[Sca-cooks] argh spicing

[Terry Decker]

Having looked at this problem previously, I would estimate that the time
from harvest to European port was six to 18 months.  The travel time into
Central Europe is problematic and likely varied widely.  Given the state of
Europe after the fall of Rome, the movement of spices from Byzantium into
the rest of Europe might have taken several years and been reduced to
several months when trade had improved and the political climate was
favorable.

For much of period, most spices (true grains of paradise is an obvious
exception) traveled from Southern Asia up the Red Sea for delivery to the
markets in Alexandria.  They then were disbursed around the Mediterranean.
In the 16th Century, the Portuguese opened a route around Africa to Lisbon.
Vasco de Gama's return voyage lasted 9 months, but he was stopping to handle
political and military matters.

Spices were very likely shipped in water-proofed barrels or boxes, which
would help retain freshness.  They were certainly shipped whole and probably
stayed that way until prepared by the apothecary selling them or the cook or
physician who bought them.  It would be interesting to see how well whole
spices keep over time in apothecary jars.

And as a question I haven't researched, does anyone know how long it takes
harvest and transfer spices (outside of the large food processing companies)
today?

Bear

>I have often wondered about the aspects of freshness and
>quality of the spices used then. When they say "good" do they
>mean qood in expensive or qood in quantity as to an amount
>used or "good" in quality? How long did it take the ships or
>caravans to reach the European markets from those far off
>shores of the Spice Islands and Southeast Asia? There are these
>edicts today that say one must toss one's spices and replace
>every year, but are those spices of any worse quality than those used
>6 or 7 centuries ago. No one would have tossed spices then given
>their cost. Keeping them in whole or ground form
>makes a difference of course and fresh grinding at the moment
>they are finally used can lend a discernable difference.
>I see this entire question of spicing (and of salt and pepper) and
>even herb use to be far more complicated than we give it credit.
>It's an area that needs more work in. I have often thought that
>a series of trials would be interesting for certain dishes whereby
>the same dish is served with little, more, still more, and most spicing
>to actually see which is preferred or better.
>
>Johnnae llyn Lewis