M. Żuchowska, R. Żukowski "More Precious than Gold. Spices from the Edges of the World in the Mediterranean Kitchen in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantine Times" (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Roman and Islamic spice trade: new archaeological evidence
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 167: 54-63, 2015
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Tropical spices have long been utilized in traditional medicine and cuisine. New archaeological evidence highlights temporal changes in the nature and scale of the ancient spice trade and in the ancient usage of these plants. Furthermore, a study of their ‘materiality’ highlights that the impact of spices extends beyond their material properties. Here the botanical remains of spices recovered from archaeological excavations at a port active in the Roman and medieval Islamic spice trade are evaluated. Materials and methods: Recent excavations at Quseir al-Qadim, an ancient port located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, have provided new evidence for the spice trade. Due to the arid conditions ancient botanical remains were preserved in abundance and these included spices, as well as a wide range of other food plants. Quseir al-Qadim was active as a transport hub during both the Roman and Islamic periods (ca. AD 1–250, known as Myos Hormos, and again during ca. AD 1050–1500, known as Kusayr), and the remains thus facilitate a study of temporal change in the trade and usage of these spices. Standard archaeobotanical methods were used to recover, identify and analyse these remains. Results: At least seven tropical spices were recovered from the excavations, as well as several other tropical imports, including black pepper (Piper nigrum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), turmeric (Curcuma sp.), fagara (cf. Tetradium ruticarpum), myrobalan (Terminalia bellirica and T. chebula) and betelnut (Areca catechu). A marked contrast between the two chronological periods in the range of spices recovered points to changes in the nature and scale of the trade between the Roman and medieval Islamic periods, while differences in the contexts from which they were recovered help to identify temporal changes in the way in which the spices were utilized during those periods. Conclusion: Archaeological and textual evidence suggest that in antiquity spices were used in ritual (funeral rites, offerings), in perfumery, and in medicinal remedies, with black pepper the only tropical spice regularly employed in cuisine. By the medieval period the culinary role of spices had grown significantly, both in the Middle East and in Europe, while retaining their importance in medicinal applications. In both time periods they were luxuries available only to the upper strata of society, but the material properties of spices and their elite status made them desirable to a wider section of society. In their pursuit of spices people became entangled in a meshwork of relationships, altered social realities and political power struggles. Globalization is one such entanglement, highlighting that the potency of spices goes far beyond their ability to stimulate our taste buds, delight our sense of smell and cure our ailments.
ON THE BEGINNINGS OF SOUTH ASIAN SPICE TRADE WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION: A REVIEW
When did the trade in lucrative spices from South Asia to the West commence? Recent organic residue analyses performed on small early Iron Age (11th–late 10th century BCE) Phoenician clay flasks provide the first concrete archaeological evidence that such sustainable trade took place much earlier than hitherto suspected. The analysis shows that several of the flasks contained cinnamon, which in this period could only have originated in South/Southeast Asia. Here, we first summarize the rationale and results of that study. Subsequently, we provide an updated review of all sources of data relevant to the question at hand—archaeological, analytical, and textual. Finally, we offer suggestions for future research on the Asian spice trade with the West.
Spice and Taste in the Culinary World of the Early Modern Mediterranean
Silk Roads From Local Realities to Global Narratives, 2020
The importance of spices in the medieval diet, and society more broadly, is well known and has been the subject of a rich body of scholarly work. The place of spices in the early modern diet, in contrast, has attracted much less attention. According to the prevailing narrative, beginning in the sixteenth century the “spicy” middle ages were supplanted by a shift toward more subtle flavorings produced by indigenous European herbs, rather than exotic eastern spices. While foodways are in constant flux, and there were undoubtedly significant changes in the early modern era, the movement away from spices was gradual and not universal. An examination of cuisine in the early modern Mediterranean provides ample evidence of the persistence of spice usage, even as foodways in this period experienced important changes as a result of the introduction of new foods and flavors from both the new and the old worlds.
The mystification of spices in the western tradition
The oriental spices that so dazzlingly performed in the early modern economy were mysti ed in the sense that, from being rare, valuable and of as yet unspeci ed provenance, these objects were raised within the western phenomenological scheme beyond the commonplace and ascribed marvellous properties. This was part of the mysti cation of the East, a time-worn conception of western society inherited from the rst expeditions of Alexander the Great, which created an enduring and formative legend of oriental luxury, abundance, and exuberance that the medieval penchant for marvels (Mirabilia) conveniently appropriated. Spices too were mysti ed through the medium of biblical literature and speci cally through associations with the terrestrial paradise, which was a place much debated by cosmographers until the seventeenth century. This paper concentrates on the process of mysti cation rather than its projection, and suggests that it constituted a self-conscious aesthetic-if held within certain imaginative bounds-even when confronted by empirical knowledge. I conclude with a critical discussion of quite how marvellous the marvellous must have seemed to its audience, and posit it somewhere between the mythical and legendary horizons of that society.
Cinnamon, Cassia, and Ancient Trade
Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, 4.1 (2017): 5-18.
There is a widespread assumption that ancient “cinnamon” and “cassia” were the same as the spices now known by those names. It is argued here that this is not the case, but that the “cinnamon” and “cassia” of ancient writers very probably came from plants native to northeast Africa, as several early writers actually state. Their principal source is identified as Cassia abbreviata. It is also argued that alleged identifications of cinnamon or cassia at archaeological sites in the Mediterranean region are questionable. Cinnamon and cassia did not figure in Southeast Asian and Chinese trade at an early period. There is no good reason to believe that these products were traded to the western Indian Ocean and beyond at any very early date.
Spice Consumption in Late Medieval Florence: the Accounts of the Mensa della Signoria (1344-1345)
A banchetto con gli amici. Scritti per Massimo Montanari, 2021
The cultural turn taken by food studies in the early 1980s greatly developed the rich imaginary dimension of spices to the detriment of its actual consumption, other than in cookbooks. The present article examines this latter aspect in an attempt to right what seems to be a prevailingly cultural approach to the subject. In the process of examining the consumption patterns of a well defined social group it is also possible to determine little known retail prices that reveal the surprisingly contained cost of spices compared to the salaries of working men. These results suggest the need to reconsider the widely held idea that spices were only available to the wealthiest members of Florentine society in the Middle Ages.
Spicing up life in northwestern Europe: exotic food plant imports in the Roman and medieval world
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2010
This research investigates the introduction and trade of numerous exotic food plants across northwestern Europe during the Roman and medieval periods. Data were collected from all available archaeobotanical records on taxa that cannot grow in the study area or which require considerable efforts for their cultivation, together with relevant archaeological information (date, site type, context, status) to put the results in context. The results showed that many true imports were completely absent from archaeological contexts. This was due to a variety of reasons, such as poor preservation and limited access according to economic and/or cultural factors. A number of other exotic spices, fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals, however, were identified in the study area and period. Analysis of their social, spatial and temporal occurrence indicated that different groups of people had access to these exotics and were responsible for their dispersal in different periods, but despite their fluctuating fortunes, their use remained generally exclusive. This study of exotic food plant imports highlights their value in understanding socioeconomic impacts and changes in past societies. Keywords Exotic food plants Á Imports Á Northwestern Europe Á Roman Á Medieval Communicated by C.C. Bakels.
Plants and Human Civilization: Indian Spices
Comparative Civilizations Review, 2009
There is hardly any consumerism that can match the frantic quest for spices that has existed for more than 2,000 years. The lure of spices began with the dawn of civilization; since antiquity, India has been the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices. When there were no refrigerators, spices were used to prolong the freshness of the cooked food, mask the unpleasant smell of decaying meat, and add taste and flavor to bland dishes. Later, as knowledge about their medicinal and other values unfolded, they became an important part of everyday life, food, health, and moods. Scarcity of aromatic and pungent spices in European lands made them as precious as gold, driving merchants and adventurers across the globe in search of the spice-producing regions. Taking a journey through the historic past, this study tracks how these spices from India made their way into distant Europe, and became a catalyst of some of the greatest adventures in human history. The discovery of maritime routes and new lands, while facilitating intercontinental and crosscultural movements, also extended Europe's commercial traffic to the remotest parts the world. The competition for spice trade triggered a fierce competition among the seafaring powers for control over the Indian Ocean routes and the spice-producing regions, eventually culminating in the colonization of India.
According to the core-periphery model of economic geography, the Medieval and Early Modern Czech lands can be called a semi-periphery. They are located in a hilly part of central Europe, in the shadows of the world’s naval powers. Over the centuries this location has greatly influenced their domestic consumer society, in many ways lacking in self-sufficiency and often having to rely on the import of foreign and exotic goods through a global sales network; amongst these rare goods were different kinds of spices. These imported species, specifically assimilated, became not only an important part of the diet, but also a symbol of luxury. This paper presents the current state of research into exotic spices that have been discovered in archaeological contexts in today’s Czech Republic, and illustrates their importance for the interpretation of trade in exotic goods and the historical socio-cultural level of local consumers.