Curated category
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.
- CinnamonCinnamon was imported to Egypt as early as 2000 BC, yet for centuries no one in the Mediterranean world knew where it came from.
- 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.
- 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…
- 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…
- GingerGinger, the plant formally known as Zingiber officinale, has been present at some of history's most significant human crossings.
- 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…
- 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.
- 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…
- 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…
- 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…