Of Arabic origin, the word "coffee" comes from "qawha". Coffee was introduced to Egypt in the 15th century (during the Mamlûk period) from southern Egypt (Nubia) via Yemen and Arabia. The Mamlûks had complete control over the trade, which was initially limited to the upper social classes. As you may have read in our various episodes on the history of the world's spices, the 15th century saw the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, enabling...Continue Reading

5th to 11th centuries: the world's spice trade in turmoil In 410 AD, the Visigoths sacked Rome. The ransom amounted to several thousand pounds of pepper. This was followed by a period when the world spice trade came to a halt (notably following the invasion of North Africa by the barbarians). For 400 years, all traffic between kingdoms ceased; laws, religions, arts and sciences seemed threatened by a...Continue Reading

Alexander's conquest of India... 326 BC // year 47 We stopped at the beginnings of the future Suez Canal, 500 BC, which would have made it possible to avoid the long route taken by Ishmaelite merchants to Egypt. Alexander the Great entered India from the north-west in 326 BC, in a bitter battle (as was often the case in those days), and decided to open up two other routes by which he could transport spices from that country....Continue Reading

In the beginning... 4300 B.C. // 520 B.C. The discovery and trade of spices has seen empires rise and cities fall, and great powers succeed one another, but it has also served to bind together different eras of human history. This trade has been the starting point for relations between nations, and has kept East and West in constant contact. These spice trade routes have remained the main arteries of...Continue Reading