The Spice Trade

The spice trade dates back to the classical period of history (very very long ago)
Civilizations of Asia, Europe, and Africa would trade all sorts of spices
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Pepper
- Turmeric
- Opium
Trade was conducted through trade routes or overland

Cultural Exchanges due to Trade

In southeast asia much of the economic activities of trade and the money generated by it were manages by hindu and Buddhist groups
- They were trusted with the large sums of money received
- These funds generated were later put to use for the betterment of the community
The Buddhists spread the ideologies of literacy and art
Sharing of Languages
- Due to Trade, the sharing or languages and cultural customs flourished between Europe, Asia and Africa
- A common trading language was needed for better communication, and after Vasco Da Gama has made a maritime trading route, portuguese was spoken
- The shared knowledge allowed Indonesia, India, and Malaysia to share their spices and their recipes, sharing their culture through food
- By the 19th century, traditional foods of some countries were found in non native states, such as Britain had indian food shops in the 19th century
- Some explorers like christopher Columbus on the mission to explore a new trade route accidentally found america
  - Columbus brought back chillies to Europe
As more parties (companies and countries) became involved in trade, spices were no longer seen as a luxury item, but rather a common everyday commodity, causing their monetary value to decrease
Asia still dominates the spice trade today
Although the spice trade has lead to benefits among societies
- Shared knowledge about medicine
there was a negative side to the spice trade

The highly profitable nature of the spice trade lead to intense competition among countries
- Everybody wanted to dominate the spice trade
There was a competition between the Portuguese and the Spanish about dominating the clove trade
The global spice trade lead to international conflicts