Part 1

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SPICES

THEIR HISTORIES

Valuable Information For Grocers

Price Fifty Cents

Copyrighted 1910 By the Trade Register, Inc. Seattle, Washington.

CONTENTS

PAGE INTRODUCTION 3

ALLSPICE OR PIMENTO 4

CAPSICUM 7

CINNAMON AND CASSIA 13

CLOVES 21

GINGER 25

MUSTARD 31

NUTMEG AND MACE 36

PEPPER 45

CUMIN, OR CUMMIN SEED 52

SPICES

INTRODUCTION.

The history of spices, with other valuable information to all branches of the grocery trade, was originally written by Robert O. Fielding, of the staff of the Trade Register, in which the several articles appeared in various issues of that journal, duly protected by copyright, with the accompanying illustrations.

Retail grocers everywhere will find this little book of especial value for study and reference. It is all meat for the salesman who realizes that success in trade these days depends upon knowing where the goods he handles were produced, how to judge their qualities, how they are prepared for market, and what are their uses. How to sell, the market conditions, etc., are continuously set forth in the weekly issues of the Trade Register, $2 a year, by men who have had practical experience behind the counter.

Editor.

ALLSPICE OR PIMENTO

A Valuable Product From Jamaica Which Combines the Flavor of Cloves, Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Allspice is the dried unripe berries of a tree of the myrtle family, the pimento, known botanically as Eugenia pimenta, or Pimenta officinalis. It’s an evergreen tree some 20 to 30 ft. high, with a slender, straight, upright trunk, much branched at the top; the bark is smooth, gray and aromatic; the leaves--which when fresh abound in essential oil--are 5 in. long, of an oblong shape and deep shiny green color; the blossoms--which appear in July and August--are white and fragrant; the berries (sometimes called corns), which form on the disappearance of the flower, are picked unripe, altho fully grown, they are of a greenish-purple color. After picking, the berries are dried in the sun or in kilns until dark brown and then separated from the stalk. The dried berries are light, brittle, of roundish form and crowned with the remains of the flower calyx in the shape of a raised, seared-like ring; each berry contains two dark-brown flattish, kidney-shaped seeds. If allowed to ripen, the berries lose their aromatic flavor and become merely sweet and pulpy. Only in Jamaica--where it is cultivated in plantations called Pimento walks--does the pimento tree grow to perfection, altho attempts are made to cultivate it in other West India islands and South America. It is thought to combine the flavor of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, hence it is called allspice.

=Uses=--Its chief use is for culinary purposes. It is a powerful irritant, good for dyspepsia, flatulency, gout, hysteria and toothache. It is often employed to disguise the nasty taste of medicine. Allspice yields volatile oil by distillation, which is used as a flavoring in alcoholic solution, is of a brownish-red, clear appearance, and has the odor and taste of pimento, but is warm and more pungent. A green fixed oil has the burning aromatic taste of pimento and is supposed to be the acrid principle. A tincture from allspice has been praised as an application in chilblains.

=Substitutes.=--The Mexican spice, called Pimento de Tabascol is somewhat larger and less aromatic than Jamaica pimento. The berries of Pimento acris, (bayberry) whose leaves are used in the manufacture of bay-rum. The Carolina allspice--calycanthus florides, a shrub 6 or 8 ft. high, with an odor somewhat like strawberries. Japan allspice--chimonanthus frangrans--which grows in Japan, and wild allspice--lindera benzoin--known also as spice-wood, fever-wood, benjamin-bush--a member of the laurel family growing in the United States. To secure uniformity of color these inferior kinds are often colored with Armenian bole, a kind of red clay from Armenia, and they are also often mixed in ground allspice, in addition to the stalks of the pimento. A kind of red pimento from Salonica is also used as an adulterant. During the civil war, when pimento was high in price, a substitute was made up of clove-stems, wasted rye, a little cayenne pepper, and some cassia; this was very acceptable, altho there was not an ounce of pimento in it.

CAPSICUM

Cayenne Pepper Is Made from This Branch of the Nightshade Family--Descriptions of the Various Varieties of Capsicum--Tabasco Pepper Sauce

The capsicum is a genus of plants of the nightshade family (Salanacea) that grows luxuriently in all tropical countries and many species of which are cultivated in the temperate zone. Capsicum or Red Pepper is of American origin for these reasons: Fruits so conspicuous, so easily grown in gardens and so agreeable to the palates of the inhabitants of hot countries would have very quickly diffused thruout the old world, if they had existed in the South of India, as it has sometimes been supposed. They would have had names in several ancient languages, yet neither the Romans, Greeks nor the Hebrews were acquainted with them. They are not mentioned in ancient clinic books. The islands of the Pacific did not cultivate them at the time of Cook’s voyage in spite of the proximity of the Sunda Isle where Rumphines mentions their very general use. The Arabian physician, Ebn Baithar, who collected in the 13th century all that eastern nations knew about medicinal plants, says nothing about them. Probably the first known history of cayenne pepper in Europe is that given by Martyr, who writes of Columbus bringing it home in 1493 and speaks of it being more pungent than that from Caucasus, probably referring to the Oriental black pepper. About a century later, Gerarde writes of its being brot into Europe from Africa and Southern Asia and being grown in European gardens. Probably the first record of its use is that by Dr. Chanca, who was physician with Columbus’ fleet in 1494, and who alludes to it as a condiment used in dressing meats, dying and other purposes, as well as a medicine. From the ground dried seeds and pericarp of certain varieties of capsicum we get cayenne pepper, so-called from Cayenne, in French Guiana, S. A., whence it was imported by the French. Cayenne pepper is also called Calicut and Napaul, the names of places of export, and it was known as Guiana pepper over 300 years ago. The derivation of the word “Capsicum” is uncertain; it may be from Kapto, hot, on account of its pungent taste, or from capsa, a box, or chest, referring to the form of its fruit. The plant grows from 1 ft. to 6 ft. high and is fairly well branched; the flowers are white or greenish-white; the fruits of the several species are of various forms, round, oblong, cordate or horned, and contain a number of flattish seeds. The seeds after the removal of the pericarp, and then thoroly washed and dried, are entirely devoid of acidity and pungency. The hotter and drier the soil, the more acrid and pungent the fruit.

Used in moderate quantities, capsicum or cayenne pepper, promotes digestion and so prevents flatulence. The natives of Brazil boil the capsicums and dip their manioc bread in it, making a kind of fiery soup. They are extensively used in India in compounding curries and chutneys. In Bengal the natives make an extract from the small capsicum chilies of about the consistency of molasses. The bell peppers are pleasant stuffed with meats, fish, other vegetables, etc. The sweet and mild kinds fed to birds are said to improve their plumage.

C. Annum is the most common species and contains a great many varieties, among them the Pimiento (not Pimento or allspice) commonly known as Spanish red peppers or morrons, also Paprika, or Hungarian sweet pepper. This species is never found growing wild.

C. frutesens is sometimes called goat pepper and is generally described as the true cayenne. Its leaves are from 3 in. to 6 in. long by 2 in. to 3½ in. wide, the fruit is red, obtuse or oblong accumminate, ¾ to 1½ in. long and ¼ to ¾ in. in diameter. It is very acrid and pungent. It is only cultivated in the tropical regions, as the seasons in the temperate climate are not long enuf to mature the fruit.

C. baccatum is ovate of sub-round and about ¼ in. in diameter. C. baccatum have been known in the English gardens since 1731.

C. facticulatum, also known as Mexican chilies, is a shrubby plant of Sierra Leone, and grows in Zanzibar; also known as small chilies, or red cluster peppers. The fruit, which grows erect, is oblong linear, not quite an inch in length and of a deep red orange color. Another variety, which are mostly consumed locally, have larger red and yellow fruit. Zanzibar capsicums or chilies, are dirty looking, of a brownish-red color and very hot. A variety from Japan are bright red, not so pungent as the other growths, but of finer aroma.

C. ceresiforme, the fruit is spherical, sub-cordate, oblate or occasionally pointed. The flesh is firm, from 1-12 to ½ in. thick, and very pungent; from the shape of its fruit it is called the cherry capsicum, or pepper.

C. grossum, originally from India, grows 2 ft. high, with a few branches and large leaves 3 to 5 in. long, the fruit is large, oblong or ovate, and is known as bell pepper; it is mostly used for stuffing and pickling; the skin being thick, soft and tender and of a mild flavor.

C. abberciatum, with ovate fruit about 2 in. long. While this variety is used to some extent for pickling, it is cultivated more as an ornamental plant.

C. longum grows to about 3 ft. high with comparatively few branches, the fruit is often a foot long and 2 in. in diameter. The flesh is thick and flavor mild.

C. Acumination is about 2½ ft. high. The fruit, which is small, grows both erect and pendent.

C. Conordes, with oblong linear fruit, which grows erect, is very acrid and pungent. It is known as tabasco capsicum or pepper. Bird pepper, bird’s-eye chilies, red-bird pepper, etc., are commercial names given to the mild, sweet varieties of capsicum on account of their being fed to birds. Nepaul pepper, commercial name for capsicum imported from that place in India. Nepaul pepper has an odor and flavor resembling orris root and a pod the color of amber when dried. It is most esteemed as a condiment, being aromatic and appetizing, and not so acrid or biting as is most cayenne. Paprika, commercial name for the mild, sweet varieties of capsicum, chiefly grown in Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Jamaica, Japan and Zanzibar.

Japanese pepper is the fruit of Xanthoxylum, an entirely different genus of plants to the capsicum family. The fruit capsules when bruised are agreeably pungent and aromatic. It is much esteemed as a condiment in China and Japan.

Tabasco pepper sauce originated with Mr. E. McIllhenny, of New Iberia, La., in 1868, from a variety of capsicum in which the fruit grows erect, and was brot by a soldier friend of Mr. McIllhenny from Tabasco in Mexico after the close of the Mexican war.

Tabasco catsup originated with Mr. George Bayle of St. Louis, Mo. The base of it is said to be equal proportions of powdered capsicum and essence of tomatoes.

Ground cayenne pepper soon loses its bright color when kept too long or exposed to the light, and becomes dingy in appearance, so it is not always wise to judge by looks alone, as red ocher, turmeric, mustard, rice, sawdust, salt, brick dust, etc., have been found in cayenne pepper.

The large fruits or pods are commercially known as capsicums, and the smaller ones as chilies. The term pepper is a misnomer as applied to this spice.

CINNAMON AND CASSIA.

The Sweet Wood of Ceylon and the Aromatic Bark of the Present Day Often Confused With Cassia--Valuable Trade History.

Cinnamon

As in the case of sago and tapioca, a good deal of misconception prevails in regard to cinnamon and cassia, and as with sago and tapioca, one is often sold for the other by the uninformed. The word “cassia,” botanically speaking, has nothing whatever to do with the aromatic bark which we call by that name, but refers to a genus of plants of the bean family, from which are derived the dried senna leaves, an infusion of which our mothers induced us to take by the bribe of a piece of candy, altho we had “tummy ache” for a brief space afterwards. The word “cinnamon” is derived from two Malayan words “cassia” from the Greek word “kasian,” which occurs in Psalms XLV-8, and elsewhere in the Bible, where it is supposed to refer to the aromatic bark of the present day, was afterwards tacked on. That cassia (the bark) was known in biblical times is well authenticated. It is mentioned in a Chinese herbal published in 1700 B. C. under the name kwei.

The earliest mention of cinnamon is in a list of offerings by Seleneneus Callinieus, king of Syria, and his brother, Antiochus Hierax, to the temple of Apollo at Miletus, 243 B. C. Among the gifts mentioned are: “2 lbs. of cassia and a like quantity of cinnamon.” From this it appears there was then a recognized distinction between the two barks. We do know that the cassia was obtained from China, but the source of the cinnamon is unknown, unless it was obtained thru the Chinese from Ceylon, the inhabitants of those countries being in frequent intercourse in ancient times, for the earliest mention we have of cinnamon as a production of Ceylon is by Kazwini, an Arab writer of about 1275 A. D.

That cinnamon and cassia were extremely analogus is proved by the remark of the Greek physician Galen (130–200 A. D.): “The finest cassia differs so little from the lowest quality of cinnamon, that the first may be substituted for the second, provided a double quantity of it were used.” With this brief historical sketch we will now endeavor to point out the differences between the two barks.

In the first place the word “cinnamon” refers solely to the cinnamon zeylanicium plant of Ceylon, where it is found growing wild, and was first brot under cultivation by De Koke in 1770. Here again, as with cloves, mace, etc., the Dutch tried to monopolize the trade. The giving away of a plant was punishable by flogging and the destruction of a plant involved the penalty of death. The tree grows to the height of 20 or 30 ft., having a trunk 12 to 18 inches in diameter; the leaves are of a thick leathery texture, 4 to 6 inches long, very smooth and shining on the upper surface, glaucous with prominent netted veins on the under side, and are traversed by 3 or 5 ribs. The flowers are greenish-white and appear in clusters of threes. The fruit is an oval berry, not unlike an acorn in shape and color. The tree flowers in January and the fruit ripens in August. When the branches are peeled the finest sticks are said to be derived from the liber of the middle-sized branches, an inferior sort from the younger shoots, and that which is procured from the thickest branches is considered of little worth. The peeling commences in May and lasts until November. The shoots or branches, usually about ½-inch to ¾-inch in diameter and from 3 to 5 ft. long, are cut off with a curved pruning knife, tied up in bundles and carried to the peeling sheds. The bark is removed with a small, round-pointed knife, with a small projecting rib or cutter placed at right angles to the edge of the knife. With this knife the bark is split lengthwise of the stock. It is then carefully loosened from the wood for a short distance on either side of the slit. A similar incision is made on the opposite side and the bark is finally removed. The bark is then put in piles, covered with scrapings and matting and left for about two days, during which time a sort of fermentation takes place, which greatly facilitates the separation of the outer part of the bark from the cuticle and epidermis, which is carefully done by scraping with a small, curved knife, having a slightly serrated edge. This process is called piping. The piper sorts the bark as he scrapes it. He selects a slip suitable for the outer layer, about 3 ft. long, and packs within it 6 or 8 other pieces, all about the thickness of vellum paper--a mark which always distinguishes Ceylon cinnamon from cassia. They are then rolled up together and exposed to the sun to dry. It now resembles a tight roll of paper, the best quality being firm and compact, of a golden yellow color, smooth on both outer and inner surfaces. The cheaper grades are not so carefully made, having many short pieces in the pipes or quills and not so much attention is paid to obtain uniform size and color. At Colombo it is sorted into three kinds by government inspectors. The two finest kinds are exported, the third with the broken pieces being reserved for obtaining oil of cinnamon. It is formed in bales about 90 lbs. each and wrapped in double cloths made of hemp, and not, as stated by some, of the cocoa tree.

Guava bark, soaked in the water left after the distillation of cinnamon oil and rubbed over with cinnamon oil, is sometimes placed inside good cinnamon quills and then it takes a man of Solomon’s wisdom to detect the fraud.

Cassia

Cassia, under the name of Kwei, is mentioned in the earliest Chinese herbal--that of the Emperor Shena-ming, who reigned about 2700 B. C.; in the ancient Chinese classics, and in Rh-ya an herbal dating from 1200 B. C. In the Hai-yao-pen-ts’ao, written in the eighth century, mention is made of Tien-chu Kwei. Tien-chu is the ancient name for India, perhaps the allusion may be to the cassia bark of Malabar. In connection with these extremely early references to the spice, it may be stated that a bark supposed to be cassia is mentioned as imported into Egypt together with gold, ivory, frankincense, precious woods and apes, in the 17th century B. C. The accounts given by Dioscondes, Ptolemy and the author of the Periphes of the Erythrean Sea, that cinnamon and cassia were obtained from Arabia and eastern Africa; and we further know that the importers were Phoenicians who traded by Egypt and the Red Sea with Arabia, and it was imported hither from southern China.

Cassia, according to Marshall and others, is the bark of the old branches and trunks of the cinnamon zeylanicium, while others assert that it is the bark of an entirely different species, namely, cinnamon cassia, a native of China, but also grown in Java. This view is the more probable, as no cassia is exported from Ceylon, it almost all coming from Canton. Regents have also very different effects on the infusion and oil of these two barks, which conclusively shows that they are obtained from different species. Cassia comes in bales, 2 to 4 lbs., bound by strips from the bark of some other tree. The pipes or quills are thicker and rolled once or twice, and never contain thinner pieces within; the diameter of the bark is much thicker, harder, and not as carefully scraped. The color is a deeper browinsh-fawn color. The taste is more acridly aromatic, pungent sweet, at the same time more powerfully astringent yet muclignious. Cassia is often substituted for cinnamon. It is adulterated with cassia lignea, the bark of a degenerate variety of cinnamon zeylanicium growing in Malabar, Penang and Silhet.

Other varieties of cassia are: Saigon cassia, the bark of an unknown species which appeared in commerce about 1875. The outer bark is not removed, has a gray or grayish-brown color, is covered externally with whitish blotches, warts or wrinkles.

C. Aromaticum is believed to be the cinnamon of China and Cochin China, growing in the provinces of Kwantung and Kwangsi. The leaves are very much larger than the Ceylon tree, hang down from the stalks and have never more than three ribs. This is the species that yields the cassia buds.

C. Tamala is a native of India, wild in Derwanee and Gongachora. It is cultivated in the gardens of Rungpoor. The dried leaves have an aromatic taste.

C. Loureirii grows in the lofty mountains of Cochin China, to the west towards Laos, Japan. The flowers of cassia are produced by this species. The old and young branches are worthless, but the middle-sized shoots produce a bark that is superior to that of Ceylon. None of it is exported.

C. Culilawan is a native of Amboyna. The bark when dry is aromatic like cloves, but less pungent and sweeter. It is used by the natives of Amboyna as an internal medicine and as a stimulating linament.

C. Rubrium grows in Cochin China, and contains an essential oil, smelling of cloves, but not so agreeable.

C. Sintoc is a tree about 80 ft. high, growing in the Neilgherry mountains, India, and the higher mountains of Java. The bark is of the same quality as the Amboyna cassia, but not so agreeable. It is more bitter and powdery when chewed.

C. Xanthaneuron is a native of the Papuan islands and the Moluccas. The bark when fresh is very fragrant, but it soon loses its quality.

C. Nitidum is a native of India. It is a shrub or small tree.

C. Javanicum grows in Java and Borneo. It is a tree of about 20 to 30 ft. high. The dried bark is of a deep cinnamon brown color; more bitter than the Ceylon cinnamon, and the leaves when rubbed have a sharp aromatic odor.

Cinnamon of the Ceylon type is cultivated in Guyana, the Isle of St. Vincent, Cape de Verde, Brazil, the Isle of France, Pondicheny, Guadaloupe and elsewhere. There is, however, no probability that the tree will succeed as an article of commerce that has not the hot, damp insular climate and bright light of Ceylon.

The barks of all these different species, including that of Ceylon, are classed as “cinnamon” in the pharmacopias of Austria, Germany, Hungary, Russia, the United States, France, Spain, Denmark and Switzerland, while in the United Kingdom cinnamon must be the bark of the Ceylon plant C. zeylanicium; the others being classed as cassia.

Oil of Cinnamon

Oil of cinnamon is made from the pieces and chips of the bark, it is of a red-yellowish color. Eighty pounds of bark yields about 8 ozs. of oil. It is very stimulating. It is often adulterated with oil of cassia, oil of cassia buds, oil of cherry laurel, and oil of bitter almonds--the latter is a very dangerous mixture.

Cinnamon leaves yield an oil resembling oil of cloves, with which it is often mixed.

The ripe berries of the cinnamon tree yield a volatile oil, similar to oil of juniper, and from the root is obtained camphor.

Cassia oil is obtained from the leaves, buds, or bark. It is of a golden-yellow color, but turns brown with age. It is considered good for influenza.

Cassia buds resemble nails with heads of different size and shape, according to the period of growth when collected.

There is also a kind of wild cinnamon, or cassia, which grows in Cuba, but its taste resembles more that of cloves than of cinnamon.

CLOVES

Interesting History With Illustration Showing Flower, Bud and Fruit--Where Grown and Commercial Uses

Cloves are dried, unopened calyces or flower buds of the clove tree, Caryophyllus aromaticus, a kind of myrtle, a native of the Molucca islands. In commerce they are chiefly distinguished by their place of growth and rank in the following order: Penang, Bencoolen, Amboyna, and Zanzibar. In addition to these there enter into commerce as secondary products, clove stalks and mother cloves, or the dried ripened fruit. The bulk of these secondary products are shipped from Zanzibar.