HerbsA History of Herbs and SpicesIt 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. References to herbs and their use may be found in Chinese documents from as far back as 3000 B.C. Ancient Egyptian recipes on papyrus from the middle of the second millennium B.C. called for the use of herbs such as anise, mustard, caraway, coriander, mint, wormwood, cinnamon and saffron. The cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets prove that the Sumerians cultivated fennel, caraway, coriander, saffron and thyme in Mesopotamia and that way back in ancient times the Indians were already acquainted with the use of cardamom, turmeric, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon. 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. At first the various herbs and spices were known and used only in those places where they grew naturally in the wild. This applies not only to the tropical species from the Malabar Coast, but also to the aromatic herbs of the Mediterranean region as well as to the vanilla and red pepper of America. That is why in the days when there was still no means of communication between these distant lands, there is the emergence of distinctive native dishes that have remained characteristic for the given region to this day, even though the local cuisine is becoming increasingly more cosmopolitan with the spread of civilization. by Molly Allison Types of Herbs: |
