Smells of the New World!

A Short History of Spice Trading

Spices and Herbs have played a

huge role our in history

-Now a days you can buy spices from around the world everywhere-EVEN WAL-MART!

-In early history they were RARE and PRECIOUS products; spices could be used for medicines, perfumes, and even flavorings!

3000 BC to 200 BCArabs Trade Spices and herbs among early civilzations

200BC1200AD

•For 1000 years, the Romans control the Trade! Big Surprise, they kind of controlled everything for a while-Duh!

•Romans would sail from Rome to Egypt to India—it took 2 years!!!

•Spices that Romans sought included Nutmeg, Cinammon, Pepper, Cloves, and Ginger

•Spices were only available to the upper class

•In 410, Rome is ransomed to Goths for gold and 30,000 lbs. of peppercorn-Achoo!

•Spice use and trading in Europe declined after the fall of the Roman Empire

12001500Europeans explore

passages to the East Indies

Demand for spices raises as culture develops

World’s most valuable spices come from India, China, and Indonesian islands

Europeans traded with these countries but sent out explorers to look for different routes and spices

The Silk Road

13th Century:Marco Polo

Portugese and Spanish say the Italians are too pricy so they decide to send out their own explorers

-Explores Europe and establishes Venice most

important trade port till about 1498

1497: Vasco De Gamma

Returned with Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Jewels, and deals with Indian Princes and the PortugueseSail’s around Africa’s Cape of

Good Hope to Calcutta, IndiaThat’s right, I’m Awesome!

1492: Christopher Columbus

Lands in the Americas while looking for the “Spice Islands”

Doesn’t find them, but does bring back Allspice, Vanilla, and Red Peppers to his Spanish Fans

My Fans in

Spain Love me,

but didn’t hook

me up with a

holiday!

The 15th to the 17th Centuries

Wars for the Control of the Spices Breakout

Spain, Portugal, England, and Holland fight for Control

1519: Ferdinand Magellan

Spain sends him west around the world

Died in the Philippines, and lost 4 of 5 ships

But ship #5 makes it back with tons of pepper and other spices-trip is deemed a financial success!

I tell you, the world is as

round as my belly after

eating a dozen donuts!

16th Century: The Dutch Take Over

Key Years where the Dutch Kicked some

Tooshie! 1641-They Conquer Malacca

1658-They take control of the cinnamon trade in Ceylon Think about all the Atomic Fireballs they could make!

1663-They establish exclusive rights to trade pepper with India Spicy!

By end of the 17th century, the dutch are the controllers of Asian Spices

The End of the 17th Century:

France vs. Holland

Prices fall for the Dutch so they resort to sneaky tactics:

-Burn down some cinnamon and clove trees; soak nutmeg in “milk of lime” so new seeds

won’t grow

-French become powerhouse and steal a bunch of stuff from

the Dutch and plant it themselves; cloves, cinnamon,

and nutmeg

16th to 18th CenturyEnglish Exploration Begins

1600-Elizabeth I chartered British East India Company and takes over Mr. Sadana’s motherland!

I think I’m going

to go down under!

1780-England vs. Holland- English take over all spice trading centers by 1799!

17th to 20th Century: Viva Americana!

Americans enter the Spice Race in 1672