In this part . . .
**IN a DROPCAP** Chapter 1
A Spicy Tale
In This Chapter
Finding out what spices are
Getting a bird’s eye view of the history of the spices
Discovering a few nonculinary uses of spices
E xotic, fragrant, inviting, alluring, delicate, sultry, delicious, flavorful — these are some of the words that you may associate with spices. Widespread travel and migration have exposed us to a variety of cultures and their respective cuisines. We’ve discovered the culinary secrets of how different people cook with once precious spices. Yet, these now commonplace ingredients have a spicy past. This chapter presents their story in brief.
Spicy Definitions
Sometimes you may wonder if a particular substance is an herb or a spice. It’s not always an easy question to answer. Spices are seeds, fruit, berries, bark, roots, and Rhizomes (an underground stem that produces knobby roots) of plants. For example, cloves are buds; allspice and peppercorns are berries; chile peppers are fruit; cardamom and cumin are seeds; ginger and turmeric are Rhizomes; cinnamon is a bark. Sometimes a single plant provides both an herb and a spice. Take coriander, for example. The spice coriander is the seed of the plant that brings us the pungent leaves cilantro that are considered an herb. But there are a few tricks to help you distinguish between spices and herbs, both of which are generally found in the “spice” section of supermarkets.
Generally speaking, spices grow in the tropics and don’t thrive in a home patio garden. Herbs, however, can be successfully grown at home in pots or in the ground. Thyme, oregano, and basil are herbs, whereas cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla are spices. There are some gray areas. Chiles, members of the capsicum family, are peppers that can be successfully grown at home or in the tropics and are considered a spice.
Cinnamon was burned as an incense along with sandalwood and myrrh in ancient religious ceremonies and rites.
Exploring the Use of Spices
Today, spices are taken for granted. Their relatively inexpensive price and widespread availability is a fact of modern life. We now see them as a source of pleasure, one that tantalizes our palates and enlivens our sense of smell. We use them liberally in food, perfume, extracts, alcohol, medicines, candles, and incense. Yet it wasn’t so long ago that spices were such a valuable commodity in the West that only nobility and the very rich could afford them. Spices were a form of currency that were given as gifts to kings in the Middle East and in Europe and used as a form of payment for taxes and debt in England and Rome. The wealthy cooked with spices not only for taste, but also as a means to display their financial success. Spices were a symbol of honor and power.
Cloves were an ingredient in Greek, Roman, and Arabic love potions.
Today spices are mainly used for fragrance and taste. You’ll find them in a range of products (perfumes, soaps, remedies, lotions, potpourri, scented oils, aromatherapy products, and candles, among others), but their primary use is in cooking and baking. Spices can be prime players in nearly every kind of dish — sauces, soups, stews, meatloaf, burgers, one-pot meals, dips, marinades, spice rubs and blends such as curry powder, barbecues, bread, desserts, and beverages. Sometimes only a single spice is featured, such as pepper in the classic French dish Steak au Poivre (Chapter 14). Most often, however, spices are combined to provide layers of flavor, like in dishes such as Beef and Bean Chili (Chapter 14) and Tandoori Chicken Cutlets (Chapter 13). From breakfast breads, such as Cinnamon Coffee Cake (Chapter 18) to the fancy dessert coffee New Orleans Café Brulot (Chapter 19), modern cooks and diners enjoy spices in a variety of dishes that are served throughout the day.
A Little Spicy History
Throughout the centuries, spices have played an important role in the economies of many nations. Most spices originated in the East — India, the Spice Islands (now known as the Moluccas, a part of Indonesia), and the Malaysian archipelago. Spices made their way westward via land on camel caravans through what is now the Middle East. Routes also took spices through northern and eastern Africa. The first written chronicle to confirm that Middle Eastern merchants controlled the flow of spices is the Bible. In the Bible, it’s said that King Solomon derived much of his wealth from the spice trade and through the gifts of spices that he received. The Queen of Sheba brought King Solomon presents, including spices, in an effort to prevent any threat to the trade routes that she ruled.
Middle Eastern traders maintained their monopoly for centuries. Throughout the region, spices were sold in large open-air bazaars. Tales of danger and death — that spices grew in snake-infested forests, for example — circulated to prevent customers and fortune seekers from heading to the East on their own.
Even today, the custom of selling spices in bulk in outdoor and indoor spice bazaars continues in India, Indonesia, Africa, and the Middle East.
During the Roman Empire, the Romans, aided by their powerful sailing fleet, fought Middle Eastern traders for control of the spice trade. The Romans were the next power to acquire dominance and maintained control of the spice trade until the fall of their empire. A limited amount of spices were grown in European monasteries after the fall of Rome and the Arabic world regained its former stature in the spice trade. Along came the crusades to the Middle Eastand the European interest in spices was revived. Caravans returned to Europe with silks, jewels, and spices.
In the thirteenth century, Marco Polo, the son of a jewel merchant, traveled east to China. His book detailing his adventures included accounts of the groves of spices that he saw. His chronicle caused others to set sail in search of the treasures in the East. Genoa and Venice gained control of the trade routes to the East and of the commodities of the East, including spices. It was during this century that spices were first used by the middle classes. Figure 1-1 shows the old spice route.
Spices weren’t just for cooking. They were used in place of money for rent payments and governments began to tax them. As European powers parried for economic dominance, spices became a much sought-after commodity. An ounce of cardamom was a common laborer’s annual wage; a sheep was valued at five ounces of mace.
Spices’ nonculinary uses include perfumes, traditional medicines, and dyes. Ginger, for example, has been prescribed as a digestive aid, and cloves were used as a soothing agent for toothaches.
| Figure 1-1: The spice route. | |
Voyages to the East were difficult. Pirates, hijackings, and tempestuous storms were all threats, but the prospect of huge profits was a strong motivator....
