Spices - Spices and Herbs

Spices had been used by people for more than 5,000 years.  In addition to flavoring food, spices also provide vital medicines and beauty aids.  While herbs tend to be leaves that are aromatic, spices are aromatic plant organs such as stems, fruits, seeds, roots and bark.  Herbs and spices are used in flavoring food in cooking.  Spices are also used in preserving food, perfumery, dyeing, medicine.  The ancient Egyptians used spices for embalming.  Click on this UCLA's website and read # (required) What is a spice?).

The chemicals responsible for the distinctive taste in spices, herbs and perfumes are known as essential or volatile oils.  These compounds are usually terpenes, although they can also be aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, or other phenol-based compounds.  Plants produced volatile oils to attract animal pollinators or seed dispersers, as chemical defense mechanisms against herbivores, as deterrents to growth of neighboring plant competitors, and as waste products from various metabolic pathways.  

1) Spices

Spices played important roles in the course of history that resulted in the search for sea routes throughout the world.  The search for the alternate route to the source of spices led Christopher Columbus to the "rediscovery" of the New World. Many spices originated in eastern countries in India, South East Asia, and China.  Old World spices such as black pepper (Piper nigrum), cinnamon, and ginger (Zingiber officinale) were came to Europe via the Middle East and the Mediterranean from India.  The spice trade was so lucrative that Middle Eastern traders kept their spice source and route a secret.  The use of spices in Europe reached a peak during the Roman Empire.  However, after the fall of the empire and during the Dark Ages (641 to 1096 A.D.), Europe was cut off from the spice supply even though the spice trade continued to flourish in East with the advent of Islam.  Only after the Crusades (!096 A.D.) did spice reappear in Europe.   The demand for spices in Europe renewed during the Renaissance and Italian cities such as Venice became a rich, spice-trading port. 

At the end of the Crusades and with the fall of Constantinople (Istanbul) to the Turks in 1453, Europe was once again cut off from the spice sources.  As a result, the search for new trade routes and sources escalated.  The Portuguese were the first to sail around the African continent to India.  After Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, found the route to India via the Cape of Good, the Portugal became the first European country to open up a trading agreement with India. Soon after, Portugal became the spice capital of Europe.  Columbus did not find the alternate route to the east but he did stumble on the American continent and found spices such as chili, allspice, and vanilla.  Portugal's prominence in the spice trade did escape the other European powers.  In 1600, the British East India Company was formed.  A spice war erupted between the British and the Dutch that resulted in the British colonizing India and Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) and the Dutch with Indonesia.   Read this UCLA's website # Why were spices important? ; Sources of spices; History of Spices (All required).  

a) Old World Spices

b) New World Spices

The New World gave us three major spices and these are chili peppers (capsicum peppers), vanilla, and allspice.  Chili pepper and vanilla have become very prominent in the world spice trade. 

Chili pepper.  It was said that Columbus was so desperate to present the King and Queen of Spain with the goods (spices) from the New World that he convinced himself that the hot tasting chili  of the New World was the same spice as the equally hot Old World spice, the black pepper.  Thus, the reason for the misnomer of calling chili "pepper" to this day.  Black pepper is actually of a different species (Piper nigrum- family Piperaceae).  Hot chili peppers, sweet bell peppers, and paprika come from the fruits of the Capsicum annuum (Family Solanaceae) species.  There is still uncertainty as to many species of Capsicum has contributed to the vast array of shapes, sizes, colors and degree of hotness that are found in chili peppers today.  Tabasco sauce is obtained from the processed fruits of the C. fructescens.   Chili powder sold in bottles and packets for flavoring beef chili dishes is actually a mixture of dried chili peppers, oregano, cumin, and garlic powder.  

The compound that causes the burning sensation in some chili peppers is capsaicin.  Capsaicin is concentrated in the placenta of the fruit where the seeds are attached.  Removal of the placenta and the seeds would considerably reduced the "hotness" of the spice.  Capsaicin has been used as painkillers in the drug, Zostrix, for arthritis.  The modern sweet pepper or bell pepper had lose the "hotness" because of the reduced or absence of capsaicin.  Chili pepper has been adopted and become an integral part of the world' cuisine ever since its introduction from the New World.  It is hard to imagine Thai curry and Chinese Szechuan dishes without the characteristic hotness obtained from chili peppers when in fact, chili peppers had only been introduced from South America to Europe, Asia, and Africa since the 1500s. Read Dr. Peet's (NCSU) website on pepper # Botany (Required).

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is native to Central and South America and comes from the largest family of flowering plants, the Orchidaceae. The vanilla flavoring is obtained by fermenting the dried vanilla fruit or vanilla bean.  Vanilla was used by the Aztecs to flavor chocolate.  The Spanish brought vanilla to Europe and used it in a similar manner. Vanilla is second to saffron as the most expensive spice in the world.   

Allspice is obtained from the fruit of a Caribbean tree species, Pimenta dioica (family Myrtaceae).  It is so named because its flavor is combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.       

2) Herbs

The major culinary herbs came from the following plant families:  Labiatae (Lamiaceae) or Mint family; Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) or Parsley family; Brassicaceae or Mustard family; and Liliaceae or Lily family.  The leaves

a) The culinary herbs of the mint family with flavorful leaves are native to the Mediterranean region.  Examples are peppermint (Mentha peperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata), basil (Ocimum basilicum), thyme (Thymus sp.), oregano (Oregano vulgare), marjoram (Origanum majorana), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and sage (Salvia officinalis).

b) The culinary herbs of the parsley family are mostly native to the Mediterranean as well and these include:  parsley (Petroselinum crispum); dill (Anethum graveolens); caraway (Carum carvi); cilantro (Coriandrum sativum); chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium); anise (Pimpinella anisum); cumin (Cuminum cyminum); celery (Apium graveolens); and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). 

c) The mustard family are from the Old World.  The black mustard seeds came from Brassica nigra.  Black mustard is native to Europe and Africa.  Black mustard has been used since the Greek and Roman times and was mentioned in the Bible.  The white mustard seeds (Brassica alba) is also a European species but its use might started later than the black mustard.  The yellow color in mustard sauce is from turmeric.  Other species in the mustard family include horse radish (Armoracia rusticana) which also native to Europe and Japanese wasabi.

d) The lily family include onion and shallots, which are both Allium cepa; leeks (Allium tricoccum), garlic (Allium sativum) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum). Read this Texas A& M website on # Onions and other pungent lilies (required)

e) One noteworthy herb is saffron which is the most expensive spice in the world.  Saffron comes from the dried stigmas of the crocus flower (Crocus sativus, family Iridaceae).  To obtain a kilogram of saffron, 462,000 stigmas of 154,000 flowers must be harvested and dried.  An acre of crocus could only yield 3.5 kg to 5.5 per year of dried spice and thus the expensive price.  However, the flavor of saffron is such that there will always be a demand for this amazing spice.  Ancient kings used saffron to dye their robes yellow.  Traditional Spanish (paella) and Indian (curries) dishes use saffron for flavor and color.  Sometimes, turmeric is substituted for saffron to give the corresponding yellow color but not the flavor.        

After completing Unit II Section C, please click on Unit II Assignment.  Complete the assignments given and then return to the course syllabus and begin reading Unit III. 

# - Represents a required reading

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