Spices

spices
A spice is any of the many aromatic, plant-derived substances that have a fragrant or sharp flavor and are used to season food. Most spices come from the East; the first to be introduced to Europe was pepper (from India), which long remained a rare and expensive commodity. The use of spices in cooking started with the Byzantines, probably to hide the fact that meat was spoiled or unflavorful. The "spice route" was important during the Crusades as well as later on when British and Dutch trading companies worked hard to make money by buying and selling spices. There are four basic kinds: fresh spices, ground spices, spice pastes, and whole dried spices.