THE SPICES- "SOME INTERESTING FACTS"

Although considered relatively insignificant traded commodities in the modern market place, the spices have played a very significant role in the trade and politics of not so distant past. The spice trade could be considered as being responsible for the birth of imperialism and beginning of capitalism,as we shall see later. It was the demand of black pepper which acted as the driving force for the Age Of Discovery. The discovery of India by Vasco-da-Gama,the discovery of America by Colombus and the discovery of a direct route to the Moluccan islands or spice islands by Magellan was all prompted by the spice trade.
Spices have been used as flavor enhancers in all parts of the world. But before the availability of large amounts of sugar for preservation and before invention of refrigeration, spices were principally used in Europe for food preservation. Black pepper could mask smell of rancid food,it gave character to tasteless dried meat and could reduce the salty taste of preserved food considerably. From the spice producing regions of India and from the Moluccan islands, spices ultimately reached western Europe. During this process ten to twelve levels of middlemen were involved and at every level of transaction, the price of spices would nearly double. In medevial Europe, one spice, the black pepper was so valuable that one pound of it would fetch you enough gold to live well for an entire year.
Up to 15th century, Venice had the monopoly of spice trade, as it was the centre where spices were received via Baghdad and Istambul. From Venice they were passed on to various parts of Europe. The profit margins were so great that the Portugese and then the Spaniards tried to explore new direct routes to India and the Moluccan islands. This led to the Portugese domination of spice trade which lasted for more than a century. However the huge profits attracted a second wave of carpet baggers in the form of the Dutch and the English traders. This ultimately led to domination of India by the British and the Dutch domination of Indonesia and the Moluccas.

Nutmeg And New York

The island of Manhattan was earlier a Dutch possession and was called the New Amsterdam. To the east of Jakarta is a cluster of seven islands called Banda islands. Nutmeg trees were found only on these islands. The Dutch east India company was in total control of six of the seven Bandan islands. Only one small Bandan island called island of Run was under British control. The Dutch had a long history of employing brutal methods for establishing supremacy in spice trade. This included burning to ground of Bandan villages, decapitation of village headmen and enslavement of entire population of Bandan islands. To establish their monopoly of Nutmeg trade the Dutch invaded the island of Run. The British retaliated by attacking richly laden ships of Dutch East India Company. In 1667 the treaty of Breda was signed by the Dutch and the British. England gave up it's claim on island of Run and in return the Dutch ceded the island of manhattan to the British. What was until then New Amsterdam was renamed New York under the British flag. At that time it seemed as if the Dutch had got the better part of the deal. Later the British managed to introduce Nutmeg trees in to Singapore and west indies. The carribean island of Grenada became known as "the Nutmeg isle". Grenada is the major producer of Nutmeg now. On the other hand the Bandan islands are now a sleepy place without the hustle and bustle of trading ships. On the contrary the remote island of Manhattan which was then populated hardly by a thousand persons has now become the centre of world trade.

The British And India

The British East India Company was founded on the last day of year 1600, with a capital of 25000 pounds. The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602 with ten times more capital as compared to the British. The Dutch were very ruthless when it came to maintenance of their supremacy in the spice trade. The British traders were either prevented from entering the Moluccan islands or were killed if they dared to enter the Moluccas. The British therefore concentrated more on maintaining supremacy in the Indian trade. This led to complete subjugation of India. Thus the roots of British and Dutch imperialism lie in the spice trade.

The Spice Trade And Begining Of Capitalism

The British East India Company was founded for gaining greater share of spice trade of east indies. But financing a ship voyage to India and its return with a shipload of pepper was quite risky. To avoid the potential loss for any one individual, the merchants initially bid for "shares" of a voyage. This practice later turned in to practice of buying "shares" of the company itself. This can be thus regarded as the beginning of the stock market and birth of capitalism.

The Spices Of "Hotness"

These are principally the black pepper, chili pepper and ginger. Black pepper plant originated in India. Today the major producers are equatorial regions of India, Brazil, Malaya and Indonesia. The active ingredient of black pepper is piperine. Chili piper originated in south America. It was brought to Spain by Columbus. The Portugese carried the new species to Africa and Asia. For us Indians and most south east Asians it has become an irreplaceable part of the food culture. The chemical responsible for hotness and pungent flavor of chillies is Capsaicin. The hotness of ginger is due to zingerone. Pipeline,Capsaicin and Zingerone all have an aromatic benzene ring to which a hydroxy and methoxy group are attached at ortho position.
Physiologists believe that "Hotness" of these molecules is not a taste but it is actually due to activation of pain receptors. The shape of these molecules is such that they fit on to a protein receptor present on surface of nerve endings which perceive pain. All these molecules of hotness cause release of Endorphins(opiate like compounds produced by brain in response to pain) which often gives us a feeling of contenment after eating a fiery meal. The seeming addiction of some people to hot spicy food can be explained on basis of this. The hotter the chili,the greater the pain and subsequently greater the trace amount of endorphin secretion and greater is the feeling of contenment.
An interesting aside-Black pepper which originated in India has deeply invaded the cuisine of Europe and north America while chili pepper which originated in south America has deeply invaded African and Asian cuisine. For most Indians red and green chilies are an integral part of everyday life. Most of us are not even aware that the chili pepper is not indigenous.

The Nutmeg And Cloves

The main component of oil of cloves is Eugenol while the main fragrant component of nutmeg is Isoeugenol. Both have the same formula and differ only with respect to position of a double bond. Nutmeg and cloves find great use in traditional herbal medicine of China and India. In Europe nutmeg was considered an aphrodisiac and soporific. It was worn around the neck to prevent Bubonic Plague. Probably Isoeugenol acted as repellent for fleas responsible for spreading the plague germ. Nutmegs also contain other fragrant molecules Myristicin and Elmicin. Nutmeg is also called "spice of madness". It has hallucinogenic properties which are probably due to Myristicin and Elmicin. Ingestion of only 1 or 2 nutmegs can cause profuse sweating,heart palpitation and highly elevated blood pressure. It can induce hallucinations for several days.

Other Spices

Apart from the above,Coriander,Cumin,Celery,Parsley,Saffron,Cardamon etc.are also used as spices. Oil of Sassafras which is extracted from roots of sassafras tree was earlier added to root beer as flavoring agent. It contains a molecule called Saffrole. Saffrole is now deemed a carcinogen and therefore use of oil of sassafras as food additive is now banned. Saffrole is used by drug cartels for manufacture of MDMA which is sold under the name Ecstasy.