Their location in this distant sea couldn't seem any farther away if it was a fairy tale. Even 500 years ago, getting to these perfumed islands was a challenging, expensive undertaking. The spice trade was a lucrative and exotic adventure for early travelers. Now, our experience with spice is limited to jars that often are as dusty as their contents, and the journey leads only to the supermarket. Yet at a time when serious cooks pay attention to the growing region of their tomatoes, the age of their balsamic vinegar and the exercise space given a chicken, understanding the origin of spices should be of interest as well.
Consumers are much more aware of the quality and origin of produce.
Like produce, spices are fragile. Whether as nuts, bark, pods or plants, all of them start out fresh, bursting with volatile oils. It's a shame, after all, to take for granted ingredients that play such an integral role in the daily American diet. The United States is the world's largest importer of culinary spices, according to the New Jersey-based American Spice Trade Association. Even some beers.