Archaeologists have discovered that as early as 50,000 years ago, people were enhancing the flavour of their food with the leaves and fruits of certain plants that had a distinctive aroma and taste.

The first mentions of spices come from Mesopotamia, where a whole range of these fragrant plants were cultivated. Clay tablets contained references to coriander, caraway, dill, saffron, fennel, thyme and cumin. The ruthless warrior, the Assyrian King Merodach-Baladan, left us the first book on practical gardening with descriptions and instructions for growing herbs and spices; in it, we can read about cardamom, coriander, garlic, dill, onion, thyme and saffron. His book dates from the period 721–710 BC.

The Babylonians were not only skilled spice growers but also particularly adept spice traders. In ancient times, the Persians knew many types of onions and garlic, and in ancient India, there are written records from the 9th century BC that mention herbs and spices. Even then, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper, ginger, galangal, turmeric and nutmeg were known.

The first mentions of medicinal and spice recipes in China date back to 2700 BC. Long before the arrival of Columbus, people in America knew about vanilla, allspice and paprika. In ancient Egypt, we know from papyri dating back to 1500 BC of an overview of spices and recipes where we can find mint, mustard, calamus, sesame, caraway and cinnamon.

At that time, spices were valued just as highly as precious goods, pearls, rare metals and gemstones.

It was a time when explorers, on their journeys in search of spices, also discovered new lands, when spice trade monopolies were held with an iron fist and people lost their lives for them. A time when some empires became disproportionately wealthy and others perished. Significant European spice markets in Venice, Lisbon, Antwerp and Amsterdam also disappeared. Today, spices are accessible, yet they still retain that hint of the aroma and mystery of distant lands.

Spices adjust the thermal nature of food, stimulate digestion and prevent food stagnation in the stomach and intestines. We work with them carefully and do not combine too many types of spices so as not to mask the natural flavour of the food.