The Geography of Spices and Herbs 

Britain: I’m gonna colonize the whole world for spices Also Britain: I’m not gonna use any of the spices though

I'm from the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Growing up and listening to my teachers explaining our local history is amazing. It's mind blowing to think of our tiny in-the-middle-of-nowhere region's role in history. It's hard to believe how much anguish and suffering has been caused by the search for our spices, spices that grow nowhere else (cloves and nutmeg). I loved coming home from school and passing through roads where people bake these spices under the blistering sun, they're super fragrant. And of course are a wonderful addition to our cuisine 😊

>British colonization hundred years for spices >now fish and chips

Its a great privilege to be able to have the world's spices available to you by going on a short trip to the grocery store

Plants: Develop defense mechanism Human: Eat plants anyway Plants: am I a joke to you

India：spices exist British: gonna conquer this land China: tea exists British: yeah, there too

As an Indian my kitchen is stocked with almost all spices u mentioned n more

It's amazing to think that people traveled thousands of miles for these spices, and yet most people have them all in their kitchen today.

"He who controls the spice controls the universe." - Frank Herbert

There are so many other spices we use in India that's not as popular as the ones you mentioned. For e.g. Long pepper, asafoetida, black stone flower, Nigella seeds, cardamom, Ajwain, jakhiya, alkanet root, kokum, pomegranate seeds, dried kapok buds etc.. if you ever thought you were tired of eating Indian food, you had never had true Indian food. Unfortunately, restaurants don't serve that. You need to know some old granny from rural areas to experience these intricate tastes.

India: Has spices Britain: Hippity Hoppity, you're my property

I am from Kerala, India. Many of these spices are growing at my backyard. Black Pepper, Coco, Nutmeg, Pepper etc.

I spent the entirety of the video trying NOT to think of Dune and it's spice trade, only for you to end the video on it. I can't tell you enough how happy that made me at the end. This video DEFINITELY deserves a like. Not just for the things I didn't know about spices, but the inclusion at the end.

plants: develops poison inside their bodies so nobody gets close humans: yes

Dutch East India Company has joined the server.

U can find vanillin compounds in wood. It's similar to how aging alcohols like whiskey, tequila, or rum in different regions like the Caribbean, Oaxaca Tennessee, and the Scottish highlands can infuse unflavored spirits with essences of wood char, oak, and even vanilla, without separate flavoring agents.

so spice merchants just evolved to fridge salesmen

Mint: Haha I taste terrible so bugs and animals dont eat me Humans: woW U taste amaZing Mint: am I joke to you?

atlas: *talks about spices* indians: *allow us to introduce ourselves*

Its true, even our toothpastes are spicy😂

*The spice must flow*

Plants: Makes parts of them taste and smell horrible Humans: Likes it specifically for its taste and smell Plants: *Surprised Pikachu Face*

RealLifeLore: Britain's Food Is Disgusting Atlas Pro: Britain's Food Is Disgusting British: cri

"God created war so that Americans could learn geography" - Mark Twain

That Dune reference at the end though :)

Plants: Let's make ourselves spicy so that we won't get eaten. Humans: It's free real estate

So, British did all that for some spicy "Chicken Tikka Masala", 🤔🤔

There’s a big difference in “origin” and the hub of these spices, there’s so many variants of each and can grow in many places. You see it in those cultures that love spices.

As an Indian, I really feel for the people who live and die without eating indian food.

UK: Invades India for spices, leaves addicted to curry takeaways India: congratulations you played yourself

India is the largest exporter of spices, almost 65-75% spices that the world using comes from India.

The Dutch pillaged Indonesia for spices and then proceeded to use none of them in their cooking.

Humans eats spicy food Spices trying to kill bacteria : am i a joke to you

I was so distracted that I was unprepared for the Dune Reference. Well played, sir.

We won't even tell you what we have in Himalayas! That's the sequel - herbs, which you missed out on.

Plants : develops defense mechanism Humans : yum tasty and smells good Plants : SON of a bi....

Nice Dune reference at the end there.

*India is a king of Spices 🌿*

Columbus: "The spice must flow."

I can't tell you how hard I laughed at food in England is disgusting, but food in India is amazing😂😂😂

"The food in UK is disgusting"

And countries where these herbs and spices come from famous for their outstanding cuisines.

India n Mexico is d king of spices *GameOver* now go to sleep

Imagine invading and killing a whole continent just because someone wanted to eat something spicy

Can't live without spices! I love Indian, Eastern Mediterranean, Hungarian and Mexican cuisine.

Brit food: Salty Indian Food: S p i c e y Chinese food: Textur-ey?

I was expecting to hear way more about chili peppers. They're actually widespread in tropical America, not just the Cayenne pepper from French Guiana. They were eaten by the Mayans and Aztecs for instance.

Allspice is indigenous not only to Jamaica but to South Mexico and Central America. It is know as Pimienta Gorda or Pimienta de Tabasco.

as a history student, THANK YOU for explaining spices

Indian actually use more spices than what you have shown in the video.

Asian, land of the free VOC and British company : "FREE SPICES AND REAL ESTATE"

I hate the untrue stereotype that English food is bad. England has some amazing food. Shepherds pie, pot roast, beef Wellington, fish and chips ect. England has some truly amazing cuisine

Indian food is something i rank as my favorite food type. Nothing competes with it in my opinion but as a cook i must criticize your harsh attitudes towards English cooking. English food is divine given you do it right. Anyone complaining about English food being bad is either just saying it as a popular joke or has never tasted genuine English meal. P.S. Not English so i'm not bias.

Gordon Ramsay watching this video : THIS VIDEO NEEDS MORE SPICES

you should have talked more about chilli peppers. I think they play a far more important role than vanilla in Americas and their spread was interesting

There's a tribe here in the Philippines whose members are obsessed with chili peppers. They won't eat a meal literally without it. Some even say they will fight to the death if someone steals their chili plant. 😂. I myself love spices, that's why I have a strong immunity. I even put rosemary into a bottle of gin to make it smell good.

So much history!😮 Saffron is mentioned in ancient texts of India. So if it really originated in Mediterranean then trade between Europe and India is happening for thousand of years

@2:33 actually in a lot of cases refriɡeration was more than possible. In areas with seasons you fiɡure its ɡoinɡ to be around 55° or less for half the year (half of if not most of sprinɡ and fall as well as all of winter) They could also diɡ subterranian storaɡe wholes. Here even in the summer the temp stays even. Finally there's all sorts of ways to preserve meats such as smokinɡ, which they would litteraly stick the meat in a chimney to coat it with smoke, salt which is a mineral not a seasoninɡ, honey, or even coatinɡ the meat in fat like we do still to this very day with sausaɡe.

DUDE!!!!! Killed it with the Melange bit. I laughed so hard. Came out of nowhere. Great Video very informative.

Always wondered why every south Asian and south east Asian countries had some sort of chilli in their food and now it makes sense

I like this branch of history. Having a cocrete focus when speaking about history and geography works greatly as a memory enhancer.

Crimson nirnroot is the best spice.

Nutmeg was literally only found in one of the island in the Maluku island, Banda island, an island so small you can’t even see it on the map. Also it’s interesting how fast Asian cuisine adopted chili peppers which could only have been brought to the continent by Europeans.

British: we have hundreds upon hundreds if herbs and spices that people could use to make delicious meals! Also the Brits: Fish n Chips! Get your fish n chips! Beer battered with salt and pepper

Being from Mexico I love seeing this :D I love my spicy food a lot

Hopefully this channel gets air under its wings because the vids are high energy. The decision to sub was pretty quick for me.

India, Indonesia, Central America, Middle East and Africa (Mediterranean).

Vanillin is a derivative of lignin, which is the main component of paper and wood. To put it simply, if you just let paper age, it is going to accumulate vanillin, as it slightly decomposes. A bronze age container being covered in vanillin is more likely than not the result of some really old papers stored inside of it. Olive oil containing vanillin is more likely than not the result of some really old wood for the wooden barrels the oil was stored in.

*SEES DUNE REFERENCE IN A CHANNEL HE JUST FOUND OUT* + *IS A DUNE FAN* = *ENJOYS*

Christopher Columbus: I need to get to India for spices 600 years later..... Atlas Pro: Christopher Columbus wanted to go to the West Indies

2:50 shows Neanderthal with chili peppers. Sadly, no Neanderthal ate chili peppers because chilis are New World plants.

Cooking fish in different parts of the world Goa, India- Tumeric, Ginger Garlic paste, Chilly, Aamtaan Britain- Nah just fry it

Shout out to all the spice growing nations, we make the world a better place.

HE WHO CONTROLS THE SPICE

Saffron was originated in Iran, the very name indicates that. Also there are native species of thyme and mint which grow around the springs in high altitude mountains of Iran. All and all, props to India for pepper, curry, and ginger. Just can't get enough of them.

I thought Saffron was from Iran, Iraq, and India.

You unintentionally sent me down a rabbit hole, to figure out where I heard "spice melange" before (south park) & now I'm bout to order the first book in the dune series. Thanks

I hate get technical, but the spice Melange does not actually grow on Arrakis. It comes from the worms of Arrakis. The worm is the spice! The spice is the worm! Father, the sleeper has awakened!

Africa just completely got ignored :( Almost as if Guinea wasn’t called the “ Pepper coast “ on the 1400’s cause of its richness in spices....

British: Im gonna conquer the world, all the spice be long to us! Also british: ouchie, this bellpepper hurts my soul

Make a geography of herbs and spices PART 2. I need a comprehensive guide to spices for a world-building project. Spice-trading drives culture.

you missed to talk about these spices: - Ginger - Sporty - Baby - Scary - Posh

I think there is a problem, or at least a confounding factor, with your tropics-spice connection. There are WAY WAY more plant species in the tropics to begin with, so even if humans where using spices purely for fun, with no benefits to health whatsoever, we would still expect more spice variety in the tropics.

watching my favorite science nerds nerdgasm on RU-vid and then randomly toss in a pop culture reference makes me love them even more ❤That last spice was SOOO left field but when you mentioned it I couldn't help but break down and laugh because you had already validated it with the discussion ❤❤❤

Why is sugar not a spice? Because it doesn’t fulfill the function you set out in the beginning. It doesn’t kill decomposers. If anything it draws herbivores to plants. Except in extreme concentration, it doesn’t do much to preserve food either.

That means the Olympic gold medal winner of the marathon should be presented with fennel! Great video 👍

Plants: Creats toxins and chemicals to ward off predators Humans: Delicious

Thanks for mentioning sassafras at the end. I was going to mention it if you had not. I had no idea sassafras varieties grew so far north in North America. While sassafras roots are the source of the flavor of root beer, the "file" powder used in French influenced cuisines from Alabama to Texas is made from leaves. And if your gumbo does not have file, it's not real. Many of the active ingredients in the spices you mentioned are phenols, basically a benzene ring with a hydrocarbon chain and an alcohol group. Some of these chemicals can alter nerve signaling that tracks temperature perception. Capsaicin provokes a high temperature response, and our bodies flood the affected areas that have been "damaged" to heal the nonexistent damage. But the response itself causes damage. Menthol and thymol are similar phenol compounds, but they make us feel cooler rather than hotter. They also calm the digestive tract and dull the sensation that you are too full. That's why some North African cultures load you up with mint tea and meats flavored with thyme so you can truly "enjoy" their hospitality.

this is literally one of the most interesting videos I've ever seen. I never even wondered why food in the tropics had more spice to it. It all makes sense now!

So, how many spcies do you want. Netherlands: yes

All the time, during the video the back of my brain was like "Spice must flow" 😂 then you mentioned Arrakis and I almost choked on my tea

Chiles and vanilla: Exist Mexico: It’s free real spice

This video was really spiced up with valuable information ;)

They were infusing olive oil with vanilla thousands of years ago when they had no easy access to vanilla?! I know that sounds odd to you, but I'd argue to remember one thing: olive oil and vanilla are both AMAZING for skin and hair. Vanilla lends a fantastic fragrance with depth to any body product, and it is also a humectant (meaning it naturally pulls ambient moisture in the air into the skin, while the olive oil is protectant. Then, I'd also argue that baking with olive oil is a rather well-established thing. It may not be en vogue much in contemporary western cuisine, but historically it was an abundant oil in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. Lastly, I've infused olive oil with vanilla for about a decade now for both body products AND baking. It's common to replace one oil for another in cake recipes, and the vanilla olive oil has some fragrance MAGIC going on. Don't snub your nose at it just because the idea is weird or novelty to you. I can assure you, it is tried and true. Making soaps and bath oils? Vanilla absolute is QUITE pricey, imitation vanilla is abhorrent (for body application), vanilla extract immediately turns to smelling a bit more like root beer than vanilla (resulting in a root beer flavored person...which come to think of it, my niece really enjoyed), but infused into olive oil? That vanilla gets even more depth, and the verdancy of even a cheap olive oil balances out the palate. It's just....yeah....if you're reading this. Go stick a vanilla bean or two (split them first to increase surface area) in a bottle of olive oil. Wait a month, shaking once in a while (that's really as specific as you'll have to be; just when you think about it or see it, give it a quick shake to agitate it a bit), and try some in cake! or a bath! or your hair! (a nice natural oil for natural curl care, depending upon your particular curly hair type, porosity, etc) But seriously....It is SO WORTH IT!

As indonesian, i can’t live without spices 🤣

When you realize that root beer is the Most american soda

I can't believe you forgot Sansanna Spice a highly addictive spice which is famously known for being found in the mines of Kessel, but can also be found on Ryloth and Naboo.

THE SPICE MUST FLOW

Kind of off topic, but the first time I met a South American person (who was part native), I felt the need to say ‘thank you for taking one for the team’. I’m Indian, if that helps provide context.

Sugar isn't a spice. Both serve different purposes. In plants, the spice chemicals are used for self defence, while the sugar is used as energy storage.