Spices: A Global History PDF
Preview Spices: A Global History
Spices A Global History Fred Czarra the edible series Edible SeriesEditor:AndrewF.Smith isarevolutionarynewseriesof booksdedicatedtofoodand drinkthatexplorestherichhistoryof cuisine.Eachbookrevealsthe globalhistoryandcultureof onetypeof foodorbeverage. Alreadypublished Pancake KenAlbala HotDog BruceKraig Pizza CarolHelstosky Pie JanetClarkson Hamburger AndrewF.Smith Forthcoming Bread WilliamRubel IceCream LauraWeiss Cake NicolaHumble Lobster ElisabethTownsend Caviar NicholaFletcher Milk HannahVelten Dates NawalNasrallah Pasta KanthaShelke Cheese AndrewDalby Soup JanetClarkson Chocolate SarahMoss Tea HelenSaberi Cocktails JosephM.Carlin Tomato DeborahA.Duchon Coffee JonathanMorris Vodka PatriciaHerlihy Curry ColleenTaylorSen Whiskey KevinR.Rosar FishandChips PanikosPanayi Wine MarcMillon Spices A Global History Fred Czarra PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd GreatSuttonStreet London, www.reaktionbooks.co.uk Firstpublished Copyright©FredCzarra Allrightsreserved Nopartof thispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrieval system,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic, mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withouttheprior permissionof thepublishers. PrintedandboundinChinabyC&COffsetPrintingCo.,Ltd BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Czarra,FredR.(FredRaymon),‒ Spices:aglobalhistory.–(Edible) .Spices–History .Spicetrade–History I.Title . -: Contents Introduction 1 Spices in the Ancient World 2 Spices in the Medieval World 3 The Age of Exploration 4 The Age of Industrialization 5 The Twentieth Century and Beyond Glossary Select Bibliography Spice Companies Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index Introduction Peppercorn,whichhastheabilitytosweatyoursecretsoutof you. Peppercorn,whereareyouinmytimeof need? TheMistressof Spices,ChitraBanerjeeDivakaruni We often marvel at the fascinating stories of spices and the exotic lands and peoples with which they are associated. At the same time, however, it is easy to overlook the historical contextof theseoncehighlyprizedcommoditiesandthesig- nificance of the spice trade that developed around them. Spicesareimportantinhistoryforseveralreasons.First,ona largescale,theybroughttogetherdiverseculturesof thewest- ern, southern and eastern worlds, encounters that could be positive and harmonious but were sometimes harmful and even disastrous. Second, the exchange of spices stimulated thefirstglobalageandthebeginningsof economicglobaliza- tion,whereinactionsinoneareaof theworldgreatlyaffected peopleandeventsonanother,far-off continent.Third,spices forever changed the eating habits of people who discovered newculinaryexperiencesasaresultof thetrade,whichinturn changedthewaytheyprepared,ateandappreciatedfood. Spices and their travels across the world have created newlegendsaswellasenhancingthemanytalesandmiscon- ceptions that had preceded them. Spices stimulated new knowledge about the world, a knowledge that resulted in greatadvancesinmapmaking,science,seamanshipandbasic cross-cultural awareness. They also created competition amongnations,whichimprovedtheeconomicconditionsof some countries and peoples but also caused great harm to othersandtotheculturestheyencountered. Spices had had a long history in South and East Asia long before Europeans arrived in these regions. During antiquity,theOldWorldhadlimitedsuppliesof spiceswhich wereexperiencedbyonlyafewcultures.Hearingof orsam- pling spices from places that the Europeans had never seen inspirednumerouslegendsandtales–manyof themof the tall variety – that fuelled misperceptions about these exotic lands and peoples. Such stories were sometimes tied to religionandtheideaof paradiseandwherethislandof per- fection might be located. Spices conjured up the idea that exotic plants such as cinnamon were part of the scents of paradise. Once the Europeans encountered Asia, the reali- ties of spices such as pepper coming directly home to a nation were more and more commonplace. The prices for these spices brought great riches. Additionally, when the wordspreadaboutthesenewlyacquiredproducts,competi- tion became a strong motivator for nations to vie for both theprizeandtheprofits. Inrecentyears,manyexcellentbookshavebeenwritten onspices.TitlessuchasNathaniel’sNutmeg,TheScentsof Eden, Spice: The History of a Temptation, The Spice Route, Dangerous Tastes, The Taste of Conquest and Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination have explored numerous avenues of spices and their lore. Most of these writings have offered a unique perspective on spices and, for the most part, have dealt with the spice trade in the ancient and early medieval
The list of books you might like
