ENCHANTING WORLD OF SPICES

They were guarded like treasures, their true origins concealed. Vanilla and pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom were not merely commodities in centuries past; they were the causes of wars, mass murders, and spectacular exchanges of colonies. To this day, they remain a fundamental part of our culture, their distinctive aromas familiar to all. But where did they originally come from? The evolution of a unique habitat has produced all these spices within a narrowly defined area, a process unmatched anywhere else. They have emerged as jewels from hotspots of biodiversity, created through the interaction of climate, flora, and fauna. Today, their fragrances are known to many, but their origins to few. In our series, we aim to visit and uncover the realms of aromas and discover the enchanting world they have brought into being. Mexico's Gulf Coast is the birthplace of vanilla, nutmeg and cloves once created mother nature in the Indonesian Moluccas, the cinnamon bush grows in Sri Lanka and cardamom spreads on Monsoon damp earth of India's Malabar coast.