History of Spice at the Good Earth Spices Store, THE place for gourmet herbs & spice blends.

	At one time only tropical aromatics like pepper, cinnamon, and cloves were considered a spice. The leaves and seeds of temperate-zone plants like basil and oregano were known as herbs. Today this classification has shifted somewhat, even though still used in some circles. The term spice now generally includes a whole range of elements: spices, herbs, blends and dehydrated vegetables.
	Spices are seasonings for food that come from the bark, buds, fruit or flower parts, roots, seeds or stems of various aromatic plants and trees. According to the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA), spices are 'any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes.' This definition covers a wide range of plant and plant parts: tropical aromatics, leafy herbs, spice seeds, roots, dehydrated vegetables, and spice blends.
	At one time only tropical aromatics like pepper, cinnamon, and cloves were considered a spice. The leaves and seeds of temperate-zone plants like basil and oregano were known as herbs. Today this classification has shifted somewhat, even though still used in some circles. The term spice now generally includes a whole range of elements: spices, herbs, blends and dehydrated vegetables.
	Spices and herbs have played a dramatic role in the development of Western civilization. Spices today are plentiful and are used mostly as flavorings. However, in ancient and medieval times they were rare and precious products used for medicine, perfume, incense, and currency, as well as flavoring.
	Peppercorns were first used as spice more than 4000 years ago and then later as a type of "currency" to facilitate trade during the Middle Ages. Peppercorns were even considered as valuable as gold because of their extremely long life. Pepper was the first spice used in Europe and it came to have great social and economic value there. Besides traditional black pepper some of the other prized spices of the era were long pepper from Sumatra, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and galangal (a ginger-like spice from Southeast Asia).
	Spices have been the catalysts of some of the greatest adventures in human history from Christopher Columbus to Vasco da Gama, as well as the driving force for the British East India Company and the British Empire whose merchants turned London into the greatest spice market in the world for 200 years.
	Today spices are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. We may not use them for currency but they still have a myriad of uses. Some are still considered to have medicinal uses, some for cosmetics, and some as aphrodisiacs. We use them to tantalize our taste buds, relive our memories of vacations to foreign countries, and generally to spice up our lives.
	Timeline: • 3000 BC to 200 BC Arabs traded spices and herbs among early civilizations. • 200 BC to 1200 The Romans control the trade. • 1200 to 1500 Europeans explore passages to the East Indies. • The 15th to the 17th Centuries Wars for control of the spice trade break out. • The 16th to the 18th Century English exploration begins. • The 17th to the 20th Century Americans enter the spice trade. Thanks to the following websites for historical information: http://www.spiceadvice.com/history/history.html http://www.bulkpeppercorns.com/history http://www.42explore.com/spices.htm

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Please visit our sister sites: www.tovahcaviar.com where you'll find gourmet caviar & specialty foods to "Make Every Day Special"
and www.goodearthspices.com where you'll find premium herbs and spices, and gourmet seasoning blends to "Spice Up Your Life!"