Today， across the United States， there is a lively
interest in spices and their uses. People every-
where are experimenting with spices and happily
discovering what delicious variety they bring to
foods. The popularity of ethnic foods has in-
creased the usage of colorful and exotic spices
while interest in tasty diet foods has revealed the
low-sodium， low-calorie and low-cholesterol vir-
tues of spices.
This fascination with spices， however， is not
new--it is centuries old. The same spices that we
take for granted have greatly influenced history.
When prehistoric man wrapped meat in leaves to
keep it clean， he discovered a means of seasoning
food. Exactly where this first took place， no one
knows， for spices are native to many lands. Wars
have been fought to acquire certain spices. The
Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon spices in
tribute to his great wisdom. Marco Polo returned
to Venice from the Orient with tales of sampling
ginger in China， cinnamon in Ceylon， cloves and
nutmeg in Molucca， and pepper in India. Colum-
bus journeyed westward in search of a better
route for spice trading.
Spices were almost impossible to obtain in co-
lonial America; however， herbs were grown for
everyday use. During the twentieth century， avail-
ability of spices from all over the world increased
dramatically， as is indicated by the vast array of
spices， herbs and blends now carried at the local
supermarkets.
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