History of Spices

Spices were one of the most prized articles in ancient world. We find constant references of spices in hieroglyphics on the walls of the pyramids and ancient scriptures. Certain spices were worth so much, especially pepper that it was considered as currency. Some of the other prized spices were ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

What made spices so expensive was its rarity and the danger involved in procuring them. The trade routes of the spice traders were dangerous and full of perils. Ships braved the stormy seas, sailing from Egypt, through the Red Sea, along the coast of South Arabia, through the Persian Gulf and along the Indian coast. There was the constant danger of being attacked by pirates. The terrestrial spice routes were also present and were equally dangerous. However once they reached safe back home, the price the spices fetched compensated the risk involved in obtaining them. No matter which route was taken, they all passed through Cairo and it became the center of the Spice trade.

The spice trade was originally monopolized by the Arabs. They told fantastic tales of the land of spices and the dangers involved in gathering these precious commodities. As the demand for spices grew in Europe, so did the attempts at discovering these fabled lands. In 1271 a young Venetian, Marco Polo set out to discover these mystic lands. His 24-year, journey took him all over Asia and as far as China. This was the first step towards Europe’s entry into the spice trade with the East. With the arrival of Vasco de Gama in India in 1498, the Arab monopoly of the spice trade crumbled. What followed was a fight for dominance of the spice trade routes. The Spanish, Portuguese, British and Dutch empires were all part of this struggle for dominance.