Medieval Spices
by Antonia de Castilla

The importance of spice to medieval cookery cannot be overemphasized. Imperfect methods of food preservation resulting in tainted meats and fish, coupled with the rarity of many spices in Europe, made gifts of spices welcome substitutes for jewels or gold. For example, Louis the Young of France received a packet of spices in 1163 from an Abbe' with a favor to ask.
Much money and effort was spent on acquiring spices. Among the nobility, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, grains of paradise, zedoary, galingale (from the ginger family), and cubebs were highly prized. Most of these came by land from southern China, the Moluccas, Malaya, and India to the eastern mediterranean where they were shipped to Italy and distributed throughout Europe. Arab traders held a strong monopoly on the import of spices, and disease as well as distance added to the price of the commodities. Thus, many spices were available only to the nobility.
Availability of spices was also controlled to some extent by the Guild of Pepperers, later called Grocers. The existence of this guild was recorded in 1180. The guild was responsible for quality control as well as distribution. Spices arriving from the east were often in an impure state. The Grocers appointed an official known as a Garbler to inspect newly arrived spices and insure their purity before they were sold. Further, they set up regulations forbidding the cutting of old stale spices with fresh spices and selling the resulting inferior product to unwary customers. The guild of Pepperers later changed its name to the "Mystery of Grocers, Pepperers, and Apothecaries".
Since spices were so expensive, medieval herb gardens were planted. Among the herbs which were successfully grown in Britain were aniseed, caraway, coriander, fennel, cumin, dill, and mustard. Among the common people, mustard was the most commonly used spice. (Excluding salt, used in curing meat.) It was used on fish and in sauces, as well as on meat.
The need for spices in medieval Europe led to exploration which changed the course of history. The spice routes will be discussed in a later article.

Reay Tannahill, Food In History, Stein & Day, New York (1973)
C. Anne Wilson, Food And Drink in Britain, Constable, London (1973)
Linda Wolfe, The Literary Gourmet, Random House, New York (1962)