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 s, 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 s, 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.
Seeing the rising value of spices and the limited supply, Europe was inspired to venture into the trade. They put lots of effort into establishing or securing routes to regions in which the spices were produced. Success in spice trade depended largely on having access to a spice trade route or having control over one.
Around the 10 th century, both Genoa and Venice accumulated a considerable amount of wealth through trading spices in Levant. While both were earning a good fortune from the trade, they saw bigger opportunities if the other was taken out of the picture. Over the years, bitter conflict developed between the two of them. As a consequence, the rivalry led to a naval war that is referred to as the Naval War of Chioggia between and Venice won the war against Genoa and managed to assume a monopoly of the spice trade in the Middle East region.
They controlled the monopoly for the next century. The win contributed greatly to the prosperity of Venice as it made huge profits from the trade of spices they had with buyer-distributors from western and northern Europe.
By the Middle Ages, various regions around Europe had already discovered the origin of spices. They were, however, unable to get into the trade since the Venetian handle on the trade routes were tight and no ruler was able to break it.
Realizing that Venice was strong, the other regions started working on establishing new routes to venture into the spice trade. From the 8th until the 15th century, the Republic of Venice and neighboring maritime republics held the monopoly of European trade with the Middle East. The silk and spice trade , involving spices , incense, herbs, drugs and opium, made these Mediterranean city-states phenomenally rich.
During the Middle Ages, spices were as valuable in Europe as gold and gems and the single most important force driving the world's economy. The lack of refrigeration and poor standards of hygiene meant that food often spoiled quickly and spices were in great demand to mask the flavour of food that was far from fresh. Who profited most from the spice trade? Muslims sold Asian goods to the Italian merchants. Then the Italians would increase the price of the goods and sell them.
The spice trade began in the Middle East over 4, years ago. Arabic spice merchants would create a sense of mystery by withholding the origins of their wares, and would ensure high prices by telling fantastic tales about fighting off fierce winged creatures to reach spices growing high on cliff walls. European explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, and Bartholomeu Dias began their long sea voyages to discover a sea route to the sources of spices. Christopher Columbus went westwards from Europe in to find a sea route to the lands of spices but found the Americas.
Pepper originated in Kerala, and there was a time when it was so valuable that it was used as currency! The British took home with them one of the most prized possessions at the time, and today pepper has become one of the most widely used spices in the world. Seasonings such as cinnamon , cassia , cardamom , ginger , and turmeric were important items of commerce in the earliest evolution of trade.
Cinnamon and cassia found their way to the Middle East at least 4, years ago. Allspice is the dried, unripe berry from a tropical evergreen tree, Pimenta dioica, which is native to the Caribbean and parts of the central Americas. Merchants procured a wide range of spices for consumers, including pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove, and saffron, as well as the now-obscure spices like grains of paradise and spikenard.
Sugar was also used as a spice during the Middle Ages. Spices again became revered luxury items and status symbols across Europe.
Almonds and spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, grain of paradise and cubeb were all considered luxurious flavorings, as was sugar often used in main dishes.
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