Peppers, nutmeg and Cloves

           

           In today’s generation there are innumerous things that we tend to take for granted and miss to see their importance. Who would have ever imagined that the spices, which we so carelessly use in our food, were once the building block of countries and entire nations, opening the path to an Age of discoveries?

            The so commonly used pepper of today was one of these spices that had such a strong influence in our world. Originated in India, from the tropical vine Piper nigrum, Pepper was once a world treasure desired and needed by many, and its value was so enormous that a small piece would be able to give a life of freedom to a man. In ancient times, during the fifth century, pepper was introduced to Europe by Arab traders, and differently from its current use, pepper was mainly used in medicine, making antidotes for poisons. However, Romans also used this spice in their food, mainly for preservation and flavor enhancer, thanks to its ability to disguise the taste of spoiled food, and reduce the salty taste. Pepper was at first a luxury, something that not all could have access to, however due to its abilities it become something of a very big importance that was needed in innumerous parts of the world, and Venice, being the first to have the spice monopoly in their power gained enormous profit, and this spice trade gave an incredible wealth to Venice. The spices gave such huge profit that other European countries, desiring the treasure of the spice trade, went in search of different routes that would compete with the Venice trade routes, venturing in deep and unknown waters. When in 1498, Vasco da Gama reached India by sea, the period of the Portuguese empire and dominance over the spice trade started.  Spain had also a very big interest in the dominance over the spices, and due to that desire, Columbus went in search of a shorter route westward to India that would avoid the Portuguese route. However what Columbus found was not India, even though he had no idea at the time, Columbus had just reached the New world, and oblivious of that fact named the land as West Indies. Adding to that important discovery, Columbus found in those lands a spice that would be as important. Columbus found the chili pepper, spice so loved by people. This Portuguese domination over the spice trade lasted for 150 years, however the Dutch and English started to gain control over it, and their trips to India may be the first traces of capitalism with investments and buying of shares, to finance the expensive trips to India.

            There is no doubt that spices are loved by many, and due to their abilities and hot sensations they made empires rise thanks to the enormous search for these hot treasures. One of the most precious characteristics of spices it’s the hot sensations they create, and a fact that may be unknown to many is that this sensation is in fact not a taste, but actually a pain induced nervous response due to a chemical stimulus. This stimulus of the pain nerves is done by the active ingredient in the spices. For example, pepper has piperine as an active ingredient, and it is believed that the shape of this molecule makes it possible for it to fit in a protein by the end of the pain nerve endings, changing the shape of the protein which will send a signal to the nerves of the brain indicating that something is hot. This theory of the shape of the molecule being the responsible of the hot sensation can be once again observed when analyzing the active ingredients in both chili pepper and ginger. The active molecule in chili pepper is capsaicin, while in ginger it is zingerone, and these two molecules besides having enormous resembles with each other, they are also really structural similarities with the piperine molecule of pepper. 

            It is known that all this spices produce the hot sensation, and since their structures have such similarities, the theory of the influence of the molecule shape in the ‘hotness’ of the spice is very well possible. But why would people like the sensation of spices, why would they enjoy the pain? This is explained with the creation of endorphins by the brain as a response to the pain caused by the ‘hot’ molecules, which create pleasure. However this is not the only good effects that spices have in the human body. Piperine, capsaicin and zingerone also increase the creation of saliva, which helps with digestion, and stimulates the movement of food through the bowel.

            Other two spices that were as important to history as peppers and rarer were the nutmeg and cloves, both originated from the Moluccas, now known as Maluku. Portuguese had again dominance over the trade of nutmeg and cloves, surpassing the Venetian merchants by directly reaching the sources of this spices. However, Spain also desired this trade, and sent Magellan, a Portuguese mariner whose plans had been rejected by his country, in a voyage convinced that he would be able to reach the Spice Islands through a shorter route. Magellan went through innumerous dangers during the trip and died without ever reaching the spices that he was looking for. Only three years after, did one survivor ship arrive to Spain with spices after finally reaching the Moluccas. The Portuguese power over the cloves monopoly was eventually lost to the Dutch and after innumerous fights, massacres, invasions, and treaties the Dutch got the power over the nutmeg trade losing the right to New Amsterdam to the English, land that latter was named New York. This monopoly was again eventually lost when clove seedlings were smuggled and spread all along the East African Coast.

The main component of cloves is eugenol, while in nutmeg it is isoeugenol, and even though these two molecules have very similar structures, differing only in the position of a double bond, the smells produced by both spices are distinctively different. Cloves were used as breath sweeteners in the Chinese Imperial Court due to its strong and wonderful smell of the eugenol, as well as an antiseptic anesthesia in dentistry and as a remedy for toothache. As for nutmeg, this spice was used to treat rheumatism, stomach pains, colics, as an aphrodisiac and as a protector against the plague. Both eugenol and isoeugenol are natural pesticides needed by the plants to fight against threats, and due to those insecticidal properties it explains the reason why nutmeg was used to protect against the plague, since it would keep away the fleas that carried the plague. Nutmeg also has in its constitution myristicin and elemicin, molecules that may contribute to the insecticidal properties, but also to the hallucinogen properties of nutmeg, which in an unknown metabolic pathway in our bodies could originate traces of compounds that are close to amphetamines. However people do not consume the quantities needed for the psychedelic effects to be felt.

            As the authors have shown to us in this chapters , there is no doubt that spices have had a big impact in history, they have promoted the Age of the Discoveries, Empires, capitalism and even battles were fought over this treasured spices which used go beyond what we knew it was possible. The authors have done an incredible job portraying the importance of these molecules mentioning all those real historical events that had spices as the promoters. Spices were a treasure of the world, and it is sad to see that the same does not happen in the modern world. There are not innumerous used for spices nowadays, their sources are easier to reach and their preservative, protective and medicinal properties are not as important anymore. The only use given to spices now, are culinary uses, and it is quite sanding to understand that, once such prosperous molecules, have now become a common commodity of daily life.