The world’s obsession with Indian spices has gone on for many centuries. Spices, and the promise of gold, is what sent Christopher Columbus sailing for the “New World” thinking he was finding a route to India. At about the same time Vasco da Gama sailed from Portugal around the southern tip of Africa to the west coast of India opening trade for spices with India. Wars, holy wars, have been fought and thousand lost their lives for the promises of riches from spices, gold and jewels. Usually for the glory of God.
Spice trade is still commercially important in India today, as evidence from this street scene of the Spice Market in Old Delhi.