The Role of Spices in History

Yummy! Spices make our recipes today taste wonderful. It is rare that you will find a recipe that does not call for one or more spices to be added. Spices have and continue to play an important role in human history. This article can only begin to touch on a few of the wonders of spices in their role in human history.

In Egyptian times spices were used when mummifying important pharaohs and other people. Spices were even left in the tombs for the dead person to take with them in the after life.

In Medieval times salt would be served on the table in huge blocks. The salt was set at the table closest to the richest guests. Poorer guests and servants would sit at the end of the table. The expression "Beneath the salt" came from this practice. Today salt is one of the most used spices.

Also, during Medieval times a huge market was set up for spices. The wealthy would pay huge sums of money to get hold of rare spices primarily from China. Ladies of the time were judged by what type of foods and how many spices she had when giving dinner parties. It has been found that the food in Medieval times was heavily spiced with pepper, clove, ginger, nutmeg and mace.

Spices have long played an important role in psychology. Scents such as lavender, saffron, chamomile, sage and others have been used to alter moods. Other spices are used to enhance memory in people. These traditions of using spices to help alter the mind were practiced during the Middle Ages and perhaps even earlier.

Clove became a very coveted spice. The power of clove was that it could be put in herbal teas and soups. It was also used for its supposed magical and healing powers. The Clove was so coveted that it was part of Christopher Columbus's expedition to during his exploration to find the new world.

Columbus and many people of his time believed that spices grew in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve had once been. There were many explorers and adventurers that desired these special spices so much that they went on missions to find the Garden of Eden and land filled with nothing but spices.