Test tasks.
1. Henry the Navigator was a prince of which country?
a) Spain
b) Portugal
c) France
d) Germany
2. Henry the Navigator is famous for
a) made several long sea voyages in the Atlantic Ocean
b) founded the first nautical school in Europe
c) crossed the Mediterranean Sea and opened the sea route to Africa
d) discovered Greenland
3. Bartolomeu Dias first
a) reached India
b) from Europeans circled Africa
c) reached the coast of Africa
d) circumnavigated the world
4. In what year did Vasco da Gama reach the shores of India?
b) 1498
5. How many times did Vasco da Gama visit India?
at three o'clok
d) four
6. Which of the three proposed statements is correct?
a) Vasco da Gama was the first European to circumnavigate Africa and take his ships to the Indian Ocean.
b) India was considered the richest country in the medieval world.
c) The Age of Discovery lasted from the end of the 15th century to the first half of the 17th century.
Thematic workshop.
Read the text and answer the questions.
In Europe, goods from the East were highly valued: spices (cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg), pearls, fabrics, ivory, etc. They were brought from India. Arab merchants delivered them to the Mediterranean Sea.
But in the 13th century, on the way to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, the state of the Mamluks arose, and in the 14th century, in Asia Minor, the Ottoman Empire. These states imposed heavy taxes on caravans for transporting goods, and often simply robbed them.
The influx of goods from the East became less and less. Their prices in Western Europe have increased hundreds of times. Trade routes along the southern Russian steppes, bypassing the Caspian Sea, through Central and Central Asia, required a lot of time, were expensive and were far from safe.
A convenient sea route from Europe to the countries of the East was needed. The search for profitable sea routes to the East in the 15th century was started by Portugal. Along the way, sailors discovered the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands and the island of Madeira. These lands became their base for distant voyages. In 1445, the Portuguese reached the westernmost point of Africa - Cape Verde, opened the mouths of the Senegal and Gambia rivers. Before that, none of the Europeans had ever been here.
Portuguese navigators found that the further south, the more the coast of Africa deviates to the east. Maybe the mainland ends somewhere and is washed by the sea from the south? Then it would be possible to go around the land, get into the Indian Ocean, and go by ship to India and China and from there bring spices and other valuable goods to Europe by sea! The thought was breathtaking.
1. What spices were brought to Europe from India?
Cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg.
2. Name the sea, bay and peninsula that had to be crossed on the way from India to Europe.
Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Hindustan Peninsula.
3. Why was a sea route to India needed?
Christopher Columbus wanted to open a new and short route to India.
4. Who organized the voyages of Portuguese sailors to the coast of Africa?
First voyage - Bartolomeu Dias.
The next one is Vasco Da Gam.
5. Name the navigator who was the first to circumnavigate Africa.
Bartolomeu Dias.
Cartographic workshop.
Follow the map of the navigation of Vasco da Gama and name the geographical objects through which he passed.
1. Iberian Peninsula
2. Canary Islands
3. Cape Verde Islands
4. Gulf of Guinea
5. vpd.Livingston
6. Mozambique Strait
7. Somali peninsula
Apparently, spices were introduced into food by man much earlier than salt, since they were a more accessible (plant) material. I must say that at first the use of spices was associated exclusively with food, then some of them were used in religious and other rites, incense burning, as well as in embalming the dead, and, finally, in medicine.
In the most ancient civilizations of the East - in China, India, Egypt - the first mentions of spices are found about five thousand years ago. Calamus, for example, was known in Egypt in 3000 BC. e., and cinnamon is described in China in 2700 BC. e.
In Assyria and Babylon, in ancient Egypt and Phoenicia, we find not only the varied use of spices, but also an extremely high level of their consumption.
In ancient times, spices came to Egypt, Greece and Rome mainly from India and Ceylon. Spices of local origin - from Asia Minor and the Mediterranean - also found partial use.
The ancient Greeks, and especially the Romans, knew most of the exotic spices we now know, and, in addition, some now completely obsolete, such as nard and costa. From South Asia they received black pepper, peepul, cubeba, cinnamon, kinamon and cassia, cloves, ginger, from the Middle East - asafoetida, from Africa - myrrh and amomum, from Asia Minor - saffron, from the Mediterranean - bay leaf and libanotis (hyssop). ).
Caravans with spices, moving from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea through Arabia, as well as along the Tigris and Euphrates, flocked to the Phoenician city of Tire - on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from where they were taken by sea to all other cities of the Mediterranean.
After in 332 BC. e. Tire was captured by the troops of Alexander the Great, the center of the spice trade moved to Carthage, and then, in the middle of the 2nd century BC. e., to Alexandria, where he remained until the Romans established their dominance throughout the Mediterranean.
The acquisition of spices in ancient Rome was one of the most important items of expenditure, for they were highly valued. The Roman historian Pliny complained that up to 50 million sesterces (about 4 million gold rubles) are spent annually on exotic aromatic drugs and that these goods are sold in the markets of the Empire for 100 times their original cost.
However, despite this, none of the Roman merchants dared to independently go to distant lands for spices, and intermediary trade, profitable for eastern merchants, continued to flourish until the decline of the Roman Empire.
Nevertheless, even through intermediary trade, slave-owning Rome for several centuries accumulated from all over the world not only treasures in the form of gold, silver and precious stones, but also countless quantities of spices from Asia and Africa at that time. It is interesting that when the hordes of barbarians of the Visigoth king Alaric I attacked Rome in 408, they demanded as a tribute not only 5,000 pounds of gold, but also 3,000 pounds of pepper - as an even greater treasure!
In the early medieval years immediately following the collapse of the Roman Empire, when the handicraft and agriculture of Europe fell into decline, European countries had nothing to offer in exchange for the expensive goods of Eastern merchants, and the spice trade temporarily died out. Later, it resumed, but already in the new states that had developed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Byzantium became a monopoly in trade with the East, and its capital, Constantinople, challenged Alexandria for the title of the world center for the spice trade.
Spices were delivered to Byzantium by Arab merchants who dominated the East and the Mediterranean since the 7th century, when Muslim states occupied a vast area from India to Spain. The Arabs, who were skilful merchants, willingly made contact with Europeans, offering a wide range of spices. The place where the Arabs came into direct contact with the Europeans was the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, part of the spices from the Arabs came to the then Europe through the Spaniards. But the Spaniards did not acquire all the spices from the Arabs through peaceful trade. Some of them they simply conquered with weapons.
Already in the 10th century, the Spaniards, having ousted the Arabs from the territory of modern Catalonia and Murcia, borrowed from them the culture of one of the most valuable spices - saffron, and since then began to breed it on their own.
In the same way, in the 10th century, the Arabs brought the culture of orange from India to the Mediterranean, the zest of which has since been used as a spice.
In the middle of the XI century, the Seljuk Turks dealt a blow to the Arab civilization. At first they became full masters of Asia Minor, and in 1055 they captured Baghdad, the largest center of Arab culture and trade, and defeated the Byzantine army. The well-established trade of the East with Byzantium and Europe was completely disrupted.
Alarmed by the expansion of Turkish power in the Mediterranean, the states of Catholic Europe undertook the first crusade in 1096. Returning from the countries of the Middle East, the crusaders brought with them to Europe not only stolen jewelry, oriental fabrics, but also spices, valued no less. Among them were pepper and cinnamon, known since ancient times, and some new spices, such as nutmeg and nutmeg, which appeared in Europe only in the 12th century and were used for the first time as incense at the coronation of Emperor Henry IV.
The need for spices increased, and their scope expanded more and more.
You can even talk about some abuse of spices in the Middle Ages. The fact is that spices were used not only in the process of preparing hot food, but also for preparing huge batches of food for future use and even more widely in the manufacture of various drinks. After all, at that time Europe did not yet know tea, coffee and cocoa, so water flavored with spices or infused with them, as well as various honey infusions mixed with spices and flavored with spices, beer, mash and wine were widespread everyday drinks. In addition, as already noted, the cult use of spices in the abundance of churches and monasteries in medieval Europe, where there was nowhere for an apple to fall from counts, landgraves, margraves, barons, princes, dukes, electors, marquis and kings, was of no less importance. Add to this the widespread use of spices as the most effective medicines at that time, and you will understand why the problem of supplying them was considered very topical in the Middle Ages.
It was clear that a continuous supply of spices to Europe could only be achieved by organizing regular trade with the East. It was not easy to establish such a trade, since the old intermediary in the eastern trade, Byzantium, became more and more decrepit, and the Catholic Church forbade the Western merchants themselves to trade with "infidel" Muslims, threatening excommunication.
However, Venice - a new maritime trading power in the Mediterranean - persuaded Pope Innocent III, as an exception, to allow spice trade with Muslims. From the beginning of the 13th century, the right to trade them was divided between three Italian cities - the republics: Venice, Genoa and Pisa - until Venice became the sole capital of the spice trade in Europe in the 14th century.
The monopolization of the spice trade has led to the fact that the price of already expensive overseas drugs has risen so much that they have become almost inaccessible to the vast majority of the population of European countries. It is to this period that the emergence of the French proverb “as expensive as pepper” dates back, since pepper was valued at that time literally worth its weight in gold, or even higher. For a pound of nutmeg, for example, they gave three or four sheep or a cow.
So the exotic spices of Asia and Africa became the exclusive property of the upper classes - the nobility and the burgher patriciate. The peasantry and artisans are increasingly oriented towards local European spicy raw materials, searching for and finding among many European forest and field herbs, as well as among garden vegetables, spices similar in smell and taste to overseas spices. Garlic and onion have been found to replace asafoetida, dill and cumin - Indian iovan and so on. However, many spices turned out to be indispensable .. And among them in the first place - pepper, saffron, cinnamon. The last two were considered such a great value that saffron, for example, was forbidden to the Venetian doges as a gift as something too temptingly valuable, and cinnamon, on the contrary, was not ashamed to be presented as the most expensive gift to popes, kings, kings and emperors.
In the Middle Ages, spices, due to their high cost, often replaced gold in fines, indemnities and other payments. The Genoese in the XII century paid as a salary to hired soldiers - participants in the attack on Caesarea - 48 solidi (gold coins) and 2 pounds of pepper. And the townspeople of the French city of Beziers in the XIII century were obliged to pay a tax of 3 pounds of pepper for the murder of Viscount Roger.
It is also interesting that in France it was the spice merchants, and not the pharmacists, who were considered the most accurate people, which is why the protection of measures and weights until the Great French Revolution of 1789 was in the hands of the spice trade corporation. To obtain the right to trade in spices, in the XIV-XVI centuries, complex and lengthy preparation was required, and candidates for spice merchants were approved by the royal prosecutor himself.
The exclusive role of spices explained the rather frequent attempts to fake them. There were severe penalties for falsification. In France, for an attempt to falsify ground pepper for the first time, a fine of 1,000 Parisian livres (almost 60 kilograms of pure silver) was supposed, and in the second attempt - a complete confiscation of property, closure of trade and arrest. In Germany, for counterfeiting saffron, the counterfeiters were either burned or buried alive in the ground along with the counterfeit goods. Such radical measures to combat the counterfeiting of spices gave their results: falsification in Europe became a relatively rare occurrence and was possible only in retail sales, when ground spices were sold, and even then in these cases the admixture was of a partial nature.
In order to saturate the European market with spices, it was necessary to look for new ways to the countries where spices grew, and to import them into Europe without the mediation of Venice and the Arabs, who dominated the near and far routes to India.
The voyages of travelers seeking spices and gold - the Spaniards and the Portuguese - marked the end of the 15th - the beginning of the 16th century. Great geographical discoveries were made: a path was laid to the Indian Ocean around Africa, Central, South and North America were discovered, Magellan circumnavigated the world, and the Philippines, the Greater Sunda and Moluccas, and many other lands hitherto unknown to Europeans were discovered.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama, for the first time bypassing intermediaries in trade, brought pepper, cloves, cinnamon and ginger on his ships, and then, three years later, again organized a grandiose expedition that brought 2,000 tons of spices. This caused an unprecedented sensation in trade, and not only trade, circles in Europe.
It was obvious that the economic and political power of Venice would soon come to an end.
Moreover, the direct export of spices from Asian countries to Europe, bypassing the Arabs, caused irreparable damage to the entire system of Arab trade, which played a fatal role in the fate of many Arab states located on the traditional route from India to the Mediterranean. The center of the world trade in spices has moved to the Iberian Peninsula.
Portugal and Spain monopolized the world trade in spices, since they had the exclusive ability to regulate the flow of spices to the European market, having received the right to control the places of their growth, which the Arabs never did. In addition, new types of spices were in the hands of the Spaniards, completely unknown in Europe, since they grew only in America. These were vanilla, Jamaican (or: clove) pepper and red capsicums. Moreover, the newly discovered spices did not go beyond the borders of the countries-owners of overseas colonies for a long time. Vanilla, for example, was first brought to Spain in 1510 and was only discovered in England in 1807, when Spain's monopoly on trade with Mexico was broken by the Anglo-Spanish Wars. Jamaican pepper was first imported to Europe in 1601 and until the middle of the 18th century it was mainly delivered only to England and its countries, therefore, in other European countries, including Russia, it became known as English pepper.
The fate of red capsicum was different, which, despite its tropical origin, turned out to be not as heat-loving and not as whimsical as other cultures of spicy plants. Discovered by the Spaniards in the West Indies in 1494, red pepper already in 1542 appeared in southern Germany and Austria, in the ancestral lands of the Habsburgs, relatives of the Spanish kings, and spread there under the name of Spanish pepper. Having then penetrated into the countries of Southern Europe in the 17th century, mainly through Hungary and Croatia, which was part of the Austrian Empire, and soon “conquered” all the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, most of which was owned by Turkey at that time, red pepper “leaked” into Russia in the 18th century where it became known as Turkish pepper.
The strictly observed monopoly on spices, of course, could not lead to a significant reduction in prices for them after the great geographical discoveries (the only exception was black pepper). One can imagine how expensive spices were if Magellan's expedition, returning after a three-year voyage with only one ship out of five and having lost all its fortune during this journey, was able not only to repair the damage, but also to pay debts and even make a profit by selling spices that managed to be preserved on one - the only small ship. The trading companies that seized trade with the colonies in different countries, in particular the so-called East India companies, profited from the spice trade more than fabulously - their profit reached 2000-2500%!
In the 16th-17th centuries, it was difficult for Russia to obtain spices through Western European countries. Therefore, at that time, the ancient trade route from India and Iran through the Shamakhi Khanate and the Caspian Sea, through which pepper, cardamom and saffron were delivered to Moscow, was of particular importance. At the same time, a new trade route was being established from China through Mongolia and Siberia - not only to Russia, but also to Western Europe, the spices of Southeast Asia, which grow in territories not captured by Europeans, come through it. These spices were primarily star anise and galgant (galangal root), as well as Chinese cinnamon. Badyan received the name "Siberian anise" in Western Europe, since it was delivered to the West mainly by caravan route through Siberia.
Quite a lot of ginger was imported from China to Russia, which, along with pepper, was the most popular spice there.
Countries that had access to spices strictly guarded the secrets of their trade routes, often eliminated actual and potential competitors by military force, and established tight control over the territories where spices were mined.
The Dutch, who ousted the Portuguese from Ceylon in 1656, introduced a cinnamon tax for the local population: every man, starting from the age of 12, was obliged to hand over 28 kilograms of cinnamon annually. Then this quota was repeatedly increased until it reached a monstrous size - 303 kilograms. Such a tax, despite any repression, few people could pay.
In order to raise or at least maintain sufficiently high prices for spices and maintain a monopoly on their possession, European planters destroyed entire forests with spice trees, concentrating production
spices in one place. As early as 1512, the Portuguese localized the production of nutmeg on the island of Banda, the production of cloves on Amboin, and destroyed up to 60,000 nutmeg and clove trees on all other islands of the Moluccas archipelago. Then they introduced a strict tree limit on the said islands and imposed a ban on the export of seeds and cuttings of spice plants. The same policy was pursued by the Dutch, who expelled the Portuguese from the Moluccas in 1605. To monitor the maintenance of the limit of nutmeg trees and in order to pursue smuggling, the Dutch organized from time to time special punitive and control expeditions led by the governor of the archipelago. Usually aware of the approach of the punishers, the local population fled in advance into the jungle, deep into the islands, fearing reprisals, since the slightest suspicion of smuggling was enough to execute a person. In addition, if young shoots of nutmeg or carnation were found in any village, the entire population was robbed by Dutch soldiers, all sago and coconut palms - the only source of food for local residents - were mercilessly cut down, and the captured natives were killed or, at best, mercilessly. flogged and beaten with bamboo sticks. Only at the beginning of the 19th century, the Dutch zoologist Temmink irrefutably proved that the local population of the islands suffered completely in vain, since birds were “guilty” in the distribution of nutmeg and cloves seeds in the Moluccas: Asiatic pigeons, cassowaries and rhinoceros, in whose stomach these seeds are not digested, but only enhance their ability to germinate.
In order to limit the production of spices and artificially maintain high prices for nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon on the world market, the Dutch even went so far as to destroy already collected spices in warehouses from time to time. On a summer day in 1760, 8 million pounds (about 4,000 tons) of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon were burned in Amsterdam. Shocked eyewitnesses later told that a yellow cloud hung over the city for a long time, exuding a delicate aroma almost to the whole of Holland.
The struggle for monopoly often led to open rivalry between countries. Predatory raids were organized on spice plantations in foreign countries in order to steal seeds and seedlings. So, in 1769, the governor of the Mascarene Islands, which belonged to France, equipped a naval expedition to conquer ... cloves and nutmeg. After many unsuccessful attempts, the French finally succeeded in landing quietly in the Dutch possessions and stealing young plants and germinated seeds. Launched in pursuit of the French, the Dutch fleet could not catch up with the light French ships, and they not only safely delivered the cargo to Mascarenes, but also repeated this daring operation the following year.
The Dutch, in turn, undermined the monopoly of other countries on certain spices. At the end of the 18th century, when they had to cede Ceylon to England, they not only left there, but transferred the cultivation of Ceylon cinnamon to Java, Sumatra and Borneo. In 1819, they began breeding vanilla in Java, which Spain had until then maintained a monopoly.
And yet she refused to bear fruit, that is, to give the pods for which she is valued. The secret was that there were no insects in other tropical countries that pollinated vanilla in Mexico. It took a long time before they learned to pollinate vanilla artificially.
Almost the same thing happened with black pepper, which, being a creeper, did not want to grow and curl on the first stand that came across, but required a familiar tree. Before cultivating pepper, it was necessary to wait until a “stand” grew for it.
It took a lot of time and experience to cultivate spices and introduce them into culture. Among the British, for example, the nutmeg plantations in Penang at first almost half died due to ignorance of agricultural technology, and only forty years later they were restored and made profitable. Cloves and nutmeg, stolen by the French, did not want to grow on the Mascarenes, but they took root well on the island of Reunion. However, the carnation found its truly second home in English possessions - on Zanzibar and Pemba. And now it is Zanzibar (Tanzania) that provides almost 90% of the world's cloves production. While the Dutch (almost twenty years) tried to acclimatize vanilla in Java, the French made more successful experiments on the cultivation of the same vanilla in Madagascar and the island of Reunion and achieved its profitable production by the middle of the 50s of the 19th century. From here, vanilla came to the island of Mauritius, and then began to be cultivated in other island possessions of France (Tahiti, Fiji, Martinique, Guadeloupe, etc.).
By the end of the 19th century, all the main classical spices were cultivated mainly in the colonial possessions of England, France and Holland. Of the independent countries, China and Mexico remained major producers of spices.
The liquidation of the monopoly position of one or two powers in the world market of spices led, first of all, to a fall in prices for spices. But by the end of the 19th century, spices were not only more affordable, but also ceased to be a subject of special reverence. Along with the loss of their role in the economy and public life of states, the admiration and reverence that spices have been surrounded for many centuries has also disappeared. Moreover, some classic spices began to completely disappear from everyday use in the 20th century. There was a reduction in their range. Star anise and galgant were imported into Western Europe less and less often, the import and production of one of the most ancient spices - "grains of paradise" - sharply decreased.
The time of general industrialization demanded other values. Oil, iron ore, coal, tin, rubber, copper and other industrial raw materials have become such values on the world market. More profitable now were the production of wheat and meat, the cultivation of sugar cane, cocoa, coffee, and bananas. Export and import began only the most popular "mass" and therefore the most profitable spices, like black pepper.
Established national tastes played a significant role in this. For example, red pepper became almost the main distinguishing feature of the national cuisine of Hungarians, Romanians and South Slavs already in the 18th century. The use of incomparably more expensive black and Jamaican (allspice) pepper was just as widespread in England, France and other countries of Western Europe. Cinnamon has become a popular spice over time, essential in any confectionery industry.
A new impetus to the mass use of spices was given by the invention of canned food in the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the world production of spices is growing (now it reaches almost 100,000 tons) and their consumption by the canning industry in all countries is increasing. But, nevertheless, the fact remains that the use of spices in domestic life has undoubtedly decreased both in quantity and, especially, in assortment.
What is the mystery of the former meaning of spices, why they were so important for people's nutrition in the past and have been overshadowed in our everyday life? Let's try to explain it in the following way.
Firstly, the food of the people of the XIV-XVIII centuries was, as a rule, more monotonous than it is now. In areas where they were engaged in fishing, the population ate mainly fish, in pastoral areas - meat, in rice-growing areas - rice, and so on; there was no wide exchange of products and their transfer over long distances. In order to diversify food, it was necessary to diversify, first of all, the taste and smell of the same product. And this could only be achieved with the help of spices.
Secondly, in the past, the rural population - and it was the majority - did not have the opportunity to procure significant amounts of fodder for the winter for livestock, so the expansion of the herd was limited: every autumn they slaughtered all the "surplus" livestock and left only a minimum - for brood. As a result, immediately large quantities of meat had to be stored for six months or even a year before a new slaughter. Since there were no refrigerators, the meat was turned into corned beef or into the so-called “dry broths”, and the poultry into curtains, that is, it was preserved in a peculiar way (more precisely, it was preserved). And for this, spices were definitely needed. And a lot. And most importantly - diverse.
In the 20th century, substitutes for spices appeared - artificial spices and essences, like vanillin, which should and could be used much less than natural ones. Artificial spices, being much cheaper and more accessible, quickly spread in Germany and other countries, forced to import natural spices from abroad.
The emergence of new chemical medicines also had an impact on the reduction in the use of spices in everyday life. Previously, people always had at home a set of all kinds of spices, which, depending on the needs of the moment, could be used both as medicines and as food flavorings. But when spices, herbs and roots disappeared from the home pharmacy, giving way to portable and cheap synthetic products, and were no longer always at hand, they naturally became less and less used in the kitchen.
All this taken together seriously pushed spices aside from their former positions, especially when the urban population of industrial countries had ample opportunity to diversify their table with imported products.
In addition, in developed industrial countries, there has been a noticeable displacement of spices in the public catering network with its standardization of recipes by the widespread use of food products - products that do not require labor-intensive cooking methods and allow food to be reheated after short-term storage.
The two world wars and the difficult conditions of the post-war years caused great damage to international trade, and in particular to the spice trade.
And today, when the standard of living of our people has risen significantly, when trade exchanges with the countries of Asia and Africa are expanding more and more, when the import of exotic spices has been established, the unexpected happens: a new generation of buyers, who have actually not seen spices since the early 30s, discovered in bags and boxes with the inscriptions “cardamom”, “ginger, star anise”, ask each other and the sellers in surprise - what is it, what are they for?
In recent years, there has been a noticeable interest in still unknown food products. In this regard, it seems timely and appropriate to take a more serious and careful approach to the question of the real role that spices should play in the life of modern man and, above all, in our diet.
Spices are far from having exhausted their significance, and their glorious history is not yet over.
Perhaps a new and no less interesting page opens for her.
When it comes to spices, one immediately comes to mind the East, mysterious, bright, exotic, many-sided. It was there that spices originated around 5 millennia BC. Herbs and vegetables with spicy-spicy, bitter and sweet taste, tart aroma have firmly entered the culinary culture of different countries.
China, India, Egypt - these are the countries that opened the doors to the world of aromatic spices. The Romans and Greeks used spices imported from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Ceylon, India, and the Mediterranean.
Only in the 7th century did a large territory of Europe learn about flavoring additives thanks to well-established trade communications. Arab merchants brought spices to Constantinople, from where they were resold to European merchants by Byzantine merchants. Due to the difficulties of transportation, the participation of intermediaries, the cost of spicy substances was very high. You could get rich by selling them.
The period of the Great Geographical Discoveries and the time of colonial conquests expanded the "spicy" expansion. Europe learned about new types of spices. Cinnamon, cloves, coriander, black and red pepper, saffron, bay leaf, cardamom began to be used in large quantities.
Since the 16th century, spices have appeared in Rus'. Ginger, parsley, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, saffron were added to fish, meat, vegetable dishes, soups. Drinks were also seasoned with them: kvass, fruit drink, sbiten. Until the appearance of foreign spices, the inhabitants of Ancient Rus' used local herbs: horseradish, onion, garlic, mint, anise, dill.
In our time, it is no longer possible to surprise with spices. They are used in the food industry and in cooking, medicine and perfumery. The distribution area of spices is compatible with the world map. All countries are familiar with spices and use them in different amounts. The main suppliers of spices are India, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam. Iran and Syria specialize in zira and cumin, while Egypt, Morocco, Romania, Australia, Bulgaria and Russia export coriander.
About confusion in definitions
Scientists, researchers, cooks, and ordinary people are still confused in definitions. Spices are called spices, and spices are seasonings. It must be said that there is still no consensus. One thing is clear: spices are called fresh, as well as dried elements of plants. All other flavors (sugar, salt, vinegar, citric acid) obtained by artificial or synthetic means, as well as flavorings, are called spices and seasonings.
Russian "spice" is formed from the word "pepper" (feathery - peppery). The word “gingerbread” also came from here, since up to 7 spices were added and are being added to the gingerbread dough.
The spice is based on the English “spice”, which is based on the Latin “species” (translated as “brilliant, prominent, inspiring respect”).
Spices are parts of plants (root, rhizome, stem, bark, leaves, inflorescences, seeds, fruits) pungent and fragrant in taste, smell, for example, vanilla, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, horseradish, celery, parsnip, mustard, mint , lemon balm, basil and others. They have a burning, pungent or bitter taste, which either emphasize the taste of the dish being prepared, or completely change it. In addition, spices give the products a special flavor, a certain texture. Aromatic additives are also valued for their antibacterial, tonic properties.
Spices are a set of universal, popular food additives that give food a certain taste: salty, sweet, spicy. As spices are pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar, alcohol.
Seasonings can be called any spices, spices, flavorings. This also includes sauces, oils, dry mixes, ketchup, mayonnaise. The main criterion by which seasonings are distinguished is their independence. Seasonings are not just as an addition, they can be used as separate products, to be an integral part of the dish.
Of course, the boundaries between "spices", "spices" and "seasonings" are too shaky, and confusion cannot be avoided. However, we have brought a small share of clarity. Seasoning is a broad concept that includes spices and spices. And spices are partly part of spices.
From the substitution of concepts, the essence, of course, does not change. Whatever we call spices, they will not lose their piquant taste and exquisite aroma. A real hostess will never refuse jars and bags of seasonings in her kitchen. Cook with love!
It is very popular in almost all countries of the world. This is not surprising, since Indian dishes are distinguished by a special, unlike anything taste. One of the hallmarks of Indian cuisine are seasonings that can enhance the taste of almost any dish.
Indian spices have been valued at all times. At one time in Europe, they cost crazy money, and many kings supplied entire expeditions to India in order to bring these wonderful spices to the west. At one time, for Europeans, their taste was so new and unexpected that a lot of money was given for them.
Masala is one of the most popular Indian spice mixes, it does not have a clear recipe, so it can be used in various dishes and have a different composition. It is traditionally used both in India and in the countries of Southeast Asia.
Masala is used in Indian salads, appetizers, along with rice, fish, as well as fruits, tea and pastries. Masala seasoning is different for cooking and. The market price in Goa is 50 rupees per 100 g.
Turmeric
This spice has a bright yellow color. Turmeric belongs to ginger and grows in almost all parts of India. The plant that became the source of this spice is called long turmeric, and the spice itself is made from its roots.
Most often, turmeric is used in Kashmiri cuisine, it can give any dish not only a special taste and aroma, but also affect its color. One of the main components of the well-known curry seasoning is turmeric.
Used in dishes: curry, biryani pilaf, chapati, pakora, vegan tandoori, alu gobi, khichari from mung bean sprouts, etc.
mustard seeds
Well, who does not know about such a beloved and already dear to many of us mustard. Not everyone knows, but she is also of Indian origin. Seeds are collected from a herbaceous plant and initially they do not have any taste at all. Only after roasting mustard seeds acquire their unique taste and aroma.
Mustard is used not only in Indian cuisine. Many European dishes, including Slavic dishes, also actively use this wonderful seasoning. It goes especially well with meat. Mustard is also included in mayonnaise.
Used in dishes: fish and potato curry, pea soup, Bengali eggs, Indian pickles, vegetable cutlets, shrimp dhansak, Achar gosht, cottage cheese rice, etc.
Herbs and spices on a market in India
coriander seeds
Coriander is one of the most commonly used spices in Indian cuisine. In the manufacture of this spice, coriander seeds may or may not be burned, it all depends on the preparation method.
Most often, coriander is used in bean dishes, with various soups and sambar, and coriander is also often used in conjunction with curries.
Used in dishes: chicken and beef curry, battered pumpkin, mint chutney, biryani pilaf, Alu Methi, Dimer Dalna, etc.
cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon is one of the most popular sweet spices in the world. Essentially, cinnamon is the dried bark of the Cinnamomum Verum tree.
Cinnamon is very popular not only in Indian cuisine, but also in many European dishes. It is especially actively used in the confectionery industry. All kinds of pastries, cakes and much more with the use of cinnamon becomes much tastier and more aromatic. Also, tea and some other drinks are often drunk with cinnamon. In India, almost every cafe can bring you tea, where there will be a whole cinnamon stick in a glass: very unusual and tasty.
Used in dishes: chicken korma, cherry chutney, lentils with spinach, dhansak, Indian cutlets, chicken masala, masala chai, etc.
star anise
It is the dried fruit of an evergreen plant from India called star anise. The plant grows not only in India, but throughout Southeast Asia. The spice itself has a yellow-brown color, and also has a very strong aroma.
In most cases, star anise is used in the confectionery industry, it is used in baking pies, making cakes and cakes, and it is also great for puddings, cookies, jams and many other confectionery products.
Tamarind
Tamarind paste is made from the fruit of a certain type of tree. Initially, such trees grew only in Africa and Madagascar, however, for several thousand years they have been actively cultivated in India, where there are very favorable conditions for them.
Tamarind is a spice that is widely known in many tropical countries. It is actively used in a variety of dishes, has a sour taste, and is often used in conjunction with rice.
Used in dishes: fish curries, spicy soups and rice dishes.
Saffron
Don't fall, but saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It is made from the dried flowers of the Saffron plant. The cost of one kilogram of saffron reaches about 2 thousand dollars. Such a high price of this spice is explained by the fact that the process of its cultivation is extremely time-consuming. The spice is obtained from the stigmas of a saffron flower, one flower gives only three stigmas, so to make 1 kilogram of such a spice, it is necessary to process about 200 flowers.
Saffron gives dishes a golden yellow color. It is used in soups, pilaf and many other Indian dishes. One of the features of this spice is that in large quantities it is deadly poisonous to humans, so saffron should be used in small quantities.
Used in dishes: jalebi, Indian kheer, saffron plov, milkshakes, Sabji (vegetable curry), etc.
Black and green cardamom
One of the hallmarks of cardamom is its pungent, smoky flavor, which has made it very popular in Indian cuisine. Cardamom is made from the dried fruit of the cardamom tree. The Queen of Spices is what people called it because of its incredible aroma and taste. Cardamom grows best in western India, where it is most cultivated.
Cardamom is actively used both independently in various Indian dishes and as part of other spices. For example, cooking curry dishes is simply impossible without the use of cardamom. Also actively used and cardamom oil, which is part of many Indian drinks. It is also customary to use cardamom oil in perfumery, due to its exquisite aroma.
Used in dishes: fruity apple salads, korma, dhansak, Indian biryani, ladu, tea and coffee, etc.
Nutmeg flower and walnut
Produced from the fruits of trees belonging to the Muscat family.
It is actively used in baking and in the confectionery industry. Muscat is also used to season meat dishes in Indian cuisine.
Used in dishes: lassi, cherry chutney, masala chai, halava, etc.
Carnation. Dried, unopened cloves are among the oldest known spices. Homeland - Indonesia. In China and India it was known long before our era. Most cultivated in Madagascar, Zanzibar, the Moluccas, India, Sri Lanka and Guinea. In ancient Roman times, cloves were valued even higher than gold. Came to Europe through Ceylon. The clove tree reaches a height of 10-20 m. It blooms twice a year. The flowers are white, with a purple calyx. Cloves are obtained from buds that are harvested when they begin to turn red. Dried in the sun or in dryers, while they become brown. The main component of cloves is essential oil. In dentistry, clove oil has been used as a good antiseptic. Cloves have a strong peculiar aroma and spicy pungent taste. It is used as a spice and medicine. It is used for the preparation of bitter stomach liqueurs, hot drinks with wine, punches and compotes, for dishes from red cabbage, pork, lamb, game, in dark meat sauces, when pickling herring, in mushrooms, in meat aspic. Together with onions and kohlrabi leaves, it improves the taste of sauerkraut.
Black pepper is the best known and most commonly used. His homeland is India. It is also described in Sanskrit. The plant is a climbing shrub up to 15 m tall. After the end of flowering, round fruits grow; at first they are green, then they turn yellow or red. Grown in Sri Lanka, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Brazil. Grows on tall rods like hops. Begins to bear fruit after three years. Harvested when the fruits begin to turn red, and dried in the sun. During the drying process, the fruits turn black. A good spice should be not only spicy, but also fragrant. The spiciness of pepper depends on the content of piperine. Black pepper aids in digestion. Used for soups, gravies, sauces, vegetable salads, marinades, for cooking all types of meat, game, beans, peas, lentils, cheeses, fish and canning vegetables.
Cinnamon. It is obtained from the inner part of the Ceylon cinnamon bark. His homeland is Ceylon, Brazil, Java. It is cultivated in China, in Borneo, Sumatra, Mauritius, in almost the entire tropical region of Asia. About the use of cinnamon as early as 2800 BC. the book about the plants of Emperor Shen-Nung-Kwai testifies. Ceylon cinnamon reaches a height of 6–12 m. It is cultivated on moist soils. Cinnamon is prepared from the bark of young shoots of cinnamon, which has been growing for several years. After two years, the leaves are removed from them, cut into pieces 20 cm long, the bark is removed, dried in the sun and sorted. During the drying process, cinnamon acquires its yellow-brown color. The edges wrap inward, and so-called double tubes appear. Cinnamon promotes digestion, stimulates appetite and strengthens the stomach. It has a strong peculiar aroma, sharp, spicy sweetish taste. In our cuisine, it is used in all dishes where there is sugar: fruit soups, casseroles, compotes, kissels, puddings, pies, baked apples, liqueurs, grogs, punches, hot wine and sweets of all kinds. Also in poultry dishes. Many people like cinnamon in coffee.
