Curated playlist
Spices
- GarlicGarlic, known to botanists as Allium sativum, was placed by ancient Greeks on piles of stones at crossroads as a supper for the goddess Hecate. That single ritual captures something true about this plant: for thousands of years, it has…
- CinnamonCinnamon was imported to Egypt as early as 2000 BC, yet for centuries no one in the Mediterranean world knew where it came from. The spice traders who controlled its supply kept the source a closely guarded secret, protecting their…
- Black pepperBlack pepper was found stuffed into the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there during the mummification rituals that followed his death in 1213 BCE. How a dried fruit from the Malabar Coast of India reached the Nile remains largely unknown.…
- CardamomCardamom sits in third place on the world's spice price rankings, trailing only saffron and vanilla. It has held that position not because of rarity alone, but because of a long and restless journey across oceans, deserts, and centuries of…
- CuminCumin has been sitting on human tables for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks kept it at the dining table in its own container, much as pepper is kept today, and that same habit survives in Morocco right now. What draws people across…
- GingerGinger, the plant formally known as Zingiber officinale, has been present at some of history's most significant human crossings. Confucius ate it with every meal. Monks carried it on ships to ward off illness. And when a Danish-Norwegian…
- NutmegNutmeg sits in the back of spice racks across the world, shaken over eggnog and stirred into pumpkin pie, but few people who use it know that it once changed the map of the world. The seed of Myristica fragrans, a dark-leaved evergreen…
- CloveClove is a spice so ancient that ministers of a Han Dynasty emperor were required to hold one in their mouths before speaking to the ruler. The rule appears in a Chinese text dated to around 200 BC, and it tells you something about the…
- CeleryCelery is a plant so ordinary that most people slice it without a second thought. Yet in ancient Greece, athletes who won the sacred Nemean Games were crowned not with gold or laurel, but with wreaths of celery. The horses of the…
- Spice tradeThe spice trade carried cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and other fragrant goods across oceans and deserts for thousands of years. For most of that time, buyers in Europe had no real idea where any of it actually grew. Spices such as…
- Mustard seedMustard seeds are among the smallest objects ever used to teach the largest lessons. Roughly 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, these tiny round seeds have traveled from ancient temple stories to modern condiment bottles. They grow into…
- SpiceSpice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance used primarily to flavour or colour food. That simple definition hides a story stretching back more than four thousand years, across trade routes that shaped empires and sparked…