Indian spices were and they still are important part of the Indian economy. The trading with spices from the subcontinent was a major industry in the past and was one of the reasons for discovering America.
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| Indian spices |
Columbus was just trying to find new, shorter, way to India and to facilitate the trading. The history of Indian spices is older than recorded history. Trading with Indian spices was performed 7000 years ago. It was something that made India very popular across the globe. Centuries before Rome and Greece had been existing ships loaded with spices, silk and perfumes were sailing in the seas between India and Egypt, Mesopotamia, Arabia. The prises of the spices in these times were very high and the trading with them was one of the most profitable things that man can do.
The Romans were spending fortunes on the expensive merchandise. It is also believed that the Parthian wars were being fought in by the the Romans in terms to keep the trading roads to India open. Just to complete the picture we can mention some numbers – just 2 of the 4 ships of Vasco da Gama reached their homeport but these two brought back a cargo which was valued of 60 times the cost of the whole voyage.
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| merchant ship |
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The ships were carrying mainly
spices. In the middle ages a pound of ginger was at the price of a sheep. By the 1000 A.C. Arabians conquered the Indian subcontinent and brought with themselves the cumin and the coriander. These spices mixed with the local pepper, ginger and turmeric. When the British sailors came to India they discover this mix and spread it around the world. Today we know it as curry powder. Some of the spices that the world today call Indian are in fact from the far east. Indian merchants spent two millenia to spread Indian spice culture, and along with that to find new spices. Arabian traders were able to make very good money from trading with spices which they bought from Indian middle men.
Today the trading with spices is much more easy and it is far too cheap. With the modern ships and planes the costs are nothing compared to these in the past. In conclusion we can say that today we are happy to eat delicious meals with spices from the whole world for almost no money. Something that in the past only the nobles were able to do.
