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Anise is native to the Middle East and is from a plant in the parsley family. Since prehistoric times, anise has been used for medicinal purposes and to give a licorice-like flavor to medicine. During ancient Rome, people hung anise near their pillows to ward off bad dreams and consumed it to help digestion and prevent epileptic attacks. In the New World, anise was grown as a medicinal crop. Anise is used to flavor liqueurs like anisette and ouzo. Like anise, star anise has a strong licorice flavor, but star anise is bitter. Star anise is a major component of Chinese five-spice blends.
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Basil originated in India and Persia, but it is now grown in the Mediterranean, France and the United States. Greeks did not like basil, but the Romans loved it and made basil a symbol of love and fertility. Hindus still plant basil plants in their homes to bring the family happiness.
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| Bay leaves are the leaves of the laurel tree. These are the same laurel leaves that were made into decorative wreaths to crown victors in ancient Greece and Rome. Laurel wreaths were also used to honor scholars and poets. Throughout Europe, bay leaves were thought to bring good luck and ward off evil. |
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| As early as the 4th century B.C., cardamom was used in India as a medicinal herb. Greeks and Romans later used it to aid digestion. In Sweden, cardamom is even more popular than cinnamon, used to flavor coffee and bread. Indians use cardamom to flavor curry blends. |
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| Cinnamon comes from the dried bark of several different types of laurel trees. It is originally native to Sri Lanka, but the Egyptians imported cinnamon from China in 2000 B.C. Ancient Romans held cinnamon sacred; it is said that Nero burned a year’s supply of cinnamon at his wife’s funeral. The quest for cinnamon was a catalyst in driving global exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries. |
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| Cloves were one of the many spices native to the Molucca islands, which are now part of Indonesia. Moluccans planted one clove tree for every child that was born and believed that the tree’s fate was closely linked to that of the child’s. |
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| Garlic was used throughout the world more than 5,000 years ago, when Egyptians fed garlic to workers as they built the pyramids. Garlic was also given to Olympic athletes in Greece; many cultures administered garlic to laborers in order to increase work production and strength. Today, it is used in nearly every cuisine worldwide. |
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Rosemary is another herb that is native to the Mediterranean. It’s said that rosemary got its name during the Virgin Mary’s flight from Egypt. She draped her blue cloak on a rosemary bush, then placed a white flower atop her cloak. The flower turned blue, and the bush became known as the Rose of Mary. Greeks believed that rosemary enhanced memory and brain function, weaving wreaths of rosemary into their hair. It also became known as a symbol of fidelity, and it was once burned as incense at wedding parties throughout Europe. European judges also burned rosemary to protect them from the illnesses that prisoners exposed them to. |
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| Thyme was the fragrant herb that Middle Age maidens embroidered into the scarves they gave their knights. Thyme was sacred even earlier in history, when thyme was thought to be in the straw bed of the Virgin Mary and Christ. In ancient Greece, thyme was regarded as a symbol of courage and sacrifice. |
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| While ginger is a fairly common spice, it is uncommon in that it has never been found growing wild. As a result, no one can pinpoint ginger’s origin or its age. Ginger was first cultivated by the Chinese and Indians and it was one of the spices that led to the opening of spice trade routes. Ginger ale originated when in the 19th century it was popular to keep shakers of ginger on the bar in English pubs so that patrons could shake ginger into their drinks. |
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