It was not long before the Romans learned about pepper from the Greeks and began to trade with India through the intermediary of the South Arabians (Yemenites). By the second century A.D., the Romans were no longer trading through an intermediary. Their ships sailed from Alexandria along the southeastern canal built by the Egyptian pharaohs not only to the Arabian reloading site Arabia Felix, but also as far as India.
Because of its geographical location Alexandria served as the main storage center for the precious herbs and spices, chiefly pepper, cinnamon and ginger, and it was there that the Romans collected duty on the imported goods. Because of their high price, trade in herbs and spices was engaged in only by the privileged and high-ranking families of Greece and Rome.
In the beginning herbs and spices provided a welcome variety to man's diet; later they became a cultural custom, and finally a necessity. India provides us with a graphic example of this development. In about 2000 B.C., rice was practically the sole food of the poor population of India's Malabar Coast. This region, however, was also the cradle of tropical herbs and so the natives soon learned to mix pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and coconut milk to make a yellow paste that gave the bland rice a piquant flavour. This mixture became the basis of the curry-powder we use today.
Translated from the old English it reads: 'Take good cow's milk and pour it in a pot. Take parsley, sage, hyssop, savory and other good herbs, add them to the milk and boil. Take roast capons, cut them into small pieces, and add strained honey. Add salt, saffron for colour, and serve.'
Among other things, it explains how to prepare roast peacock, fried apple blossom patties, herb salad, Hippocrates' wine and other medieval delicacies from the royal kitchens.
Venice had a monopoly on the profitable trade in herbs and spices until the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 which thus blocked the route to India. This resulted in the gradual decline of Venice's power, though the cost of herbs and spices continued to rise. Desire for the riches from eastern and southern Asia reached new heights following the introduction by Marco Polo, who had travelled extensively through China for 17 years and was the first European to see Indian pepper growing in its native habitat.
Because of its geographical location Alexandria served as the main storage center for the precious herbs and spices, chiefly pepper, cinnamon and ginger, and it was there that the Romans collected duty on the imported goods. Because of their high price, trade in herbs and spices was engaged in only by the privileged and high-ranking families of Greece and Rome.
In the beginning herbs and spices provided a welcome variety to man's diet; later they became a cultural custom, and finally a necessity. India provides us with a graphic example of this development. In about 2000 B.C., rice was practically the sole food of the poor population of India's Malabar Coast. This region, however, was also the cradle of tropical herbs and so the natives soon learned to mix pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and coconut milk to make a yellow paste that gave the bland rice a piquant flavour. This mixture became the basis of the curry-powder we use today.
Translated from the old English it reads: 'Take good cow's milk and pour it in a pot. Take parsley, sage, hyssop, savory and other good herbs, add them to the milk and boil. Take roast capons, cut them into small pieces, and add strained honey. Add salt, saffron for colour, and serve.'
Among other things, it explains how to prepare roast peacock, fried apple blossom patties, herb salad, Hippocrates' wine and other medieval delicacies from the royal kitchens.
Venice had a monopoly on the profitable trade in herbs and spices until the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 which thus blocked the route to India. This resulted in the gradual decline of Venice's power, though the cost of herbs and spices continued to rise. Desire for the riches from eastern and southern Asia reached new heights following the introduction by Marco Polo, who had travelled extensively through China for 17 years and was the first European to see Indian pepper growing in its native habitat.
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