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Early medics prescribed spices for ills ranging from hiccups to tumors. Coriander was said to be good for ulcers; fennel, for liver ailments and fenugreek, for dandruff. Garlic was prescribed for epilepsy, and mint, if held in the hand, prevented the chafing of skin. Hysterical females were urged to try mustard.
Spices, however, were not for the masses.
In the 300’s , for example, the emperor Constantine gave the Bishop of Rome a gift of Cloves, saffron and pepper.
And when the Goths besieged Rome a century' later, they demanded as ransom 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver and 3,00 pounds of pepper.
During the Middle Ages, when cooking was less than an art and baths were infrequent, spices were even more in demand. A f>ound of ginger was worth more than a sheep.
The profitable spice trade with the East helped transform Venice from a cluster of small mud islands into a cultural center of the Renaissance.
An attempt to cut out the middleman spurred Pprtuguese navigators down the uncharted coast of Africa and helped persuade Isa
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