How Indian spices changed the world

How Indian spices changed the world

Vocabulary Review

Mention (Verb): To talk about or write about something quickly, without saying much. 

Example: Did the teacher mention when the homework is due?

Stock market (Noun): A place or system where people buy and sell shares (small parts) of companies. 

Example: Many people invest money in the stock market hoping to earn more.

Exotic (Adjective): Interesting and unusual because it comes from a different country or culture far away. 

Example: Tourists often like to buy exotic souvenirs from the places they visit.

Cabinet (Noun): A piece of furniture, often with shelves or drawers, used for storing things (like in a kitchen). 

Example: Please get the sugar from the top kitchen cabinet.

Ancient (Adjective): From a very, very long time ago; very old. 

Example: We learned about the ancient Romans in history class.

Rely on (phrasal Verb): To need or depend on someone or something to help or support you. 

Example: Children rely on their parents for food and safety.

The Indian spice trade (Noun Phrase): The business in history of buying spices in India and selling them in other places. 

Example: Learning about the Indian spice trade helps us understand global history.

Lucrative (Adjective): Allowing someone to make a lot of money; profitable. 

Example: Selling houses can be a lucrative business.

Monopoly (Noun): Having complete control over something (like a product or service) so no one else can provide it. 

Example: For many years, the post office had a monopoly on delivering letters.

Mythological (Adjective): Related to very old stories (myths), often about gods or heroes, that may not be true history. 

Example: Dragons are mythological creatures found in many old stories.

Frighten (Verb): To make someone feel scared or afraid. 

Example: Sometimes, scary movies can frighten people.

Cannibals (Noun): People who eat other human beings. 

Example: Old sailors' stories sometimes included tales of cannibals on distant islands.

Colonialism (Noun): The practice where a powerful country takes control of another country and its people. 

Example: The history of colonialism affected many parts of the world.

Colonizers (Noun): People from a powerful country who go to control another country. 

Example: The relationship between colonizers and the local people was often difficult.

Concerned with (Verb Phrase): Interested in something; focusing your attention on something. 

Example: Our science project is concerned with finding clean energy sources.

Brutal (Adjective): Very cruel, harsh, and violent. 

Example: The dictator was known for his brutal treatment of people who disagreed with him.

How Indian spices changed the world

When you think about India today, you are not alone if you immediately start to think about tasty curry-dishes and spicy, flavorful foods. India's history of spices is over 8,000 years old, with the earliest sources, such as the Vedas (ancient Indian books), which mention the importance of their spices in food and medicine, written in 6,000 BC. However, tasty Indian spices did a lot more than make our food taste delicious, they also surprisingly led to the discovery of new lands and the creation of modern corporations and the stock market.

Questions:

1) Is India's history of spices old or new?

2) Did people in ancient India use spices only for cooking?

Black pepper might seem like one of the more common and less exotic spices in your kitchen cabinet, but it was not always this way. In ancient Rome, black pepper was so valuable that it was often used to pay taxes and rent. The ancient Romans loved Indian spices and, in fact, most Roman dishes rely heavily on spices from India.

 Questions:

1) Do you think black pepper was cheap and easy to find a long time ago?

2) What did people sometimes use to pay rent and taxes in ancient Rome?

The Indian spice trade was very lucrative for Arab middle-men who traded the spices with the Europeans. In fact, the Arab spice-traders created a monopoly on their trade business with Europe and protected their trade monopoly by creating mythological stories to frighten the Europeans and make them not want to find the source, as well as more willing to pay a higher price. Some stories that were told include dangerous dragons, giant bats, cannibals, and sea monsters that would protect the spices in dangerous locations.

Questions:

1) Who was profiting from the spice trade?

2) Did the spice traders want the Europeans to know about where the spices came from?

3) How did the spice traders try to protect their monopoly on the spices?

4) If a spice trader told you one of these crazy stories, do you think you would believe them?

5) What does it mean to have a monopoly on the spice trade? Is it fair?

The desire for India's tasty spices was what led to the age of discovery, which was the period of time where great discoverers travelled the world by ship to find new land. Interestingly, Christopher Columbus, the man who discovered the Americas, did not want to find new land, his intention was to find a trade route to exchange the spices from India, he only found America by accident. This is the real reason why Columbus and the other American settlers called the Native Americans "Indians."

The desire for Indian spices not only created new European dishes, but it also created a lot of war and colonialism. The Portuguese and British Colonizers were less interested in controlling the territory of India and more concerned with controlling the spice trade, colonizing India was just a simpler and more effective way of controlling this spice trade. After the British and Portuguese gained control of the spice trade, several brutal wars occurred with other European nations who wanted to take control of the Indian spice trade as well.

Questions:

1) Were the British and Portuguese colonizers more interested controlling India or controlling the spice trade?

2) Why do you think the British and Portuguese wanted to control the Indian spice trade?

3) Did the Europeans share the spice trade peacefully? 

4) Do you think its okay for someone to colonize another country? why?

On the other hand, India's luxurious spice trade was responsible for the  development of the early stages of our modern economy. The first early versions of the modern corporation were created to turn the Indian spice trade into a formal business, and since it was a complicated task to buy, trade, and sell these spices, the organization of a modern corporation was needed and therefore created. 

Not only did the Indian spice trade help develop our modern corporate business structure, but it was also the reason we created the stock market. Stock markets are just a way for businesses to raise capital; companies create stocks (small portions of ownership of a company) that people can buy so they can get investment money. This is exactly how the first stock exchange was created in Amsterdam, and the reason was to fund the Indian spice trading business.

Questions:

1) Was organizing the spice trade really easy?

2) How did businesses get money for their expensive spice trading journeys?

3) What is a stock and why do businesses use the stock market?

Indian spices created so much more than tasty dishes like "palak paneer," "dosa," and "biryani." They also were the leading cause of the discovery of new land and the modern economy. 

India is the origin of over 70 percent of the world's spices, so the next time you enjoy a cinnamon coffee, or add some black pepper to your meal, remember that these spices were as valuable as gold, and created our modern economy.

Reading Comprehension Questions:

• What did the Romans call black pepper? What did they pay for using black pepper?

• How did the Arab traders try to keep their monopoly on the spice trade?

• The search for spices led Europeans to explore the world. Can you explain how this led to Christopher Columbus finding the Americas?

• Why do you think people fought wars over the control of the spice trade?

Discussion Questions:

• What is the most valuable good that your country exports?

• Have you tried Indian food before? Do you like it?

• Do people in your country like to eat spicy food?

• What are some of the most lucrative businesses in your country?

• Are there any monopolies in your country? 

Writing Question:

Write as much as you can think about on this topic, use ideas from the article as well as you own beliefs:

• "How might the world be different today if Indian spices hadn't become so popular in other countries?"