Spice trade

Spice Trade

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Spice Origins

Arabian peninsula
- myrrh and frankincense
  - oils derived for medicinal and aromatic purposes that were highly valued
- sugar << get dates when was
China
- silk
- black tea
India
- pepper
  - see [pepper] for more
- sugar
- cotton
Spice Islands
- ginger, pepper, cloves, saffron, cinnamon, cardomom
- nutmeg
  - see Nutmeg
  - Banda islands were the sole sources of nutmeg
  - nutmeg is traditionally used in Europe as a spice for vegetables, eggnog, mulled cider and in meat stews
  - In India and Indonesia nutmeg is traditionally used in soups and deserts

15th century (1400s)
- pepper sold in Venice (to northern European markets) at 27 times or 2700% of cost in India
- nutmeg sold in London or Paris at 600 times, or 6,000% the original cost in the Banda Islands, one of the spice island groups
The Portuguese broke into the Indian market by circumnavigating Africa and sailing to India
- the Portuguese secured trade concessions in Calika << to confirm sp
- they then forcibly seized control of trade with Malaka (in modern Malaysia) a major spice-trade center
- this allowed them to by-pass Indian markets and purchase spices at their origins at much lower prices
  - the Portuguese and Indian relationship was both trade- and war-based
    - < to source
  - the Italian monopoly on the pepper market collapsed from Portuguese competition
  - by 1588 profits from pepper trade accounted for half of Portuguese government revenue
- the Portuguese King Manuel I was known as the "Grocer King"
  - "grocer" etymology:
    - c. 15th century dervied from "gross" or bulk
  - >> to find Manuel letter to european kings bragging about the discovery
    - Source: Marriam-Webster.
Sources: