Shop with spices in Morocco

A typical kitchen shelf of spice in the USA.

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavoring, and sometimes as a preservative by killing or preventing the growth of harmful bacteria^[1]. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. Bark, also known as periderm is the outermost layer of stems and Roots of Woody plants such as Trees It overlays the Wood and consists Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance Alternate meanings Seasoning (cast iron; Seasoning (wood; Seasoning (slave Seasoning is the process of imparting or improving

Many of these substances are also used for other purposes, such as medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, perfumery or eating as vegetables. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions Perfume is a mixture of fragrant Essential oils and Aroma compounds Fixatives and Solvents used to give the human body animals objects and living The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however For example, turmeric is also used as a preservative; licorice as a medicine; garlic as a vegetable. Turmeric ( Curcuma longa) is a Rhizomatous Herbaceous Perennial plant of the Ginger family Zingiberaceae A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc Liquorice (UK or licorice (US (see spelling differences;, or) is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, from which a sweet flavour can be extracted Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Allium sativum L, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the Onion family Alliaceae. The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however In some cases they are referred to by different terms.

In the kitchen, spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes. A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a Food or other substance, and is determined Herbs, such as basil or oregano, may be used fresh, and are commonly chopped into smaller pieces. A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like Basil ( Ocimum basilicum) (ˈbeɪzəl or /ˈbæzəl/ of the Family Lamiaceae. Oregano or ( Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia Spices, however, are dried and often ground or grated into a powder. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are used both whole and in powder form.

Classification and types

See also: List of herbs and spices

Salt is a very common seasoning. This is a list of Culinary Herbs and Spices Specifically these are food or drink additives of mostly Botanical origin used in nutritionally insignificant Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants Alternate meanings Seasoning (cast iron; Seasoning (wood; Seasoning (slave Seasoning is the process of imparting or improving Because of its granular form, it is often mistakenly considered to be a spice. It is in fact a mineral product. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific

The basic classification of spices is as follows:

• Leaves and/or branches of aromatic plants; all or part of the plant can be used. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. A branch ( American English ˈbræntʃ British English ˈbrɑːntʃ or tree branch (sometimes referred to in Botany as a ramus Examples include basil, bay leaf, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme, oregano, chervil. Basil ( Ocimum basilicum) (ˈbeɪzəl or /ˈbæzəl/ of the Family Lamiaceae. Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) Greek Daphni, Romanian Foi de Dafin; is the aromatic leaf of several Species of the Laurel family ( Lauraceae Parsley ( Petroselinum crispum) is a bright Green, biennial Herb, also used as Spice. Rosemary ( la Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody perennial Herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. This article is about the Herb; for the Freedom Call CD see Taragon. Thyme (ˈtaɪm is a well known herb in common usage the name may refer to either the any or all members of the plant Genus Thymus, Oregano or ( Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia Chervil ( Anthriscus cerefolium) is a delicate annual Herb related to Parsley.
• Ripened fruits or seeds of plants. Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE French for "European IP Networks" is a forum open to all parties with an interest in the technical development of the Internet The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Examples include dill, fennel, coriander , fenugreek , berberis , mustard, and black pepper. Dill ( Anethum graveolens) is a short-lived perennial herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare) is a Plant Species in the Genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum) also commonly called cilantro, is an annual Herb in the family Apiaceae. Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Berberis ( Bér-be-ris, barberry, pepperidge bush) a Genus of about 450-500 species of Deciduous and Evergreen Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various Mustard plants The seeds are about 2 mm in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) is a flowering Vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its Fruit, which is usually dried
• Roots or bulbs of certain plants. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. A bulb is an underground vertical Shoot that has modified leaves (or thickened leaf bases that are used as Food Storage organs by Examples include garlic, onion, celery and ginger. Allium sativum L, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the Onion family Alliaceae. Organicsalsajpg||thumb|right|Onions used in salsa.]]Cooked onions in frying pan See also Wild celery Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae, and yielding celery and Celeriac Ginger is commonly used as a cooking spice throughout the world

Early history

The spice trade developed throughout the Middle East in around 2000 BC with cinnamon, Indonesian cinnamon and pepper. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) is a flowering Vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its Fruit, which is usually dried

A recent archaeological discovery suggests that the clove, indigenous to the Indonesian island of Ternate in the Maluku Islands, could have been introduced to the Middle East very early on. This article is about the Spice; for other meanings see Clove (disambiguation. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Ternate is an island and town in the Maluku Islands (Moluccas of eastern Indonesia, located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera. The Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands or simply Maluku) are an Archipelago The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Digs found a clove burnt onto the floor of a burned down kitchen in the Mesopotamian site of Terqa, in what is now modern-day Syria, dated to 1700 BC ^[2]. Terqa is the name of an ancient city discovered at the site of Tell Ashara on the banks of the middle Euphrates in Syria, approximately 80 km Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية

In the story of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to spice merchants. Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He In the biblical poem Song of Solomon, the male speaker compares his beloved to many forms of spices. Generally, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian and Mesopotamian sources do not refer to known spices. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding

In South Asia, nutmeg, which originates from the Banda Islands in the Moluccas, has a Sanskrit name. The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia The Banda Islands (Kepulauan Banda are a group of ten small volcanic Islands in the Banda Sea, about 140km south of Seram island and about 2000km east of The Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands or simply Maluku) are an Archipelago Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Sanskrit is the language of the sacred Hindu texts, this shows how old the usage of this spice is in this region. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Historians estimate that nutmeg was introduced to Europe in the 6th century BC ^[3].

The ancient Indian epic of Ramayana mentions cloves. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki In any case, it is known that the Romans had cloves in the 1st century AD because Pliny the Elder spoke of them in his writings. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author

Indonesian merchants went around China, India, the Middle East and the east coast of Africa. Merchants function as professionals who deal with Trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves in order to produce Profit. Arab merchants controlled the routes through the Middle East and India until Roman times with the discovery of new sea routes. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC This made the city of Alexandria in Egypt the main trading centre for spices because of its port. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

Middle Ages

"The Mullus" Harvesting pepper. Illustration from a French edition of The Travels of Marco Polo. The Travels of Marco Polo is the usual English title of Marco Polo 's travel book nicknamed Il Milione ( The Million

Spices were among the most luxurious products available in Europe in the Middle Ages, the most common being black pepper, cinnamon (and the cheaper alternative cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) is a flowering Vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its Fruit, which is usually dried Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia Ginger is commonly used as a cooking spice throughout the world This article is about the Spice; for other meanings see Clove (disambiguation. They were all imported from plantations in Asia and Africa, which made them extremely expensive. From the 8th until the 15th century, the Republic of Venice had the monopoly on spice trade with the Middle East, and along it with the neighboring Italian city-states. The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The trade made the region phenomenally rich. It has been estimated that around 1,000 tons of pepper and 1,000 tons of the other common spices were imported into Western Europe each year during the Late Middle Ages. Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (AD 1300–1499 The value of these goods was the equivalent of a yearly supply of grain for 1. 5 million people. ^[4] While pepper was the most common spice, the most exclusive was saffron, used as much for its vivid yellow-red color as for its flavor. Saffron ( Kurdish/Persian زَعْفَرَان is a Spice derived from the dried Stigma of the Flower of the saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus Spices that have now fallen into some obscurity include grains of paradise, a relative of cardamom which almost entirely replaced pepper in late medieval north French cooking, long pepper, mace, spikenard, galangal and cubeb. For the similarly-named Luso-Brazilian chili pepper see Malagueta pepper. The name cardamom (or cardamon is used for herbs within two genera of the Ginger family Zingiberaceae, namely Elettaria and Amomum Long pepper ( Piper longum) sometimes called Javanese Long Pepper, Indian Long Pepper or Indonesian Long Pepper, is a flowering The nutmegs Myristica are a Genus of Evergreen Trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia Spikenard ( Nardostachys grandiflora or Nardostachys jatamansi; also called nard, nardin,and muskroot) is a Flowering The Galangal plant or Blue Ginger is a Rhizome with culinary and medicinal uses (Thai Ka (ข่า Malay lengkuas (Alpinia galangal Traditional Mandarin Cubeb ( Piper cubeba) or tailed pepper, is a plant in Genus Piper, cultivated for its Fruit and Essential oil A popular modern-day misconception is that medieval cooks used liberal amounts of spices, particularly black pepper, merely to disguise the taste of spoiled meat. However, a medieval feast was as much a culinary event as it was a display of the host's vast resources and generosity, and as most nobles had a wide selection of fresh or preserved meats, fish or seafood to choose from, the use of ruinously expensive spices on cheap, rotting meat would have made little sense. ^[5]

Early modern period

The control of trade routes and the spice-producing regions were the main reasons that Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama sailed to India in 1499. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira ('vaʃku dɐ 'gɐmɐ ( Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Portugal, ca India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Spain and Portugal were not happy to pay the high price that Venice demanded for spices. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. At around the same time, Christopher Columbus returned from the New World, he described to investors the many new, and then unknown, spices available there. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. See Investor AB for the Swedish investment company An investor is any party that makes an Investment.

It was Afonso de Albuquerque (1453–1515) who allowed the Portuguese to take control of the sea routes to India. Dom Afonso de Albuquerque (or Afonso d'Albuquerque - disused (ɐˈfõsu dɨ aɫbuˈkɛɾk(ɨ (1453 Alhandra - Goa, December 16 1515 was a Portuguese In 1506, he took the island of Socotra in the mouth of the Red Sea and, in 1507, Ormuz in the Persian Gulf. Socotra or Soqotra ( Arabic سقطرى; Suquṭra) is a small Archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. Kingdom of Ormus (also known as Ohrmuzd, Hormuz, and Ohrmazd; Portuguese Ormuz) was a 10th to 17th century kingdom located The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the Since becoming the viceroy of the Indies, he took Goa in India in 1510, and Malacca on the Malay peninsula in 1511. A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the Monarch. The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term often used to refer to the islands of SE Asia, especially the Malay Archipelago Goa ( Konkani: गोंय /ɡɔ̃j/ is India 's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast The Portuguese could now trade directly with Siam, China and the Moluccas. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands or simply Maluku) are an Archipelago The Silk Road complemented the Portuguese sea routes, and brought the treasures of the Orient to Europe via Lisbon, including many spices. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal.

Common spice mixtures

• Berbere (Ethiopia and Eritrea)
• Colombo (paprika, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, star anise, cardamom, cloves, mustard grains, saffron)
• Curry powder (Indian-style, used in the West and Japan)
• Five bays
• Five-spice powder (China)
• Herbes de Provence (Southern France)
• Khmeli suneli (Georgia)
• Masalas, including garam masala (India)
• Old Bay Seasoning (United States)
• Panch phoron
• Poultry Seasoning (United States)
• Pumpkin pie spice (United States)
• Quatre épices (France)
• Ras el hanout (Middle East/North Africa)
• Shichimi togarashi (Japan)
• Za'atar (Middle East)
• Lora-Likes Spice (New Zealand)

Production

Further reading

• Turner, Jack (2004). India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Jack Charles Turner (born 1968 is a non-fiction writer and television documentary host Spice: The History of a Temptation. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40721-9.  
• Food Bacteria-Spice Survey Shows Why Some Cultures Like It Hot Quote: “. . . Garlic, onion, allspice and oregano, for example, were found to be the best all-around bacteria killers (they kill everything). . . Top 30 Spices with Antimicrobial Properties. . . ”
• August 18, 1998, Common Kitchen Spices Kill E. Coli O157:H7 Quote: “. . . The study is the first in the United States that looks at the effect of common spices on E. coli O157:H7. Previous studies have concluded spices kill other foodborne pathogens. “In the first part of our study, we tested 23 spices against E. coli O157:H7 in the laboratory,” Fung said. “We found that several spices are good at killing this strain of E. coli. ”. . . ”
• The Lure and Lore of Spices Quote: “If the appearance of spices were to reflect their real importance in the history of the world, the bottles of spices would be filled with bright glittery substances, diamonds, rubies, emeralds or gold would be appropriate. When you opened the bottle, a poof of vibrantly colored, mystically fragrant, magical smoke would slowly billow softly throughout the room. ”

Notes

Sources

• Adamson, Melitta Weiss (2004), Food in Medieval Times. ISBN 0-313-32147-7.
• Scully, Terence (1995), The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages. ISBN 0-85115-611-8.

See also

• List of herbs and spices
• List of Indian spices
• Spice trade
• Run (island): Seventeenth-century British-Dutch rivalry for a source of nutmeg, lead to the British exchanging this Indonesian island for Manhattan (New York)
• International Spicy Food Day

External links

• Enspicelopedia at McCormick. This is a list of Culinary Herbs and Spices Specifically these are food or drink additives of mostly Botanical origin used in nutritionally insignificant Indian spices includes a variety of Spices and Herbs grown across the Indian subcontinent. Spice trade is a commercial activity of ancient origin which involves the merchandising of Spices and Herbs. Run is one of the smallest Islands of the Banda Islands which are a part of Indonesia. com
• Tips on selecting, storing, and using spices at MyRecipes. com
• Spicy Food Recipes at Spicy-Food-Recipes. com