A World History of Spices in One Volume
Korean title: 한 권으로 읽는 향신료 세계사
This summary is available in English. The reader opens in English, and you can switch to Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or French at any time.
Summary preview
People Who Rewrote History, Bewitched by Spices — From the Queen of Sheba to Marco Polo
In the Palace of Darius III of Persia, Alexander the Great Met 277 Cooks and a Host of Slaves Devoted Solely to Spices
The Old Testament tells how the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel (reigned 970–931 BC) and presented him with spices. "She gave the king four tons of gold, a great quantity of jewels and spices; there came no more such abundance of aromatic substances as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon." Those aromatic substances came from the queen's own country. Where was her kingdom? It is presumed to have lain near present-day Yemen. The ancient Romans called it "Arabia Felix," or "Happy Arabia."
What exactly does the term "aromatic substances" in the passage above mean? It means "any substance added to food or drink to alter its taste and fragrance." This is the general definition that modern nutritionists give. Before about 1150, the French language had no word for aromatic substances or spices (the term first appears in the work The Journey of Charlemagne, published around 1150). The French word for spice is épice. Épice and espèce, meaning money, kind or type, both derive from the Latin species. The Latin species, which meant kind, form or appearance, later broadened to mean goods, medicine and spices.
Contents
- People Who Rewrote History, Bewitched by Spices — From the Queen of Sheba to Marco Polo
- Even Mummified Pharaohs Could Not Lie Down Without Spices — The Secrets of the Ancient Spice Routes
- The Spice War That Brought Down Venice and Made Lisbon the Center of the World
- Pepper, the Black Gem Alexander the Great Spread Across Europe
- How a Single Flower Turned the Great King Around — The Secret of Saffron, the Golden Spice
- Healing Wounds and Saving the Dinner Table — The Ancient Wisdom of Humankind in Aromatic Herbs
- The Moment Dozens of Spices Become One Flavor — An Orchestra Called Curry