A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route by steven e. A history california studies in food and culture ebook the spice route. Spice is an erudite and engaging account of how foodstuffs can change the flow of history. Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route california. From our very earliest history, people have travelled the spice routes. The spice route is one of historys greatest anomalies. University of california press, 9780520303386, 456pp. Cultural diffusion edit one of the borobudur ships from the 8th century, they were depictions of large native outrigger trading vessels, possibly of the sailendra and srivijaya thalassocracies. Berkeley, calif university of california press, 2006. A spate of fine books about spices has inexplicably been published recently, including jack turners spice, michale krondls the taste of conquest, paul freedmans out of the east, and the present volume. In 1444, john hopton, a small gentleman of suffolk, sent his steward to norwich to buy supplies for the winter.
A tremendous amount of research must have gone into this. Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route is a major contribution to world historical scholarship that will fundamentally change our understanding of ancient trade in the red sea and indian ocean. The route the nabateans took across the negev with their camel trains was called the spice route. People made a route to go from europe to asia to buy spices. An exotic saga with the tang of drama in every voyage, the spice route transports the reader from the dawn of history to the ends of the earth the spice route is one of historys great anomalies.
Good books on the east india trading companyspice trade. Indian ocean spice route grade 7 social studies trade. They braved treacherous seas and eventual hostile reception on arrival in an unknown land. An exotic saga with the tang of drama in every voyage, the spice route transports the reader from the dawn of history to the ends of the earth. Pdf the spice route download full pdf book download. They stretch from the west coast of japan, through the islands of. Oct 15, 2019 in search of fame and fortune, portuguese explorer ferdinand magellan c. Spice road is the first in a series of games that explores the history of each century with spicetrading as the theme for the first installment.
Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route is an exhaustive synthesis of sidebothams research along the red sea and in the eastern desert of egypt, and demonstrates his ability to. The silk route is so named because of the popularity. The legendary overland silk road was not the only way to reach asia for ancient travelers from the mediterranean. The spice trade was once the most lucrative business on the planet and built many a venetian palazzo or burghers grachtenhuis in amsterdam. If you think spice route somehow sounds unappetizing, i suggest that you set aside that prejudice and avail yourself of the fascinating and authoritative history well told here by john keay. A spate of fine books about spices has inexplicably been published. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants. A tremendous amount of research must have gone into this work as it is absolutely filled with little gems of detail and wonderful small side stories. The first true maritime trade network in the indian ocean was by the. Spices came from lands unseen, possibly uninhabitable, and. Although first discovered and visited by the arabs and the portuguese, and. They stretch from the west coast ofjapan, through the islands of indonesia, around india to the. A few hundred years ago, the rich people wanted spices. A part of history im interested in learning more about is everything to do with the east india trading company and the spice trade.
They stretch from the west coast of japan, through the islands of indonesia, around india to the lands of the middle east and from there, across the mediterranean to europe. It is a history of lands discovered, empires built and brought down, wars won and lost, treaties signed and flouted. In search of fame and fortune, portuguese explorer ferdinand magellan c. The spice routes, also known as maritime silk roads, is the name given to the network of sea routes that link the east with the west. At first, they probably ventured only short distances from their home ports but over the centuries their ships sailed further and further across seas and oceans. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and turmeric were known and used in antiquity for commerce in the eastern world. Spices did not grow in europe, so they had to be brought from asia. How spices shaped the culinary world, how people used them in ancient times, how the pepper, cloves and cinnamon went. Spice, the history of a temptation by jack turner is a very well written history of the spice trade, written in the popular history mode.
Epic in scope, marvelously detailed, laced with drama, the spice route spans three millennia and circles the world to chronicle the history of the spice trade. The spice route is one of historys great anomalies. A spate of fine books about spices has inexplicably been published recently, including jack turners spice, michale krondls the taste of conquest, paul freedmans out of the east, and the present. An exotic saga with the tang of drama in every voyage, the spice route transports the reader. Spice route by john keay 2005, hardcover for sale online ebay. Riding in a shared taxi across one of the comoros islands a few years ago, i was surprised to see the only tarmac road being. Rare is the writer who can rival keay in undertaking researches of such daunting scope, resulting in books of such insightful cogency and eloquence. It is a history of lands discovered, empires built and brought down, wars won and lost, treaties signed and flouted, flavours sought and offered, and the rise and fall of different religious practices and beliefs. Riding in a shared taxi across one of the comoros islands a few years ago. Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route is a major contribution to world historical scholarship that will fundamentally change our understanding of ancient trade in the red sea and. The route was very difficult and so the spices were expensive. Riding in a shared taxi across one of the comoros islands a few years ago, i was surprised to see the only tarmac road being used.
The spice trade was associated with overland routes early on but maritime routes proved to be the factor which helped the trade grow. How spices shaped the culinary world, how people used them in ancient times, how the pepper, cloves and cinnamon went from being an oriental spice to a basic, everyday commodity. The silk route is so named because of the popularity of. The history of spice is almost as old as human civilisation. The spice route is one of history s greatest anomalies.
The spice routes is the name given to the network of sea routes that link the east with the west. An exotic saga with the tang of drama in every voyage, the spice route transports the reader from the dawn of history to the ends of the earth the spice route is one of history s great anomalies. Spice trading and raiding john keay has written a brilliant, amusing and readable account of the spice trade from pre history to the 1800s. Shrouded in mystery, it existed long before anyone knew of its extent or alignment. Berenike and the ancient maritime spice route is an exhaustive synthesis of sidebothams research along the red sea and in the eastern desert of egypt, and demonstrates his ability to integrate the archaeological and historical record into a coherent picture of ptolemaic and roman maritime trade in the late first millennium b. Readers interested in food history should not be misled by the inclusion of this book in a food series. A history california studies in food and culture ebook free. Spices came from lands unseen, possibly uninhabitable, and almost by definition unattainable. The spice route was a route between asia and europe. Spice trading and raiding john keay has written a brilliant, amusing and readable account of the spice trade from prehistory to the 1800s.
The most interesting books of the week a book of recipes from kerala, a volume on yoga and how it spread, and one that looks at the history of the mushairah books updated. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. A history california studies in food and culture keay, john on. Keay as always is irrerevent, his gentle and humourous mocking of the more fantastic elements of the accounts of for example pliny, herodotus, marco polo,etc are enlightening and amusing, always a pleasant combination. These spices found their way into the middle east before the beginning of the christian era, where the true sources of these spices were withheld by the traders and associated with fantastic tales. Sep 01, 2007 the spice route is one of historys greatest anomalies. Called the spice routes, the connections between east and west were much more than just the exchange of exotic goods. The spice route a history john keay john keay, in his usual all encompassing style, relates the history of the oldest continuous trade connection overland between the east and west. Keay as always is irrerevent, his gentle and humourous.
The spice trade and its routes connecting the ancient civilizations of asia, northeast africa and europe have a history that has been shrouded in mystery, riches, myth and many wars, but if. Aromatic spices and exotic trade routes mingle headily in this lush, evocative history. This fine book from john keay provides a history of this trade from the return of alexanders soldiers from india bringing with them a taste for spices through to the. They stretch from the west coast ofjapan, through the islands of indonesia, around india to the lands ofthe middle east and from there, across the mediterranean to europe.
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