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The Search for Spices Merchants who sold spices kept in secret where they were buying spices and the routes to places rich in spice plants. They invented many legends and made a mystery of spice origin. Some of them told that cinnamon is brought from snaky valleys, and cassia is brought from the banks of shallow lakes and rivers where huge and furious birds built their nests at high limestone cliffs. Merchants said that they were lucky to gather spices when these nests were falling down from cliffs.
The spices were so uncommon and rare that they were worth their weight in gold. Legendary Marco Polo destroyed the myth of spices. He wrote in his book the words that inspired plenty of travelers who wanted to become rich and famous. Marco Polo wrote that the Island of Java is rich in goods and commodities.
Pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and other spices and herbs are taken from that island. Many ships and vessels visit the island, buy species and bring their owners money and glory. The epic history of spices continued at the down of great discoveries. European travelers and seafarers tried to find the shortest way to India and Eastern countries.
Portuguese traveler Vasco Da Gama was lucky to make this. Although he received no warm welcome, he was lucky enough to stuff the holds of his vessel with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and other spices. In 1499 he got an enthusiastic welcome when he came back to his native lands. Vasco Da Gama brought the letter from the governors of Calcutta according to which Calcutta agreed to become trade partners with Portuguese. Lisbon became the capital of spices.
Christopher Columbus, the sailor who made plenty of famous discoveries like the New World and many others, became the first person from the Western countries who tasted red hot Chili pepper. Columbus wanted to find gold and famous Indian spices but instead of this he found allspice tree and vanilla. In the beginning of XV century Era Cortes brought cacao from America and in Mexico he discovered that Mexicans got used to add vanilla to cacao to make it tastier. Portuguese tried to keep high prices for spices and didnt allow planting seeds of spices.
At the end of XVI century Spaniards and Dutch started to contend for right for spice trade. The king Philipp II ordered Francisco Fernando to go to Mexico. There Fernando found a special pepper and called it piper tabasco (according to the name of Mexican province Tabasco). This was the way pepper came from the New World to Europe. Finally, in result of almost one hundred years of Portuguese dominion Dutch got a victory. The Dutch issued a law regulating cultivation of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Those who dared to violate a law were doomed to the death penalty. Soon Dutch and British entered a war that lasted for two centuries. The British strengthened their positions in India and became the successors of spice monopoly. In 1770 French governor from the Island of Mauricio ordered to steal the nutmeg plants in order to destroy spice monopoly. At the same time French managed to cultivate cloves and world production of cloves increased dramatically. The ginger had the same destiny.
Further development of trade and transport lead to decrease in price for spices. Finally, the spices were no more considered the rare commodity and became quite cheep and commonly used goods.
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Research essay sample on Vasco Da Gama Marco Polo Spices
