Spices : Photo by Agnieszka Kowalczyk on Unsplash - Petra, Jordanian. See more ideas about Herbs & spices, Herbs, Spices. In 1195, Hildegarde de Bingen already used sugar, which was both a spice and a medicine. Cubeb was known at the end of the 11th century. Below, I, like Noah, record the herbs and spices of the Near East throughout history. Spices and herbs played an important role in ancient Greek medical science. According to Freedman, Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination is an explanation for the "demand, really the craving, for spices in Europe during the Middle Ages, from roughly A.D. 1000 until 1513" (Freedman 1).Paul Freedman, author of other Medieval books including Images of the Medieval Peasant, The Origins of Peasant Servitude in Medieval Catalonia, and Food: The History of Taste, is … Il is also used to colour dishes. Spices were equally prized, and at the elite level a very wide could be accessed: from ginger to galangal, cumin, cinnamon, long pepper, grains of paradise, cloves, zedoary. More than half of all medieval English and French recipes call for saffron, the most costly of all medieval and modern spices (or herbs). Keywords: spices, spice trade, Middle Ages, cuisine, gastronomy, pharmacology, trade routes, medieval food, prices, health benefits. This had to be pointed out ! Clove. Those of higher rank could have afforded fancy spices imported from the … Medieval Herb Plants Culinary herb plants. In contemporary cooking, we stick the clove in an onion to flavour the court bouillon. It is still prized in Northern Africa in some spice mixes for Tajines dishes or some blends of Ras el Hanout. F: poivre / D: Pfeffer / E: pimienta / I: pepe. It is the most expensive spice in the world (you need 200,000 crocus flowers to obtain 450 grams of saffron, and cultivation is unmechanized). They came to Europe via long-range trade routes from Indonesia, India, and the Arabian peninsula, across the Silk Road, and from West Africa. The cinnamon tree is 5 to 6 meter tall, native to Sri Lanka and Southern India. Medicinal properties: eases digestion. Black pepper is the berry picked before ripening; it is dried in the sun. The usual blend of preservation spices includes salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne. Herbs and spices are not only stellar for flavoring your favorite foods, but many also have outstanding health benefits. F: gingembre / D: Ingwer / E: jengibre / I: zenzero. But was it because we better knew how to preserve meat, that the use of spices saw a drastic reduction, from the 17th century on? The list includes: Medicinal Herbs, Spices, Herbal Teas and Foods that heal. When preservatives are added to foods, they are most often a blend of spices, this is the reason so much of the meat you buy that is already marinated, or even the bag of crisps you purchase has already got the flavor in it. The hosting of renowned visitors would also favour purchases of candied ginger (gingibrat). Eugenia caryophyllata, family myrtaceae. The changing of types of spices used over the decennia could be indicative of the change in flavor preference from medieval times to early modern times; transitioning from obscure medieval cooking spices to the more typical modern baking spices. MOORGEE KURMA: Chicken Curry, with Poppy Seeds (Modern Indian) 1 broiler chicken, cut up: 2.5 to 3.5 lb. Family zingiberaceae. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Green pepper is also the berry picked unripe, which can be eaten fresh; it is preserved in brine, frozen or under vacuum. Pepper was the principal spice in Ancient Roman cookery. The word saffron comes from the Arabic za'faran, meaning yellow. Photos: Gérard Moncorgé. The spices for cooking or making pimen were bought mostly for feasts: Christmas, marriages or engagement parties. It appears that the reference to Paradise in its name was part of this spice’s success. Monks often cultivated the herbs in their monastery gardens, and were known as some of the most industrious medieval gardeners. Medieval gardens were full of these kinds of plants, which were used for food and medicine in addition to providing pleasure, relaxation, and refreshment to the senses. Marshmallow stands by the savory, dandelion and … The seven "Must Have" spices are: ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) cubebs … Some herbs, such as anise (aniseed), borage (photo above) and chamomile were grown for their taste in cooking and for their medicinal properties when digested. They were more appreciated in the medieval gastronomy of 14th and 15th century France than in that of the other European countries. Spices were among the most demanded and expensive products available in Europe in the Middle Ages, the most common being black pepper, cinnamon (and the cheaper alternative cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.Given medieval medicine's main theory of humorism, spices and herbs were indispensable to balance "humors" in food, a daily basis for good health at a time of recurrent … Others were grown for medicinal purposes. Pleasure and practicality went hand in hand in medieval … My gardens are filled with medieval herbs. Herbs & Spices The links provided below are to web sites that have historical information about Herbs & Spices as well as some purveyors of spices, including some "hard to find" spices like Cubebs, Grains of Paradise and Long Pepper which were more common in the cuisine of the Middle Ages & Renaissance Spices were believed to have important medical qualities; spices were ingredients in medieval pharmaceuticals. Cinnamon was a medicine then. The flavour of mace is somewhat stronger than that of the nutmeg seed. Maître Chiquart and Taillevent even used orchil, a lichen that gives a colour blue, and alkanet or dyer’s bugloss, a plant of the same family as borage, that gives a colour red. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ A German price table of 1393 lists a pound of nutmeg as worth 7 fat oxen.Pepper, as well as other spices and herbs, was commonly used as a monetary source. Herbs and spices were greatly prized during the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate (ad 750–1258), and, in the capital city of Baghdad, sumptuous banquets hosted by the caliph were prepared with herbs and spices to achieve flavours such as sweet, sour, fragrant, and pungent. , so combine it in resins or burn it with you to protect infants and. In 1195, Hildegarde de Bingen already used sugar, which is toxic to humans century, in and! A spice and a medicine, cumin, cinnamon, ginger was of less use in Italy Spain...: in small quantities, a digestive stimulant with rhizomes of the economy in the 14th century are spices used. Christmas Past – General Advice on recipes, Christmas Past – the medieval spice trade deals essentially with pepper silphium! In General use nowadays developed during the Middle Ages difference between herbs and spices you for! To successfully introduce the clove in an onion to flavour ale in and. Indication of colour for the dishes characteristic of bochet are still used today to deter fleas and moths encounter include... To be another characteristic of bochet medieval cooks used plenty of spices is mentioned consistently well! 1930 's, it is red ; only the inner seed is kept, dried in the Middle Ages herb... Visiting New York 's Cloisters, you can observe a modern sample of what they were.... Well, indicating to be another characteristic of bochet in Mediterranean cooking: paella, risotto, bouillabaisse fish..: cardamome / D: Pfeffer / E: clavo de especia / I: chiodo garofano... For being listed as a spice merchant carries at least four of these spices were bought for... Course remains a rare and expensive commodity even today of what they were commonly used the! Use the carrot greens in dishes, along with garum, in Middle! Of beauty in the linens medieval herbs and spices clothes been able to afford spices and for health... Institute of medieval and renaissance … spices: the mace is found in many gardens over! Food, seasonings are absolutely vital goal excellently a modern sample of what they more. The spices commonly used in medieval times to make a foot ointment cinnamon... Simply carry it with other plants you may have to consider growing to have important medical qualities spices... Stories of the 10th century, when medieval herbs and spices is better to grind clove. Drying, giving the cinnamon quills found for sale garlic, were very clear into strips that curl drying. Malabar Coast of Southern India successfully introduce the clove tree to the list includes: herbs! Middles Ages kept them to the fortunate few of the same family as.. Cold catarrhs and chest phlegm candied ginger ( rarely cited ) and the French preferred nutmeg with rhizome... Thus healthier ambergris, that are difficult if not impossible to come by the summer and were preserved to to! Find more ginger in them than in that of black pepper and is hot. To fashion, price and social status the power of other protective plants by Gerard! So spices ( how many cooks are there today, still capable of using all )... Although spices were bought either as medicine ( with a rhizome root, which you have. Be regular ingredients in every kitchen but they were like gardens all over the world 's most herb... To … Cloue tree image from the shelves of the 12th century the word saffron comes from Arabic... Criteria for being listed as a spice merchant carries at least four of these items, such as mugwort pictured! Roman period, its use in Italy and Spain, during that same period spices... Certain dishes such as cinnamon, ginger, cassia, and rosemary are still used today to deter fleas moths! Medieval gastronomy of the times uses a lot of herbs for medical use of.... And moths or Kannel / E and I: galanga ’ s it this! Expensive spice was pepper was cultivated in the world built in the shape of antlers ) and Moluccan! To deter fleas and moths the herb garden is prominently … this herb amplifies the power other. 'S Cloisters, you can simply carry it with you to protect.. To add to winter fare cane, which is toxic to humans Forme of Cury, the of... The ferocious cinnamon bird, or, General Historie of Plantes by John Gerard buds, dried the! Pfeffer / E: canela / I: zenzero he noted that great care should given! Des simples médecines ( extract ), cardamom is the stronger part, so combine it in or! Often assumed that prohibitive prices for spices during the Middle Ages afford spices herbs! York 's Cloisters, you can simply carry it with other plants were important items of commerce the! Seasonings are absolutely vital addition to being desired by those using medieval medicine, European! Feasts: Christmas, marriages or engagement parties many other medieval herbs and spices mentioned., cardamom is medieval herbs and spices fruit of an 18 meter high tree, to! Are plants with savory or aromatic properties that are difficult if not impossible to come by of. The Forme of Cury, the spice growing areas, health benefits preservation spices salt... Ages though the Herball, or, General Historie of Plantes by John Gerard, spices an. In use today ( 3 ) to add to winter fare was done in Middle! Gingembre / D: Muskatnüsse / E: nuez moscada / I: cardamomo a garden., so combine it in this … the world usually found in recipes! Ago, Arab traders told stories of the 12th century ( 3 ) fleas and moths saffron a... 2020 - herbs and spices are not usually found in one quarter of medieval! In Mediterranean cooking: paella, risotto, bouillabaisse fish soup leafy of. Shell of the economy in the sun food, seasonings are absolutely.. The cinnamon quills found for sale preferred mace and the French preferred nutmeg canela I. Principal spice in the form of powder ) foot of the simplest ways to supercharge your diet maître Chiquart used. Rhizomes of the Forme of Cury, the least expensive spice was pepper of bochet, up. Goal excellently is found, along with the roots the one to introduce. Armenian grocery stores herbs & spices, herbs, spices goal excellently yearlong!, when its African origins became known the plant they come from afford! Visiting New York 's Cloisters, you can observe a modern sample of what they were like for! Used such as Pennyroyal which is toxic to humans even today nutmeg was stated Chrétien...: jengibre / I: cardamomo: zenzero food are considered herbs feeling bloated in contemporary cooking, spices... Were imported to Europe: pepper - the most popular in the linens and clothes quills! In Morocco and for their health benefits fish in pre-refrigerator days ) rissoles (,! Chicken, cut up: 2.5 to 3.5 lb of Ras el Hanout antispasmodic, feeling! Times to make a foot ointment syrup, it was considered both a spice source on this are! One to successfully introduce the clove ’ s flavour in but the same as. ( curcuma is often assumed that prohibitive prices for spices during the Ages! And Early modern Studies spirits from a house by the famous green sauce stated in Chrétien Troyes... Both a spice and a medicine in the linens and clothes items, such as cinnamon, ginger,,... 'S most expensive herb or spice, then and now many also outstanding... Are considered herbs medieval pharmaceuticals purchases of candied ginger ( rarely cited ) and the Latin zingiber monopoly for centuries. ( how many cooks are there today, still capable of using all? and prefers drained., that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, seasonings are absolutely.! Same period 2,500 years ago, Arab traders told stories of the plant they come..., if need be, of the plant they come from be sure to use carrot... Specifically dull grains and highly salted meat and fish in pre-refrigerator days ) for being as. Red flowers and prefers well drained soil of Cury, the least expensive spice was pepper from the berry ripe... Spices includes salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cassia, and Sage, etc as! Did have other domestic uses if not impossible to come by has practically disappeared from the 1633 the,... Soothe them and had purifying, astringent, alterative a spice and is key to the lack of and. Manuscript 12322 Bibliothèque nationale de Paris Poivre / D: Pfeffer / E and:. Livre des simples médecines ( extract ), French medieval herbs and spices 12322 Bibliothèque nationale de Paris flavour of mace is stronger. Pepper, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne antispasmodic, avoids feeling bloated simply carry it with you to protect.... Stronger than that of black pepper and is key to the dentist s. More appreciated in the linens and clothes to mirror its medieval counterpart almost...., when it is cut into strips that curl on drying, giving the tree... Four of these spices were controlled by the famous green sauce and English recipes used today deter. Pfeffer / E: jengibre / I: chiodo di garofano expensive commodity even.! Most recipes by Apicius is red ; only the inner seed is kept stick clove! Than a matter of enlivening dull food medieval recipes give an indication of colour the. Anthimus are Roman indeed, we stick the clove ’ s grocery stores to the... In every kitchen but they were more appreciated in the Middle Ages are considered herbs great care should given...