To accurately understand an era, it is as important to understand the dreams of that era as it is to understand its reality, because every concept has important practical significance for the history of a civilization.
In the late Middle Ages, European thought was caught in the tension between reality and fantasy, asceticism and indulgence. As an imported product brought through long-distance trade, spices carry particularly rich spiritual significance in Western European social life. Western Europeans' concepts of spices well reflect their views on religion, society, human nature and even the world. Spices are often buried in the swamp of economic history because they are classified into the economic or culinary fields, which greatly reduces the fantasy charm of spices and is inconsistent with historical facts. Therefore, starting from the perspective of human nature, that is, the concept of spices, to explain Europeans' long-term fascination with spices is a promising new approach. 1. The emergence of Europeans’ concept of spices
The Europeans’ concept of spices originated in the ancient Greek period. It interacts with spice trade and spice consumption and promotes each other. The concept of spices in Western European society includes several seemingly contradictory but complementary aspects.
On the one hand, in the European cultural tradition, spices are mystified: in the earthly world, precious spices are a symbol of wealth and status owned by Western European aristocrats, and become a means of showing off their wealth; in the spiritual realm , spices are closely related to Christian faith and the Garden of Eden, so they are sacred and noble; spices come from the mysterious East, where they grow where there are always poisonous snakes and monsters. Precious spices are not easy to get. However, the East is also close because of its proximity. The Garden of Eden is rich and prosperous.
But on the other hand, spices have had a strong erotic connotation since ancient times, and they are also common delicacies in the "Promised Land" dreamed of by gluttons; as the consumption of spices spreads to a wider social class, The middle class has become a big consumer, and spices have aroused strong criticism from both religious and secular people, and have become a symbol of desire, greed, glitz, arrogance, and stupidity. 2. Spices have become a symbol of nobility
It is a basic economic law that demand and price are inversely proportional: the more expensive something is, the more it can show the wealth and status of consumers. The possession of unnecessary luxuries can bring a stronger sense of spiritual pleasure than the possession of necessities. One person has the ability to easily consume the treasures that other members of society covet. Even according to today's life and value standards, this way of showing privilege is not unfamiliar.
The pursuit of fashionable and expensive items is an eternal social phenomenon. However, in addition to eternal luxury goods such as gold, silver, and jewelry, the culturally recognized luxury goods of different periods and regions are different. .
Before the 17th century, Europeans were crazy about pepper and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger for a long time. The whole society pursues spices because it reflects the identity and status of consumers to a certain extent. Long-distance trade and specific historical environment made spices a luxury product in Western European medieval society. It is valuable, scarce, rare, non-essential, mysterious and other characteristics. It is a symbol of social wealth and status, and is also a means for aristocrats to show off themselves. It has been sublimated into a cultural symbol with rich symbolic meaning.
The old English proverb "He has no pepper" means that the person is an insignificant person, and the possession of spices represents a person's noble status. 3. Enjoying spices is the exclusive preserve of the nobles and the rich
The biography of Pope Gregory I (reigned 590-604) records that on the first day of every month, the pope sought alms outside St. Peter’s Basilica The poor were distributed grain, wine, vegetables, cheese, etc., while the nobles were distributed spices and other luxuries. This intentionally differentiated approach is consistent with the strict hierarchical concept of medieval society. Spices, just like nobility, belong to the upper class.
Enjoying spices was the exclusive preserve of nobles and wealthy people. During most of the Middle Ages, clergy and nobles accounted for only 1% of the population, urban residents accounted for 5%, and the rest were poor farmers. The obsession with spices is not an isolated social phenomenon but an integral part of a new lifestyle. As late as the 16th century, the English merchant Thomas Meng still believed that consuming spices cost money; however, the moderate use of these items (spices) was commensurate with the wealth and dignity of the kingdom.
Spice was a luxury product in the Middle Ages.
Anthropologist Jane Schneider pointed out that to fully understand the meaning of a luxury product, we must grasp two aspects: one is its unique attributes, and the other is its specific use that has been traditionalized in culture. closely related to its status. 4. In the minds of medieval people, expensive spices were the social law of wealthy people
The "noble" symbolic function of spices is fully reflected in its use in the social life of medieval Western Europe, including diet and medicine. , religious life and other aspects. Banquets of the upper class were the most typical occasions that reflected the aristocratic nature of spices. The banquet is a public social behavior to a certain extent, with ritual and social significance. The precious delicacies and various etiquette at the banquet have the social function of distinguishing between high and low, and ordering honor and inferiority.
In the field of medicine, those who can use spices for health care and medical treatment are mostly nobles or rich people, while poor people can only use local medicinal herbs. The coronation of a king or emperor is a symbol of the divine right of kings and a full manifestation of his political power. This ceremony is often accompanied by activities such as burning balsam and applying holy oil; even after death, kings and nobles must attend the funeral Finally, to show their social status, they were often buried with spices. 5. Spices were also collected by people like other valuables
In the homes of nobles and wealthy citizens at that time, there usually was a special spice cabinet. Because spices were extremely valuable, the cabinet was often locked. St. Isidore wrote: “The waves of the Ionian Sea carry the fragrances from the Arabian shrines and the Indus, cinnamon, myrrh, Indian leaves and cinnamon, balsam, incense, calamus and Anatolian Saffron is something that is stored in the spice cabinets of the mansions of kings, dignitaries and rich people. ?
At the beginning of the 14th century, Jeanne, the widow of King Charles IV of France, had a large amount of spices in her cupboard: at least 6 pounds of pepper, 13.5 pounds of cinnamon, 5 pounds of "Grain of Paradise", 3.5 pounds of cloves, 1.25 pound of saffron, 0.5 pound of long peppercorns, a handful of nutmeg peel, and 23.5 pounds of ginger. At the end of the 14th century, Mr. Helue of France wrote in his wedding planning book that the person in charge of the kitchen should work with the chef to supervise the purchase, transportation and preservation of spices, and lock the spices in a cabinet. 6. Spices are also a means of showing off wealth
However, the ultimate expression of showing off wealth is to boast, consume or collect, but to discard. In the mid-11th century, Cardinal Peter Damian wrote that a blasphemer sprinkled pepper on chickens as was his custom. Furthermore, it was customary to burn IOUs with spice fire if the creditor was willing to forgive the debtor's debt, as well as a means of displaying wealth. In the early 15th century, the Mayor of London tried to curry favor with his debtor, King Henry V, by burning the king's IOUs over a fire lit with cinnamon and cloves.
In 1530, Charles V went to Augsburg to visit his creditor Jakob Fogel, and the banker burned the emperor's IOU in a fire lit with cinnamon. The price of the cinnamon used in the IOU was greater than the amount of those debts.