The Spice Trade

Via peerlesscoffee.com

We don't give much thought to spices today- they're cheap and readily available and there's little mystery about they.  On some level we know that spices were once very expensive and very important, but the full extent of their influence is truly shocking.

For most of ancient history and up through the late Middle Ages, the spice trade was dominated by those who lived closest to the source- the Arabs.  Traders from the middle east had a monopoly on these precious goods, keeping the location of the only islands where spices like nutmeg and cloves grew a closely guarded secret.  While the Arab world was rich in spices, the farther from the source you got, the rarer and more expensive spices became.  Spices were exorbitantly pricey in Europe, the far end of the supply chain, so that only the richest of the rich could afford them and they became the status symbol.  Eventually, however, the Europeans  tired of relying on the Arabs and decided they would get their spices themselves, thank you very much.  They would just need to find a sea route to the East Indies...

Yes, the famous age of exploration was kicked off because people wanted their pepper cheaper, dammit! Spain and Portugal were first out the gate.  Portugal headed east, around Africa, eventually arriving in the East Indies and finding the spices they were looking for.  Spain headed west and bumped into a small island known as the Americas.  While Spain didn't find the spices she was looking for, the Americas were rich in other spices such as vanilla and chilli peppers, and of course everyones favorite spice, gold.

Soon the Dutch and the British joined the party, exploration continued, colonies were founded, and wars were fought, all in the name of spices.