Autumn has arrived. The evenings become cool (in the South that means about 80 degrees), the leaves turn brilliant shades, and a spicy scent lingers in the air. The scent, either the natural smell of decaying leaves...or...PUMPKIN SPICE. This time of year we find it in coffee, beer, hummus -- just about everything. As the great riffer, Michael J. Nelson tweeted:
The insanity of it is that he is absolutely right. The sriracha craze is at it's full height and now entire kiosks in stores are devote to pumpkin spice world -- from lip balm to chips to potpourri. This got me to thinking...what if I devoted an entire month to blogging about pumpkin spice? What madness is this? Is it genius or merely dementia? Does is hold the power to save the world or destroy it? I guess we'll find out as we enter 31 Days of Pumpkin Spice!
*lightning flash* *evil cackles*
But what the fuck is pumpkin spice, anyway? And so Day 1 and 2 are devoted to exploring the spices and their stories,and how the pumpkin spice craze is far from new.
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices, first marketed to those too lazy to use multiple measuring spoons in the 1930s. It is comprised of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. It was used to spice (surprise, surprise!) pumpkin pies and also pumpkin spice cakes.
 |
| Click to Tweet |
The history of procuring those spices, though, sends us much further into history -- all the way back to when the Sumerians were first establishing cities in 3000 BC. Here the earliest evidences of the spice road, "the Golden Road of Samarkand", can be found, as the Far East traded spices with the Middle East.
Eventually the Romans took over, because Romans have to control everything. By the time they had sailed two years across the Indian Ocean to get some freakin' pumpkin spice, only royalty could afford it, and pumpkins, being native to the Americas, hadn't even been discovered by white people yet, so not even rich, fat Romans ate spiced pumpkin pie.
Centuries go by and the demand for the spice only increases. The major players in pumpkin pie spice - like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg - are some of the most valued. Regular people demand pumpkin spice, and Rome fell. Probably pumpkin spice caused the fall of Rome...it's my story, and I'll tell it the way I want.
Most of the exploration done by Europeans from 1200 to 1500 was the direct result of their love for pumpkin spice -- and they didn't even know about pumpkins yet. This really isn't an exaggeration. From Vasco De Gama sailing around the Horn of Africa to Columbus discovering America, they were ALL motivated by the desire to find a cheaper route for the spice trade (i.e. love of pumpkin spice).
 |
| He who controls the spice, controls the universe! |
That "East India Trading Company" from Pirates of the Carribean really did exist. They transported spices throughout the world. Though they probably didn't have any dealings with undead pirates, their flag sure looks like they could.
And something called the Spice Wars really did break out among the trading companies. Competition was fierce as spices were worth more than their weight in gold, and many merchants did result to piracy in their search for more spice. That's right. The pumpkin spice craze created pirates.
The East India Trading Company really did rule the spice trade (probably due to that Davy-Jones-heart thing), until America got into the game. The Americans decided to just trade with the Indian natives directly and eliminate the middle man, resulting in a huge increase in profits and they dominated the market after that. Ironically, it was a former clerk for the East India Trading Company who came up with this.
 |
| Click to Tweet |
I hope you've learned a few things about the power of pumpkin spice. Tomorrow, we'll continue to find out just what the fuck pumpkin spice is, as we explore the spices themselves, when pumpkins come in, and just how much blame we can put on Starbucks. Part Two
Join in the fun on Twitter with your favorite recipes, quips, or (semi)historical facts by using the hashtag #TeamPumpkinSpice
No comments:
Post a Comment