Spices Have a Big Backstory by Christina J. (G5) Spices Have a Big Backstory By Christina J. Grade 5 Imagine walking into your favorite restaurant, taking in the smell of salt, pepper, paprika, and condiments. You see a server, and you are ready to sit down at a table, and dig in. You taste savory, sweet, sour and umami flavors. Spices have a big backstory. All about trading, currency, history, and other interesting facts about these spices you would never have known. Since 3000 BC, Egyptians have buried people in spices and made their workers eat spices! Archeologists have found that ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in burying people in tombs. For example, it preserved the bodies better and made them smell better. People have also found spices appearing in the Egyptian hieroglyphics. According to the text, Egyptians used to give onions and garlic to help them carry big blocks under the blazing sun. This gave them energy so they could move huge stones in the baking desert. On the other hand, Rome had become an important spice-trading country through controlling the Silk Road. Spices were extremely important condiments during this time. People couldn’t even live without the taste of saltiness or spices. The Silk Road was a large network that was used to trade many things overseas. This meant it traveled over the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, Rome had control over all the spices, since everything passed through Rome. Spices had also been expensive, which meant only wealthy people could buy them. Since they were so valuable, they paid soldiers in blocks of salt to show respect and pay off their hard work. However, in the 14th century, Europe began the war for the spice-trading powerhouse. Venice became the main trading port for spices that were traveling to North and Western Europe. Traders also had to pay, since they had to pay large taxes, and the wealthiest people couldn’t buy spices since spice taxes went up. In 1497, Portugal assigned Vasco da Gama to go looking for spices. Vasco da Gama was a huge hit, and he found tons and tons of salt since he explored across the Indian Ocean and India. After the spice rush in Portugal, Portugal became one of the wealthiest spice-trading bosses. After years of trading salt and spices, they are now everyday seasonings that everyone eats. Therefore, spices used by the Egyptians, Romans, Portuguese people, and close to 200 other countries! Back then, people used to treat spices like money and gold, but now, people treat spices like everyday things.
