SPICESSPICES; For centuries people have made bland foods more
flavorful by adding spices the dried parts of various
plants cultivated for their aromatic or pungent properties.
Although the terms spices, spice seeds, and herbs are often
used interchangeably, the differences between them are clearly
defined. Spices are the fragrant or pungent parts of plants grown
in tropical and subtropical regions. These parts may include
rhizomes (underground stems), bulbs, barks, flower buds,
stigmas, fruits, seeds, and leaves. Spice seeds are the
tiny aromatic fruits and oily seeds of herbaceous plants,
including anise, caraway, cumin, fennel, and sesame. Herbs
are the fragrant leaves of plants grown in temperate regions
and include marjoram, mint, rosemary, and thyme .
In ancient times, spices were used in medicine and to preserve foods. Today, though they may still serve these purposes, they are used primarily as adjuncts in cooking to impart flavor, aroma, or piquancy to foods. In the small quantities used to prepare culinary dishes, spices have little or no nutritive value, but they stimulate the appetite, taste buds, and gastric juices, add zest to food, and delight the gourmet. They have many other uses as well. In the food industry they are used in the preparation of processed meats, sauces and vinegars, pickles, preserves, cakes, cookies, and beverages. They also go into the preparation of a number of liqueurs, extracts, and perfumes. Some Common Spices Cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric were known to Eastern peoples thousands of years ago. Arab traders artfully withheld the true source of these spices, however, and they became valuable items of commerce early in the evolution of the spice trade. To satisfy the curious, to protect their market, and to discourage competitors, the traders spread fantastic tales to the effect that cassia grew in shallow lakes guarded by winged animals and that cinnamon grew in deep glens infested with poisonous snakes.
As the spice trade grew, other peoples were introduced to spices, and they developed new uses for them. The most notable uses of spices in very early times were in medicine, in the making of holy oils and unguents, and as aphrodisiacs. Belief in the healing power of spices filtered down, in a moderated form, into the Middle Ages and even into early modern times.
It is not known when spices were first used in food. Certainly by the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans many spices had come into use to flavor food and beverages. Spices helped to preserve foods, mask the flavor of partially spoiled meats, and brought a welcome change of flavor. For centuries, however, only the wealthy could afford to indulge in the use of imported aromatic spices. Marco Polo observed, in 13th-century Cathay, that the higher classes of people ate meat that had been preserved in several spices, but the poor had to be content with meat steeped in garlic juice.
Knowledge of the use of spices to preserve and flavor food slowly spread through Europe. Finally, in the last third of the 15th century, the Europeans determined to build ships and venture abroad in search of a route to the spice-producing countries. So began the famed voyages of discovery, which included the travels of Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Ferdinand Magellan, and Sir Francis Drake. As the Western European nations gained ascendency in the Oriental spice trade, spices at last came into general use by rich and poor alike. By the 20th century the world had come to know an orderly and stable pattern of trade in spices.
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