Spices. The flavour of history

Spices have an ancient history. We’ve known about them since 2800a.C.
They’ve ever been considered precious like gold because hard to find, and so they’ve ever been cause of wars and peregrinations. Country’s trade supremacy have been influenced by spices possession for many years.

Different ancient civilizations used spices in different ways. Egyptians, for example, used them to perfume their houses and for cosmetics.
Arabians ruled spice trade from East and from Subsaharian Africa to Mediterranean area for many years, untill Romans arrived. Romans travelled across Egypt and India, carrying flowing plunders of spices.

During Middle Ages, spice trade from East to West stopped because of conflictual religious relationships between Arabians and European countries.
In the XI century, spice trade made a fresh start thanks to Crusades, becoming a product available for middle classes too.
Untill XV century, Arabians and Venetians ruled spice trade from East. But when Vasco de Gama, in 1498, came back from Africa with a plunder of spices and jewels, their trading supremacy fell down in behalf of Portugueses, lords of East Indies.

Dutchs begun to rule spice trade in XVI century and around 1602 they set up East India Company. They chased away Portugueses from colonies, beginning important changes for productivity in the colonized lands.
As a consequence of this changes, spice production increased to such a point that a mass of in excess spices were burned out in Amsterdam to keep low spice prices in Europe.

Now Singapore and Hong Kong are the biggest spice markets in the world, while India, Indonesia and Brasil are the first, the second and the third respectively among exporting countries concerning business.

Today spices are mainly used for cooking but, like a precious treasure, they can keep intact that scent and fascination of their ancient history.

All of us can taste this treasure everyday thanks to Italpepe spices, herbs, dried fruits, preparations and sweets trimming. High quality products to enjoy deeply a charming history.