The Spice Trade
It is likely that even people living in the Stone Age refined their food with spices. Archaeologists have found evidence of this in caves in Europe as well as in China. For a long time, it was the Arabs and Phoenicians who dominated the spice trade. In ancient Rome and Athens, only the wealthiest were initially among the customers for exotic spices. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the growing importance of the cities of Genoa and Venice, spices and their use became increasingly known. The spices, mostly from the Orient, were mainly transshipped in Alexandria and Constantinople. The increasing demand for trade goods such as spices prompted Christopher Columbus to set sail at the end of the 15th century. As is well known, he did not land in the Moluccas, but in America. However, the spices native to Central and South America, such as paprika, allspice, and vanilla, were still relatively unknown and therefore not in demand at that time. The sea route to India discovered by Vasco da Gama (1498) led to the flourishing of the spice trade. The beneficiaries were Portuguese merchants who not only controlled the trade but also owned important cultivation areas. After the Dutch held this leading position for a time, the English took over the main role in the spice trade from them. Even today, London serves as one of the most important hubs for spices from America and Asia.
Seasoning with Salt and Pepper
Salt and pepper are the two spices that are added to most non-sweet dishes. Salt was already being produced about 6,000 years ago - both in China and in Romania. Salt was used for seasoning on the one hand and for ceremonial purposes such as mummification on the other. While peoples living by the sea obtained salt from seawater, salty springs were used elsewhere, for example. The salt roads, the trade routes for salt transport, were of greatest importance in the Middle Ages. One of the German salt roads, for example, was between Lüneburg and Lübeck. The already expensive commodity was made even more expensive by the salt tax and customs duties. It wasn't until the development of scientific methods for discovering salt deposits in the 19th century that salt became an everyday product that everyone could afford. The salt tax was only abolished in this country in 1993. In our online shop, you can choose from various types of salt. The range extends from conventional branded salt to sea salt to special varieties such as Himalayan salt or seasoned salt. If you happen to like preparing tzatziki yourself, you can order Fuchs tzatziki seasoning salt from us.
The Romans and Greeks also appreciated pepper. Until the Middle Ages, the Arabs dominated the pepper trade. Pepper even served as currency between the 14th and 19th centuries. Venice was the main trading hub for pepper sold in Europe. From the 15th century on, the history of pepper parallels that of salt, and nowadays there is hardly a kitchen in which salt and pepper are not found. Black pepper is considered the classic type of pepper. The almost ripe fruits of the pepper plant are stored for several days until fermentation begins, which turns the fruits black. The typical wrinkled appearance of the pepper corns is achieved after drying in the sun. Green pepper is harvested prematurely. Their drying takes place quickly at high temperatures to prevent the fermentation process. Green pepper is significantly milder than black pepper and can be used, for example, to season fish or poultry. White pepper is also quite popular. White pepper is obtained from red pepper fruits that are already ripe. After a several-day water bath, the red flesh must be removed. The fruit is then dried again in the sun. Typically, white pepper (due to the lack of flesh) is hotter than black pepper. The rarest type of pepper is red pepper. This is because the necessary fully ripe pepper fruits are perishable. A vacuum heating process removes moisture from the grains and prevents the fermentation process. With red pepper, you can give your dishes a special flavor note, as it provides both spiciness and exotic sweetness. We offer typical black and white pepper as well as some pepper specialties such as Dittmann Fine Foods Green Pepper in Cognac or Fuchs Steakhouse Pepper.
Other Popular Spices
Paprika powder is obtained from ripe harvested and subsequently dried paprika fruits. As a spice, paprika powder has been appreciated for about 300 years. The currently most significant European growing areas for paprika are in Hungary, Spain, and the Netherlands. With paprika powder, you can season and color many dishes - especially soups, sauces, and meat dishes. In our shop, you will find, for example, sweet paprika (fruity, mild, and bright red) or hot rose paprika (hardly coloring and reddish-brown). The different levels of spiciness can be achieved by grinding the capsaicin-containing seeds and the partitions or by removing them beforehand. In Germany, nutmeg and mace are also quite popular. Nutmeg trees thrive in Africa, South America, and tropical Asia. A little grated nutmeg fits, among other things, to vegetable dishes, to minced meat dishes, and complements punch excellently. With mace, you can season, for example, pie fillings and bouillons. Products available from us include whole nutmeg, ground nutmeg, and ground mace from the manufacturer Ostmann.
Dried Herbs - Rubbed or Cut
Dried herbs are a fairly good substitute for fresh herbs that are not available. Oregano and marjoram are among the most commonly used dried herbs. Dried oregano, rubbed, belongs to Italian dishes such as pizza and various casseroles. The herb-fine taste of this herb becomes even more intense through drying. When using oregano, be sure to cook or roast it for at least 15 minutes so that its aroma can unfold. However, oregano is generally to be used sparingly. Marjoram, related to oregano, is still known in some German regions as "sausage herb." This suggests the classic use as a spice for sausage. If you want to buy dried marjoram, you can choose between rubbed and cut (with stem parts). The taste is similar to that of oregano but slightly sweeter. The same applies to marjoram that it tastes more intense dried than fresh.