Herbs and Spices
Spice A strongly flavored aromatic substance which comes mainly from the stem, root, berry, or seed of a plant. Mainly grown in the tropics
Herb Leaf of a plant usually grown in the tropics Dried or fresh
History of spices: exploration driven by desire for spices
History of spices Ancient times used to flavor and preserve food, in perfumes and as medicines. ( worth weight in gold) Silk road (orange) then spice route (blue)
Trade Declined in the middle ages- nothing of value to trade. Crusades- taste for spiced food-11 th century.
Turkish Empire cut off land routes (1400’s). Countries send out explorers to develop routes to India and Spice Islands- Moluccas Islands. Portugal- sea routes to India (end of 1400’s). Dutch- dislodged Portuguese and established a base on the Island of Java (1500’s).
Spice Today U.S. largest importer- 1 billion pounds annually.
Every country has spices typical to that country
Freshness of spices Rub spices together and smell, no odor indicates loss of flavor.
Herbs Cultivated in gardens, used for flavor, medicine, perfume. Fresh-use 2x the amount of dried. Dried herbs or spices are more concentrated. Hardy, easy to grow. Annuals and perennials.
clothing/trade/ clothing/trade/ es.html es.html legally.html legally.html _spices.htm _spices.htm herb-garden /