100 Objects (copy)
19th Century Spice Box
Empires were built, new lands discovered, wars waged, and trade treaties signed because of spices. Spices have been a valuable commodity throughout history. The Egyptians used spices, not only for flavoring food, but for embalming bodies. In the Mediterranean, spices such as cumin and ajowan were valued for their medicinal purposes. In the Middle Ages spices were important in food preservation and to mask the flavor of spoiled foods. People traveled the then-known world looking for spices. The search for new and cheaper spices, in part, led to an age of exploration in which the New World was discovered. When Columbus sailed in 1492, he was looking for easier access to India and highly demanded spices. Instead, he found the Americas.
As the colonies developed, so, too, did their desire for spices. Salt, allspice, caraway, anise seed, nutmeg, and pepper were in high demand. As in the Middle Ages, these spices were used to help with food preservation and in masking spoiled food flavors, but spices also became an aspect in showing status. Being able to serve a Twelfth Night cake at a celebration was a way of flaunting wealth. Cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, which were expensive spices, were needed in large quantities to bake the cake.
Because these spices were so valuable, it became common for people put their spices in boxes, which not only kept critters from getting to them, but also kept the spices fresh. The spice box featured here, dating from the 19th century, was donated to the historical society by Dorthea Hood in 1990.