By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer
The modern world is full of magic if you take a minute to peek under the hood. One such thing that has struck me lately as absurd is owning a spice rack as a student in Canada. Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, these are spices that are native to countries all over the world: primarily India, Jamaica, China, and Indonesia, respectively. Since the Roman Empire (625 BCE to 476 CE), spices had been a major indicator of wealth up until the globalization of spices that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Silk Road and the Indian Ocean trade routes may now just be history to us, but their legacies exist today in subtle ways: the spice aisle in every grocery store, the PSL, and open access to authentic recipes from countries across the world. To truly understand the significance of spices being a household item, you must understand the long and complex history of the spice trade.
Why were spices so highly sought after?
Many now-common spices and seasonings, like salt, were regarded as highly valuable throughout history. Phrases like “worth his salt” and “salary” originated from the Roman Empire, where salt was a common form of income for Roman soldiers. Spices were used as commodity money, a form of currency with inherent value, much like gold. In fact, nutmeg was once worth more than its weight in gold.
The consensus of their value was widespread: Alaric the Visigoth, a Roman chieftain and anti-imperialist in the fifth century, demanded 3,000 pounds of peppercorns as ransom for sparing Rome. All over Europe during the Middle Ages, spices were seen as a major status symbol. Going over to your neighbour’s house and seeing cloves in a jar on their kitchen floor might’ve been akin to seeing your neighbour’s brand new Porsche. These European houses were sure to flaunt what others could not afford. Spices had value everywhere, due to their ability to enhance the flavour of food, preserve meat (in a time before refrigeration), aid in medicinal healing, and for use in religious and spiritual practices. Beyond these practical applications, spices were mythologized by Arabic merchants who told grand stories of spices that were guarded by winged creatures on dangerous cliffs. These stories spread across countries and became all the more reason to spend a pretty penny on these luxury items.
The origin and development of the spice trade
The trade of spices began around 2000 BCE, with Austronesians, a voyaging people who originated from Taiwan, establishing sailing networks between Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and India by 1500 BCE. Then, spices were transported through the Middle East and Europe across land routes, including routes that were part of the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a collection of roads that connected the Middle East, Asia, and Europe in merchandise and culture. Travellers on the road were highly exposed to robbery and other dangers. Since these spices were so difficult to transport, their prices were sky high, rising in price at the hand of every intermediate merchant.
Around 1 CE Arabs, Persians, and Indians began to dominate the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, making the Middle East the centre of the spice trade. The traders had established a maritime pathway that connected from Rome all the way to China. When the Roman Empire took over Egypt, they established a major trading port that controlled the spices entering the Greco-Roman world. Still, Greece and Rome lacked direct access to spices, which advantaged the Middle East since the countries were forced to pay incredible prices through this monopolized control of the export. After the fall of the Roman Empire, spices weren’t as accessible for Europeans. In 11th century Europe, however, spices once again became an increasingly popular commodity after the Crusaders got a taste of Middle Eastern cuisine. The Crusades re-ignited the hubbub around spices for the purposes of cooking, medicine, and status.
The path to globalization
The 15th century brought the European Age of Discovery, a mass movement of Europeans travelling by sea for new trade opportunities in silk, precious metals, and spices. This was also the age of European colonization, where significant global events unfolded in a cascade: the enslavement of African people, the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and the massive wealth accrued for European people. In 1498, a Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama was the first to successfully travel around Africa to reach India. His success led to the Portuguese Empire: a merchant and trade dominance that Portugal had on ports around the Indian Ocean, often taken by force. Through their power, Portugal captured the spice trade from Venice, who had control over spices’ distribution through Europe prior to this time.
Following the Portuguese came the Spanish, the Dutch, the French, and the English, who all established major companies that removed power from the Middle East and decentralized spices completely, shifting the Indian Ocean’s control from local powers to European colonizers.
Eventually, the 18th and 19th century saw the collapse of English and Dutch companies that signified the end of the centralized trade of spice. Now, through globalization and excessive commodification, spices are easily accessible across the world. However, this widespread luxury is now built on a system that profits corporations and underpays workers severely. Often, spices are gathered from many smaller farms and sold under one corporation’s name. In this process, every intermediary merchant takes a cut, leading to farmers unfairly getting the short end of the stick. Spice farmers are underpaid and often don’t earn a living wage, with child labour being an issue in the industry. Economic insecurity from low wages leads to a high incentive for struggling farmers to use excessive pesticides for a reliable yield, increasing health risks for consumers and farmers themselves, as well as environmental concerns. Global warming already poses challenges for spice farmers in some regions, and will continue to amplify over time.
The main way for consumers to combat the unethical modern spice trade is to seek out sustainably sourced and organic spices. There is no perfect way to purchase spices in a fundamentally flawed system, but when everyone puts their money where their mouths are, the supply chain has financial incentive to focus on sustainable practices.
The history of spices is complex and global, and stands today as a powerful and problematic industry. Today’s societies may not consider spices a luxury, however, there is a newfound respect I have for these aromatic goods that comes from understanding the history of it all. Spices are not cheap today — however, if you consider what they used to be worth, modern prices pale in comparison.
Of all the times to be alive, we ended up in a time where you could make authentic chicken biryani in the home of a Canadian with a modest income.
That, in my eyes, is a modern miracle.
