traded for some nutmeg
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.
Spain and Portugal spent much of the 16th century fighting over cloves, while England and the Dutch dueled
over nutmeg in Indonesia. 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. In exchange for Run, The Netherlands swapped a couple of colonies
across the pond — including what is now known as the island of Manhattan.
BACK 
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. Flags were planted and ship paths formed a web of sorts across the world's ocean like never before.
For better and for worse, the world's first crack at globalization had begun, all in the pursuit of a more flavorful
dinner.
http://www.indepthinfo.com/cloves/story.shtml
History of Cloves
Like the history of many spices, the history of cloves goes back many centuries. In fact, this spice was one of
the first to be traded and evidence of cloves have been found in vessels dating as far back as 1721 BC. Native
to the Malucca Islands, as many spices are, cloves were once a treasured commodity prized by the Ancient
Romans.
But it wasn't just the Romans who enjoyed cloves. The Chinese were said to use them as far back as 226 BC.
Apparently they chewed the flowerettes prior to having an audience with the Emperor so that their breath
would not smell bad.
Along with nutmeg, cloves were one of the most precious spices of the 16th and 17th century, and control of
them spurred expeditions as well as wars. In 1522, Magellan's ship returned from its fateful trip around the
world (Magellan himself was killed in the Philipines at the Battle of Mactan.) with a ship loaded with cloves and
nutmeg, much to the delight of Spain. Of course, everyone wanted in on the trade since cloves were worth
more than their weight in gold. In 1605 the Dutch found their way to the Moluccas and dipped their hand into
the spice trade.
In fact, the Dutch wanted a monopoly on cloves, so they went about destroying clove trees that sprouted up
anywhere outside of their control. This ended up causing quite an uprising because native tradition was to
plant a clove tree upon the birth of a child and the life of the tree was psychologically tied directly to that of the
child. If something happened to the tree, that did not bode well for the particular child with whom it was
associated. The native islanders came to hate the Dutch wherever they extended their tree burning campaign.
But monopolies never last forever. It did not take long for others to try their hands at the clove trade. By the
18th century cloves were being grown in other places including Zanzibar, Madagascar, Brazil, Mauritius,
Ternate, Tidore, and Tanzania, among other places. With the disolution of the trade monopoly, the price of
cloves came down and eventually cloves became a favorite spice for all classes of society, the world over.
This spice gets its name from the French word "clou" which means nail, as many have remarked on how much
cloves look like nails. The clove is the dried flower bud of an evergreen tree. The essential oil is said to have
many medicinal properties and has been used for centuries to cure many ailments. Most interestingly, cloves
have long been used to aid in dentistry as they have local anesthetic properties.
Although they are underappreciated for their medicinal uses today, cloves have been used historically to treat
many ailments. They have antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic, antiviral, antiparasitic, analgesic,
and simulative properties making them a great overall healer. They can be used to stimulate the mind as well
as prevent nausea, diarrhea, ease coughs, aid in digestion, and even treat conditions like malaria and cholera.
They can also be used topically to treat acne, styes and sores.
http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/cinnamons-spicy-history
Cinnamon’s Spicy History
By Mariel Synan
October 4, 2013
Cinnamon has been in use by humans for thousands of years—as early as 2,000 B.C. Egyptians employed it,
as well as the related spice cassia, as a perfuming agent during the embalming process, and it was even
mentioned in the Old Testament as an ingredient in anointing oil. Evidence suggests it was used throughout
the ancient world, and that Arab traders brought it to Europe, where it proved equally popular: Legend holds
that the Roman emperor Nero burned as much as he could find of the precious spice on the funeral pyre of his
second wife Poppaea Sabina in A.D. 65 to atone for his role in her death.
The Arabs transported cinnamon via cumbersome land routes, resulting in a limited, expensive supply that
made the use of cinnamon a status symbol in Europe in the Middle Ages. As the middle class began to seek
upward mobility, they too wanted to purchase the luxury goods that were once only available to noble classes.
Cinnamon was particularly desirable as it could be used as a preservative for meats during the winter. Despite
its widespread use, the origins of cinnamon was the Arab merchants’ best-kept secret until the early 16th
century. To maintain their monopoly on the cinnamon trade and justify its exorbitant price, Arab traders wove
colorful tales for their buyers about where and how they obtained the luxury spice. One such story, related by
the 5th-century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus, said that enormous birds carried the cinnamon sticks to their
nests perched high atop mountains that were insurmountable by any human. According to the story, people
would leave large pieces of ox meat below these nests for the birds to collect. When the birds brought the meat
into the nest, its weight would cause the nests to fall to the ground, allowing the cinnamon sticks stored within
to be collected. Another tall tale reported that the cinnamon was found in deep canyons guarded by terrifying
snakes, and first-century Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder proposed that cinnamon came from Ethiopia,
carried on rafts with no oars or sails, powered by “man alone and his courage.”
Struggling to meet increasing demand, European explorers set out to find the spice’s mysterious source.
Christopher Columbus wrote to Queen Isabella, claiming he had found cinnamon and rhubarb in the New
World, but when he sent samples of his findings back home, it was discovered that the spice was not, in fact,
the coveted cinnamon. Gonzalo Pizarro, a Spanish explorer, also sought cinnamon in the Americas, traversing
the Amazon hoping to find the “pais de la canela,” or “cinnamon country.”
Around 1518, Portuguese traders discovered cinnamon at Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, and conquered its
island kingdom of Kotto, enslaving the island’s population and gaining control of the cinnamon trade for about a
century until the Ceylon kingdom of Kandy allied with the Dutch in 1638 to overthrow the Portuguese
occupiers. The Dutch defeated the Portuguese but held the kingdom in their debt for their military services, so
once again Ceylon was occupied by European traders, handing the cinnamon monopoly over to the Dutch for
the next 150 years. Ceylon then was taken over by the British in 1784 after their victory in the fourth AngloDutch War, but by 1800, cinnamon was no longer an expensive, rare commodity, as it had begun to be
cultivated in other parts of the world, and other delicacies such as chocolate and cassia, which has a flavor
similar to cinnamon, began to rival it in popularity.
Today, we typically encounter two types of commercial cinnamon: Ceylon and cassia cinnamon. Cassia
cinnamon is primarily produced in Indonesia and has the stronger smell and flavor of the two varieties. This
cheaper variety is what we usually buy in grocery stores to sprinkle on our apple pies or French toast. The
more expensive Ceylon cinnamon, most of which is still produced in Sri Lanka, has a milder, sweeter flavor
popular for both baking and flavoring hot drinks such as coffee or hot chocolate.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/11/26/165657050/no-innocent-spice-the-secret-story-of-nutmeg-life-anddeath
No Innocent Spice: The Secret Story Of
Nutmeg, Life And Death
NOVEMBER 26, 2012 4:49 AM ET
This copper engraving from approximately 1700
depicts the condition of the English prisoners at
the hands of the Dutch. In the 1660s, Cornell
University's Eric Tagliacozzo says, the conflict
and competition for the spice trade came to a
head. "The Dutch decapitated a number of
English merchants who were also in the Spice
Islands trying to profit from the trade."
Ah, nutmeg! Whether it's sprinkled on eggnog,
baked into spice cake or blended into a latte,
this pungent spice can evoke memories of holidays past. We tend to link it to celebratory times.
But a lot of blood has been shed over this little brown seed. "Nutmeg has been one of the saddest stories of
history," explains culinary historian Michael Krondl. If you listen to my story you'll hear the gruesome, grisly tale
of how the Dutch tortured and massacred the people of the nutmeg-producing Banda Islands in Indonesia in
an attempt to monopolize the nutmeg trade.
So, why was nutmeg so valuable? Well, Krondl likens it to the iPhone of the 1600s. It was fashionable among
the wealthy. It was exotic and potent enough to induce hallucinations — or at least a nutmeg bender, as
detailed in this account from The Atlantic.
"Nutmeg really does have chemical constituents that make you feel good," explains culinary historian Kathleen
Wall of the Plimoth Plantation. And traditionally, we turn to nutmeg (along with cloves and cinnamon) this time
of year because these spices — as the settlers to the colonies believed — can help warm us up and even help
us fight off head colds and stomachaches.
And for foodies, nutmeg is an ideal spice for layering flavor. Chef Kyle Bailey of Birch and Barley restaurant in
Washington, D.C., combined spinach and nutmeg to whip up a divine puree (see gallery below) that marries
the flavors beautifully.
I can't finish this post without mentioning a bit of nutmeg history that makes good dinner-party conversation —
and this is the question of whether the Dutch traded Manhattan (yes, New York) for nutmeg.
In the 1600s, "the Dutch and the British were kind of shadowing each other all over the globe," explains Cornell
historian Eric Tagliacozzo. They were competing for territory and control of the spice trade. In 1667, after years
of battling, they sat down to hash out a treaty.
"Both had something that the other wanted," explains Krondl. The British wanted to hold onto Manhattan,
which they'd managed to gain control of a few years earlier. And the Dutch wanted the last nutmeg-producing
island that the British controlled, as well as territory in South America that produced sugar.
"So they [the Dutch] traded Manhattan, which wasn't so important in those days, to get nutmeg and sugar."
And back then, the Dutch considered it a sweet deal!
http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/off-the-spice-rack-the-story-of-pepper
January 17, 2013
Off the Spice Rack: The Story of Pepper
By Stephanie Butler
Last week we took a look at the history of salt, so this time it’s pepper’s turn. Unlike salt, which can be found or
made practically anywhere in the world, black pepper is indigenous only to Kerala, a province in southwest
India. References to pepper appear in Greek and Roman texts, suggesting an ancient trade between India and
the West. As early as 1000 B.C., traders from southern Arabia controlled the spice trade and pepper routes,
enjoying a huge monopoly over an increasingly profitable business. To protect their valuable routes, traders
created fantastical stories about the hardships endured in order to procure spices. What Englishman in his
right mind would want to travel around the globe just to be attacked by a dragon guarding a pepper pit?
By medieval times, the middle leg of pepper trade routes was still firmly controlled by Muslim traders, while
Italian city-states like Venice and Genoa held a monopoly on shipping lines once the spice reached the
Mediterranean. Pepper was costly to ship—the Silk Road, the most well-known trade route, stretched over
4,000 miles—but was such a desirable spice that Italian traders could essentially set their own prices. This led
to pepper’s status as a luxury item in medieval Europe. Even today, the Dutch phrase “pepper expensive”
refers to an item of prohibitive cost.
Eventually, the rest of Europe got tired of paying the high Venetian prices for pepper imports and decided to
take matters into their own hands. Thus began the age of Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, Sir Francis
Drake and other explorers. Indeed, Columbus stocked the holds of his ships with what he believed to be
pepper and brought the spice all the way from the West Indies. Only back in Spain did he discover that his
ships weren’t full of priceless peppercorns but worthless chili peppers.
Pepper’s popularity quickly spread through world cuisines once more trade routes were established. At one
time it accounted for a whopping 70 percent of the international spice trade. As it became more readily
available, the prices dropped, and ordinary people were able to enjoy it. Regional cuisines began incorporating
pepper into their foods alongside native spices and herbs. This resulted in typical spice blends such as garam
masala in India, ras el hanout in Morocco, quatre épices in France and Cajun and jerk blends in the Americas.
http://www.bespokespices.com/history-of-cardamom.html
Chewed by Romans, Worn by Greeks - The Long History of Cardamom
As one of the world's most ancient spices, the history of cardamom is long, dating back at least 4000 years!
And as with a lot of spices in those times, it was prized for its medicinal qualities ahead of culinary uses.
A document, the Ebers Papyrus, dated to about 1500 BC, chronicles that ancient Egyptians were using it for
medicines, embalming and other ritualistic practices. They also chewed the pods to clean their teeth and
freshen their breath.
History of Cardamom - Handpicked in the Cardamom Hills
The Greeks and Romans used cardamom spice for perfumes, ointments and aromatic oils. It was also a
supposed cure for overindulgence.
It's been used as trade by the Indians for at least two thousand years, and even before then you'll find mention
of it in some historical Indian texts like the Taitirriya Samhita which is a political document.
Some of these writings date back to the 4th century BC where it's documented as being used for flavourings
and medicinal purposes as well as religious offerings.
At around the same time, the Greeks were using two varieties from the East which they called amomon and
kardamomon. It's not quite clear whether these two are what we today call true cardamom.
In Alexandria in A.D 176 it was listed among the Indian Spices liable for duty.
The History of Cardamom Today
A thousand or so years ago, travelling Vikings discovered it whilst on their travels in Constantinople and on the
caravan routes. And they introduced it to Scandinavia where it remains popular.
Today, Scandinavians use it when making their traditional glogg recipes - a popular mulled wine drunk around
Christmas - and also in pastries and meatballs.
Whereas in Asia, it's often used to make cardamom tea, a traditional drink with many health and medicinal
uses.
Up to 200 years ago...
...most of the world's supply was sourced from wild plants found in rainforests of the Western Ghats in
Southern India.
So abundant were these wild plants, the whole region was named the Cardamom Hills, a name that remains to
this day.
The first plantations were established by British colonists in the 19th century and this is where a lot of today's
green and black cardamom come from.
But it's Guatemala, which only started growing the spice in the 1920s, that's the biggest commercial producer
today, overtaking India and Sri Lanka.
In some parts of Guatemala, it has even overtaken coffee as its most valuable crop!
http://www.indepthinfo.com/ginger/history.shtml
Ginger History
The history of Ginger goes back over 5000 years when the Indians and ancient Chinese considered it a tonic
root for all ailments. While Ginger originated in Southeast Asia, it has a long history of being cultivated in other
countries. At an early date it was exported to Ancient Rome from India. It was used extensively by the
Romans, but almost disappeared from the pantry when the Roman Empire fell. After the end of the Roman
Empire, the Arabs took control of the spice trade from the east. Ginger became quite costly like many other
spices. In medieval times it was commonly imported in a preserved form and used to make sweets.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a warming spice and comes from the same family as cardamom and turmeric. It
has been used in Asian food for centuries. It also became a popular spice in the Caribbean where it could be
easily grown. In the 15th century, Ginger plants were carried on ships which is probably how they were
introduced to the Caribbean as well as Africa. Today ginger is grown throughout the tropics.
It is only in recent years that ginger has become more valued as a spice than for it’s medicinal properties. Even
so, in western countries it has been used to add taste to buttermilk drinks as far back as the 11th Century AD.
Widespread use in foods did not occur until roughly 200 years later when ginger was used in cooking meats
and in ginger pastes. It is said the Queen Elizabeth I of England invented the gingerbread man1, which became
a popular Christmas treat.
Ginger has been a trading commodity longer than most spices. But it came into its own during the 13th and
14th centuries. When the Arabs traveled to Africa and Zanzibar, they planted the rhizomes thus spreading the
cultivation of this great herb. Today, Ginger can be found in any grocery store and purchased for a few dollars,
but back in the 14th century a pound of Ginger held a value equal to that of a whole live sheep!
http://www.spicesmedicinalherbs.com/allspice-pimenta-dioica-history.html
History of Allspice
Allspice is the only spice that is grown exclusively in the Western Hemisphere. The evergreen tree that
produces the allspice berries is indigenous to the rainforests of South and Central America where it grows wild.
Most allspice is produced in Jamaica, but some other sources for allspice include Guatemala, Honduras, as
well as Mexico. Jamaican allspice is considered to be superior due to its higher oil content, which gives it a
more appealing flavor.
The spice was imported to Europe soon after the discovery of the new world. There were several attempts
made to transplant it to spice producing regions of the east, but these trees produced little fruit. Despite its rich
fragrance and a strong flavour resembling other more coveted spices, allspice never had the same caché in
Europe as cinnamon or pepper. The English started making regular shipments to England in 1737, but by that
time the lust for spices been eclipsed by other New-World products like sugar and coffee. It was quite popular
in England though, where it came to be known as 'English Spice". In the Napoleonic war of 1812, Russian
soldiers put allspice in their boots to keep their feet warm and the resultant improvement in odours is carried
into today's cosmetic industries, where pimento oil is usually associated with men's toiletries (especially
products with the word 'spice' on the label).