Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination

by Paul Freedman

Overview

History

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900300151359
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	03/03/2009
Edition description:	NE
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Paul Freedman is Chester D. Tripp Professor of History, Yale University. His previous books include Images of the Medieval Peasant, The Origins of Peasant Servitude in Medieval Catalonia, and Food: The History of Taste.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction Spices: A Global Commodity 1

One Spices and Medieval Cuisine 19

Two Medicine: Spices as Drugs 50

Three The Odors of Paradise 76

Four Trade and Prices 104

Five Scarcity, Abundance, and Profit 130

Six "That Damned Pepper": Spices and Moral Danger 146

Seven Searching for the Realms of Spices 164

Eight Finding the Realms of Spices: Portugal and Spain 193

Conclusion The Rise and Fall of Spices 215

Notes 227

Bibliography 245

Index 259

Editorial Reviews

"[An] absorbing new history, in which [Freedman] uses food to get and keep our attention."—Corby Kummer, Yale Alumni Magazine

"Written in an approachable style with intriguing images and inset quotes from primary sources, this scholarly work will also appeal to general readers. . . . Recommended."—Choice

"This is a magnificent, very well written, and often entertaining book that is also a major contribution to European economic and social history, and indeed one with a truly global perspective."—John H. Munro, American Historical Review

"Meticulously researched but wearing its erudition lightly."—Sharon Kinoshita, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies

"Freedman shows that spices are central to understanding the Middle Ages—they motivated the whole trading system of the Mediterranean world."—Christopher Dyer, University of Leicester

"This is a magical book. With scintillating learning and imagination, Paul Freedman has conjured up a medieval Europe shot through with the magic of strong tastes and smells. He has uncovered a craving—a craving for spices which would eventually drive Europeans to the edges of the world in their pursuit. Freedman has done more than uncover the taste buds of a forgotten Europe. He has rewritten a fateful chapter in the history of the world."—Peter Brown, Princeton University

"Like the spices—flavors, perfumes, and medicinals—so urgently sought by medieval populations, Out of the East is a consummate delight. I loved Freedman’s droll account of the debate over the precise geographical location of paradise (off the Atlantic? Northeast of India?), and of the tireless travelers who helped bring the spices of the East to European tables. At last, the voyages of Columbus make perfect sense. Spices!"—Marion Nestle, New York University

"Paul Freedman combines his formidable scholarship with story-telling skills to offer a unique history of spice. He has taken our ancient fascination with spice as offering the taste of paradise, and as an elixir of life to paint a rich canvas of life in medieval Europe, dispelling in the process many commonly held myths. Out of the East is a riveting story of many adventures launched in the quest of spice and how it shaped Europeansocial life. Freedman serveshistory as a delectable banquet."—Nayan Chanda, author of Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization

From the Publisher

"Meticulously researched but wearing its erudition lightly."—Sharon Kinoshita, Speculum—A Journal of Medieval Studies

Speculum - A Journal of Medieval Studies - Sharon Kinoshita

"Written in an approachable style with intriguing images and inset quotes from primary sources, this scholarly work will also appeal to general readers. . . . Recommended."—Choice

Choice

"[An] absorbing new history, in which [Freedman] uses food to get and keep our attention."—Corby Kummer, Yale Alumni Magazine

Yale Alumni Magazine - Corby Kummer

“Paul Freedman combines his formidable scholarship with story-telling skills to offer a unique history of spice. He has taken our ancient fascination with spice as offering the taste of paradise, and as an elixir of life to paint a rich canvas of life in medieval Europe, dispelling in the process many commonly held myths. Out of the East is a riveting story of many adventures launched in the quest of spice and how it shaped European social life. Freedman serves history as a delectable banquet.”—Nayan Chanda, author of Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization

Nayan Chanda

“Like the spices—flavors, perfumes, and medicinals—so urgently sought by medieval populations, Out of the East is a consummate delight. I loved Freedman’s droll account of the debate over the precise geographical location of paradise (off the Atlantic? Northeast of India?), and of the tireless travelers who helped bring the spices of the East to European tables. At last, the voyages of Columbus make perfect sense. Spices!”—Marion Nestle, New York University

Marion Nestle

“This is a magical book. With scintillating learning and imagination, Paul Freedman has conjured up a medieval Europe shot through with the magic of strong tastes and smells. He has uncovered a craving—a craving for spices which would eventually drive Europeans to the edges of the world in their pursuit. Freedman has done more than uncover the taste buds of a forgotten Europe. He has rewritten a fateful chapter in the history of the world.”—Peter Brown, Princeton University

Peter Brown

“Freedman shows that spices are central to understanding the Middle Ages—they motivated the whole trading system of the Mediterranean world.”—Christopher Dyer, University of Leicester

Christopher Dyer