For much of recorded history, spices were among the most valuable goods on Earth. Pepper from India, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, and cloves and nutmeg from a handful of tiny Indonesian islands traveled thousands of kilometers through the hands of Arab, Persian, Indian, and Venetian merchants before reaching European tables. Each middleman added to the price, so that by the time a sack of pepper arrived in London it could be worth its weight in silver. Spices preserved and flavored food, served as medicine, and signaled wealth. The desire to bypass the overland routes drove Portuguese captains around the tip of Africa and sent Columbus westward across the Atlantic.
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