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What spices did the Western Europeans want to get?

What spices did the Western Europeans want to get?

The trade in spices lessened after the fall of the Roman Empire, but demand for ginger, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg revived the trade in later centuries.

What were the most valued spices in Europe?

More than half of all medieval English and French recipes call for saffron, the most costly of all medieval and modern spices (or herbs).

What spices did Europe have?

Merchants procured a wide range of spices for consumers, including pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove, and saffron, as well as the now-obscure spices like grains of paradise and spikenard. Sugar was also used as a spice during the Middle Ages. Spices again became revered luxury items and status symbols across Europe.

What were 3 uses of spices for Europeans?

Spices were used to camouflage bad flavors and odors, and for their health benefits. Spiced wines were also popular. European apothecaries used Asian spices (such as ginger, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron, and cardamom) as well as garden herbs in their remedies and elixirs.

What did Europe want from India?

The Europeans came to India to trade for sugar, tea, cotton, ginger, pepper, and other spices, a blue dye called indigo, and jute.

Who brought spices to Europe?

Under the command of Pedro Álvares Cabral, a Portuguese expedition was the first to bring spices from India to Europe by way of the Cape of Good Hope in 1501. Portugal went on to dominate the naval trading routes through much of the 16th century.

Which country is rich in spices?

India is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices; the country produces about 75 of the 109 varieties listed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and accounts for half of the global trading in spices.

Which is the most costly of all spices?

Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. Its price ranges from 15,000 euro to 30,000 euros per kilo, depending on the quality. Why is saffron so expensive? That’s because harvesting saffron is very labor intensive: one kilo of saffron requires 250,000 purple crocus flowers and more than 600 hours of labor.

Why were spices so expensive in Europe?

Because Europeans conquer many parts of the world, spices had been found from the homeland, and brought back to Europe. It was expensive because Italy and Egypt controlled the trade routes make spices cost more.

Do any spices come from Europe?

Parsley is the most popular dried herb, but European production also includes basil, bay leaves, celery leaves, chives, coriander, dill tips, chervil, fennel, juniper, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savoury, tarragon and thyme.

Why were spices an important part of European life?

In the Middle Ages, Europeans lacked refrigeration and general hygiene, leading to food spoiling quickly. Spices were so important because they helped mask the flavor of not-so-fresh food.

What is the oldest spice?

A tropical plant native to India, peppercorn is thought to be one of the world’s oldest spices. Individual peppercorns are picked when they’re at their most red (and most mature) and boiled—that’s what turns them dark. They’re then dried and ground.

Where did most of the spices in Europe come from?

The spice supplier for most of the countries in Europe was India. Pepper originated out off Cochin and the Malabar Coast, cinnamon and cardamom were native to Ceylon, and cloves were grown in the coast of the Bay of Bengal. (See Kerala and The God of Small Things)

What was the use of spices in the Renaissance?

Spice Consumption in Europe during the Renaissance. People in the Renaissance found many uses for spices and the spice trade was basic to the Renaissance economy. Pepper was used to preserve and to flavor spoiled meat. Cloves and cinnamon were used as substitutes for cleanliness and ventilation.

Where did the spice trade take place in history?

The spice trade refers to the trade between historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and turmeric were known and used in antiquity for commerce in the Eastern World.

Why was the spice trade important to the Ottoman Empire?

Spice trade. Jump to navigation Jump to search. The economically important Silk Road (red) and spice trade routes (blue) blocked by the Ottoman Empire c. 1453 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire, spurring exploration motivated initially by the finding of a sea route around Africa and triggering the Age of Discovery.