Spices, Their Histories: Valuable Information For Grocers

SPICES THEIR HISTORIES

Valuable Information For Grocers PRICE FIFTY CENTS Copyrighted 1910 By THE TRADE REGISTER, Inc. Seattle, Washington....

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INTRODUCTION.

The history of spices, with other valuable information to all branches of the grocery trade, was originally written by Robert O. Fielding, of the staff of the Trade Register, in which the several articles appeared in various issues of that journal, duly protected by copyright, with the accompanying illustrations. Retail grocers everywhere will find this little book of especial value for study and reference. It is all meat for the salesman who realizes that success in trade these days depends upo

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ALLSPICE OR PIMENTO A Valuable Product From Jamaica Which Combines the Flavor of Cloves, Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Allspice is the dried unripe berries of a tree of the myrtle family, the pimento, known botanically as Eugenia pimenta, or Pimenta officinalis. It’s an evergreen tree some 20 to 30 ft. high, with a slender, straight, upright trunk, much branched at the top; the bark is smooth, gray and aromatic; the leaves—which when fresh abound in essential oil—are 5 in. long, of an oblong shape and deep shiny green color; the blossoms—which appear in July and August—are white and fragrant; the berries (someti

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CAPSICUM Cayenne Pepper Is Made from This Branch of the Nightshade Family—Descriptions of the Various Varieties of Capsicum—Tabasco Pepper Sauce

The capsicum is a genus of plants of the nightshade family (Salanacea) that grows luxuriently in all tropical countries and many species of which are cultivated in the temperate zone. Capsicum or Red Pepper is of American origin for these reasons: Fruits so conspicuous, so easily grown in gardens and so agreeable to the palates of the inhabitants of hot countries would have very quickly diffused thruout the old world, if they had existed in the South of India, as it has sometimes been supposed.

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Cinnamon

As in the case of sago and tapioca, a good deal of misconception prevails in regard to cinnamon and cassia, and as with sago and tapioca, one is often sold for the other by the uninformed. The word “cassia,” botanically speaking, has nothing whatever to do with the aromatic bark which we call by that name, but refers to a genus of plants of the bean family, from which are derived the dried senna leaves, an infusion of which our mothers induced us to take by the bribe of a piece of candy, altho w

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Cassia

Cassia, under the name of Kwei, is mentioned in the earliest Chinese herbal—that of the Emperor Shena-ming, who reigned about 2700 B. C.; in the ancient Chinese classics, and in Rh-ya an herbal dating from 1200 B. C. In the Hai-yao-pen-ts’ao, written in the eighth century, mention is made of Tien-chu Kwei. Tien-chu is the ancient name for India, perhaps the allusion may be to the cassia bark of Malabar. In connection with these extremely early references to the spice, it may be stated that a bar

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Oil of Cinnamon

Oil of cinnamon is made from the pieces and chips of the bark, it is of a red-yellowish color. Eighty pounds of bark yields about 8 ozs. of oil. It is very stimulating. It is often adulterated with oil of cassia, oil of cassia buds, oil of cherry laurel, and oil of bitter almonds—the latter is a very dangerous mixture. Cinnamon leaves yield an oil resembling oil of cloves, with which it is often mixed. The ripe berries of the cinnamon tree yield a volatile oil, similar to oil of juniper, and fro

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CLOVES Interesting History With Illustration Showing Flower, Bud and Fruit—Where Grown and Commercial Uses

Cloves are dried, unopened calyces or flower buds of the clove tree, Caryophyllus aromaticus, a kind of myrtle, a native of the Molucca islands. In commerce they are chiefly distinguished by their place of growth and rank in the following order: Penang, Bencoolen, Amboyna, and Zanzibar. In addition to these there enter into commerce as secondary products, clove stalks and mother cloves, or the dried ripened fruit. The bulk of these secondary products are shipped from Zanzibar. The clove tree is

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GINGER Used as a Spice by the Early Greeks and Romans—Plant a Native of Asia and Grew Wild in Mexico and Africa

As a spice, ginger was used among the early Greeks and Romans, who appear to have received it by way of the Red sea, inasmuch as they considered it to be a production of southern Arabia. In the list of imports from the Red sea into Alexandra which, in the 2nd century of our era, were then liable to the Roman fiscal duty, ginger occurs among other Indian spices. It appears in the tariff of duties levied at Acre in Palestine, about 1173, in that of Barcelona in 1221, Marseilles in 1228 and Paris 1

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MUSTARD Well Known to the Ancients, but More in a Medicinal Way—How Cultivated and Prepared for Commercial Uses

Mustard was well known to the ancients, but more in a medicinal way than dietetic. From an edict of Diocletian, 30 A. D., in which it is mentioned along with alimentary substances, we must suppose it was then regarded as a condiment, at least in the eastern parts of the Roman empire. In Europe, during the middle ages, mustard was a valued accompaniment to food, especially with the salted meats which constituted a large portion of the diet of our ancestors during the winter. In the Welsh “Meddygo

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Mace

When the mace, a bright-red membraneous substance, is removed from the nut it is pressed flat between blocks of wood and left to dry until it has acquired the right color. The preparation of mace for the market requires experience rather than technical knowledge. If packed too green it is liable to mold, and is subject to attacks from insects, which render it valueless in commerce. On the other hand, if it becomes too dry it loses its vitality and also crumbles into powder when packed. Packers f

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PEPPER White and Black Varieties and Why—How the Plant Is Cultivated and Where—History the Grocer Should Know to Judge Qualities

Pepper is a commodity to be found in every grocery store, but how many grocers know that the pepper plant—Piper nigrum—which produces the white and black pepper of commerce, is a climbing vine-like shrub, found growing wild in the forests of Travanscore and Malabar coast of India? It is extensively cultivated in southwest India, whence it has been introduced into Java, Borneo, the Malay peninsula, Siam, the Philippines and the West Indies. Pepper in the time of Alexander the Great was considered

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Cumin, or Cummin Seed

The aromatic fruit or seed of a plant of the genus Umbellefera. It is referred to in Scripture (Matt. xxxiii:23). As salt was a symbol of friendship, “shearers of salt and cummin” meant intimate friends. The seeds are linear and flat on one side and convex or striated on the other. Their odor and properties resemble the caraway, or anise seeds, and they are often called bastard anise. They are used in Germany in bread, in Holland they are frequently put into cheese. Norwegian anchovies in kegs a

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Caraway Seed

The caraway plant has a branching stem 2 or 3 ft. high, with finely divided leaves and dense umbels of white or pinkish white flowers. The leaves are frequently used to flavor soup and the roots, which taper like a parsnip, and when young are boiled and eaten as a vegetable. The seeds are oblong, pointed at both ends, thickest in the middle, striated on the surface and of a crescent shape, they have an aromatic smell and warm, pungent taste. From the seeds is obtained a volatile oil called oil o

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Coriander.

The word “coriander” is derived from the Greek word Koriannon, a bed-bug, referring to the disagreeable smell of the whole plant when fresh, but the ripe and perfectly dried fruit has an agreeable smell and a sweetish, aromatic taste. Its an annual or bi-annual plant, of the genus Umbelliferce, native of South Europe, with a branching stem 1 or 2 ft. high. The lower leaves bipennate, the upper ones being more compounded and divided into very narrow divisions. The fruit is globose, containing rou

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Cardamons.

Cardamons consist of the seeds of two species of plants, the Elettaria of Malabar and the Amomon of China, Guinea and other parts of the East Indies. As the seeds of the two species differ in some respects we will describe the Ellettaria kind. The plant, which grows 5 to 10 ft. high, has a reed-like habit and bear long, loose racemes of flowers, succeeded by triangular capsules, of a dirty white color, containing a number of dark brown, angular seeds about the size of mustard seeds. The capsules

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Poppy Seeds

Poppy seeds are not unlike fine gunpowder in general appearance, being very small, dark blue—nearly black in color; they are obtained from the same plant that yields opium (Papavar somnniferium, or white poppy.) The seeds are not narcotic, and have a sweet taste, are oleaginous and nutritious. They are largely used in some parts of Europe in pastry, confectionery and as a substitute for almonds. Under the name of “Maw seeds,” they are sold as food for birds during moulting season. Poppy seed oil

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Fennel

Fennel is a tall, stout, aromatic herb of the parsley family, with finely dissected leaves, which are boiled and served with salmon, mackerel, etc., as a seasoning; the flowers are yellow. A species—F. dulce—is cultivated in Italy as celery is with us; and its blanched stems are said to be more tender and delicate than celery, with a slight flavor of fennel. The seeds of another species—F. panmorium—grown in Bengal, have a warmish, very sweet taste and aromatic smell, and are used in making bete

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Aniseed

Aniseed is an annual plant of the order of Umbelliferae of the parsley family, a native of Egypt, but also extensively cultivated in Russia, Germany, Malta and Spain. Aniseed is very similar in appearance to the poisonous hemlock seed, for which it has sometimes been mistaken. The seed, which is a little larger than a pin’s head, is of a greyish-green color. They have an aromatic smell, and warm, sweetish taste, and are used in condiments, in cookery and in the preparation of liquors, also in me

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Saffron

Consists of the dried stigmas of the autumn or fall crocus plant (crocus sativus), which should not be confounded with the spring crocus (crocus vernus), to which it is nearly allied. The crocus derives its name from Crogeus—which is from the Greek word Krokus, yellow—the modern Korghy in Cilicune, where it was grown in ancient times. The word “crocodile” is derived from the Greek words Krokos, yellow, and deilos, fearful, on the ancient supposition the animal avoided the place where saffron gro

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Turmeric

Turmeric is an East Indian plant (curcuma longa) of the ginger family, with the same properties as ginger, only not so powerful. It is also grown in Zanzibar, China and the Malayan archipelago. It is a stemless plant with dark green leaves varying from 6 in. to 24 in. long and 3 in. to 6 in. wide, flowers of a dull yellow color and a tuberous root varying in thickness from that of a quill to ½ in. in diameter and often a foot long, with joints or ring-like swellings at short intervals; of, a yel

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Nasturtium

The flower buds and fruits of the common garden nasturtium are often used as a spice after being ground and dried; they are also pickled like capers and used on fish, meats, etc. The name is derived from nausa, nose, and tortus, twist, from the effects of its pungent smell or taste....

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