Beatriz Silva, 6ยบA Diogo Pereira, 6ยบA
Spices of the East History and Geography of Portugal
Group of Schools Dr. Manuel Gomes de Almeida Primary and Secondary School Domingos Capela Espinho, November 2013
Index:
0 - Introduction 1 - Eastern Spices 2 - Portuguese Trade in XV and XVI centuries 3 - Main Eastern Spices 4 - Cape Sea Route 5 - Caravels the Portuguese centuries XV and XVI 6 - House of India 7 – Conclusion 8 - Bibliography
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0 - Introduction
With this work we hope to learn more about spices and sea routes of the Portuguese navigators of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, thus responding to the request of a history teacher using the eTwinning.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, were launched in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic with two main objectives: to discover a new sea route to India and find new lands. This period became known as the Age of Great Navigations and Discoveries.
We will then talk about the oriental spices and their importance in the kingdom of Portugal, and the Portuguese trade in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, referring to the Portuguese sea routes, and this time the vessels used. We will also a brief reference to spices from the East and in particular ginger.
We expect to achieve the objectives proposed for this work.
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1 - Eastern Spices
The spices are spices (seasonings) used in cooking to provide different flavors in foods. Some spices also were, and still are, used in the manufacture of cosmetics, oils and medicines, and had great value at the time of the Great Navigations.
At the time of the Great Navigations and Discoveries (XV and XVI) spices were highly valued in Europe, because they could not be grown on this continent due to the weather. At this time, the merchants of Genoa and Venice, Italian cities, had its monopoly. Bought in the East, particularly in India and China, and sold them on the European market. These spices were brought to Europe via the Mediterranean route, hitherto dominated by Italian merchants.
In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors discovered an alternative route to get to the east, through browsing the African coast. Started to buy spices directly at the source and took the monopoly of Italians. Portuguese caravels arrived to Europe loaded with spices. Portugal then became an economic powerhouse of the time.
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The Kings also showed interested in these spices and their trade, because with the increase of it could also increase tax revenues to their kingdoms.
These were very important spices (pepper, ginger, nutmeg, saffron, cloves, cinnamon and silk) to expand Portugal. In the basement of the caravels, Portuguese traders carried tons of goods from India to Europe, where could enough profit for them and for the country itself.
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2 - Portuguese Trade in XV and XVI centuries
The need to find other lands that lacked the wealth Portugal bolstered the Portuguese Maritime Expansion, and the capture of Ceuta in 1415 in North Africa was the beginning of this expansion. But it was however, with the discovery of the sea route to India which opens a new stage in the Portuguese discoveries: - the domain of the Indian Ocean and the trade with the East.
The sixteenth century was the “golden age “for Portugal which became the most European powers, economic and scientific and geographical knowledge of gastronomy and literature. Even the poet Luís de Camões wrote about the deeds of this Lusitanian people that immortalizes the glorious deeds, brave and heroic people's sailor, extolling also warriors and kings who have contributed to expand the empire and faith (Catholic).
In this century, the Tagus estuary was always full of ships to load and unload goods. Lisbon was considered the "Queen of the Ocean", since it was a strategic point of connection between Asia, America and Europe. In the square noble city - Palace Square - were all important services to support trade. The king and many nobles sent then build palaces on the waterfront and settled there.
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3 - Main Eastern Spices
Although each region of the world has their own spice in Europe from the Crusades, developed the consumption of varieties originating from eastern regions. The most sought after in the fifteenth century, were pepper - the - kingdom, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Native to Asia, were difficult to obtain and therefore extremely expensive. They were even used as currency and constituted inheritances, capital reserves and foreign currency of a kingdom. In an attempt to circumvent the problem, Portugal and Spain have organized expeditions to explore alternative routes - one sea route to the East. The project provided a cycle Portuguese Oriental around Africa, while the Spanish project cycle bet West, culminating in the discovery of America.
Major spices of oriental origin:
-India - Nutmeg innamon - anise Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant known in Europe since time immemorial, where he was taken by the Crusades. Its underground stem is used as a spice since antiquity, in cooking and in the preparation of medicines.
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Gastronomy: Ginger has pungent flavor and can be used in both savory and sweet as in various forms: fresh, dried, pickled or candied. What is not recommended is to substitute one for the other in recipes because their flavors are very distinct: dried ginger is more aromatic and has milder flavor.
Grilled salmon with ginger
Ingredients: Loins or 2 slices of salmon Juice 1 orange tea garlic powder ginger tea powder soup soy sauce tablespoon honey
Preparation: a bowl or freezer bag place the salmon and add the orange juice, garlic powder, ginger, soy sauce and honey. If using a bowl, mix well, then cover with cling film, but if you use a bag, close tightly and turn the bag gently to engage the marinade. arinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
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4 - Cape Sea Route
In 1498, Portugal held a major navigation: is the arrival of the caravels, commanded by Vasco da Gama to India. Navigating around the African continent, Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut and could enjoy all the benefits of direct trade with the East. The Cape Route is the sea between East and West that is far from the Cape of Good Hope. The establishment of the Cape Route resulted nautical science and the experience of the Portuguese in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the realization of an old dream: the contact between East and West and so we no longer depend entirely on the Silk Road, which promised a huge income to the Crown. Since its discovery, the Cape route was dominated by the Portuguese; having made numerous departures armed Tagus. For over eighty years, the armed India and the ships of spices can move around the Cape Route, making the call career in India. The commercial and political importance of the Cape Route was huge, directly linking the eastern to its markets in Europe, with the spice trade to be an important driver of the global economy.
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5 - Caravels the Portuguese centuries XV and XVI
The Portuguese discoveries were called the set of achievements made by the Portuguese in travel and maritime explorations. The discoveries resulted in the Portuguese expansion and gave an essential contribution to outline the map of the world, driven by demand for alternative trade routes. With these discoveries the Portuguese Age of Discovery began the Europeans of the fifteenth century which lasted until the seventeenth and were responsible for important advances in technology and nautical science, cartography and astronomy, developing the first ships able to sail safely on the open sea in the Atlantic. The caravels were the primary means of shipping and trade of this period, and in particular the Portuguese were developed with superior quality to other nations. Consisted of large vessels made of wood and were capable of carrying hundreds of men and tons of goods. Had one or more sails big and tall format, usually rectangular, these candles were stuck in high masts. The caravels could get a good speed on windy days. However, as the navigation systems of the time were poor, often browsers came out of original routes and lost in the ocean. However the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese relied on some navigational instruments such as: the compass, the astrolabe and cross-staff.
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Navigating the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was a very risky task, especially when it came to unknown seas. It was very common fear generated by the lack of knowledge and imagination of the time. Many believed that the sea could be inhabited by monsters, while others had a vision of the earth as something flat and hence navigating to the "end" the caravel could fall into a great abyss. The caravels were capable of transporting large quantities of goods and men. In navigation participating sailors, soldiers, priests, assistants, doctors and even a scribe to write down everything that happened during travel.
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6 - House of India
The India House was a regulatory body of commercial activity created in 1503 with the aim of managing the overseas territories of Portugal. As a result of overseas exploration and the resulting discovery of the territories in the sixteenth century there was a need to create an administrative body that regulates all aspects of foreign trade, navigation, landing and goods, in order to ensure its monopoly on imports of Portuguese Empire. Was the most important economic institution in Portugal at the time until its decline over the centuries and its extinction and dissolution. It was the House that India was the control and administration of trade from the east, where it signed commercial contracts, so they made the payments and fixed the prices.
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7 – Conclusion
In this work we talk about the spices of the East, the Portuguese trade in the fifteenth and sixteenth century , we also speak of their own sea route , the ships of this era that were so important to the expansion of the Portuguese Empire and the House of India which managed trade from the East. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, were launched in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic with two main objectives: to discover a new sea route to India and find new land. Lisbon was during these centuries the "Queen of the Ocean" and Portugal became the most European powers, economic and scientific and geographical knowledge of gastronomy and literature. At the time of the Great Navigations and Discoveries spices were highly valued in Europe. The sixteenth century was the "golden age" for Portugal which became the most European powers. The establishment of the Cape Route resulted nautical science and the experience of the Portuguese in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the realization of an old dream: the contact between East and West. Arises then in 1503 the House of India, which was the regulator of commercial activity with the purpose of administering the overseas territories of Portugal, in particular trade from the East. This work helped us to deepen our knowledge in this area, as it was a response to the request of the discipline of History and Geography of Portugal, allowing us to understand and exploit the subject matter. We hope to have achieved the objectives proposed by the authors and proposed by the teacher.
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8 – Bibliography
História e Geografia de Portugal / 5º ano – Fátima Costa; António Marques – Porto Editora – 1ª edição – 2012 História de Portugal de Viriato e os Lusitanos a Camões - Girassol Edições, LDA
http://www.suapesquisa.com/pesquisa/caravelas.htm
http://www.prof2000.pt/users/maria_soa/descobrimentos1.htm
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Especiaria
http://www.academia.edu/2033213/Navios_Portugueses_dos _Seculos_XV_e_XVI
http://www.historiadeportugal.info/casa-da-india/
http://pt.petitchef.com/receitas/prato-principal/salmao-grelhadocom-gengibre-fid-1505733#uOyO1cEZbP4krlLQ.99
http://translate.google.pt/
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