"Why Spices?" pages 6 and 7

1. The writer explains why spices were important trade products. Find four main uses for spices. ( flavoring and seasoning food, medicinal purposes, preserving food, coloring and pleasant aromas)
2. What is the basic rule for distinguishing between herbs and spices? ( Herbs come from the leaves and stems of the plant while spices come from fruits, seeds, bark, or roots of the plant )
3. Where do most spices come from? ( Tropical Climates )
4. Which country is the world's biggest importer of spices? ( United States )

"Pepper Rides the Monsoon" page 10

1. Page ten tells readers some important spice facts. What kind of plant does pepper grow on? ( A perennial vine; that is, it lives from year to year )
2. What is the most commonly used spice in the whole world today? ( black pepper )
3. What is black pepper? ( dried ripe red berries )
4. Is there another kind of pepper besides black pepper? ( Somtimes unripe berries are harvested to be sold as green peppercorns )
5. Name three uses for pepper ( flavoring, medicine, and food preservation )
6. Now name two other uses for pepper in ancient times. ( a medium of exchange and gifts of tribute )
7. Where did pepper originate? ( in the southwest corner of India called the Malabar coast )
8. How did traders of old transport it? ( overland by horse and camel caravans; by sea on sailing ships )
9. What is a monsoon? ( seasonal wind )
10. When did the southwest winds blow? ( April through October )
11. At that season which way did the ships sail? ( west to east )
12. When the northeast monsoon blew between October and April, which way did the ships sail? ( East to West )
13. If a trading ship was bound for the Spice Islands from the west, during which monsoon period would the ship said in order to make the best time? ( northeast monsoon between October and April )

"Traders East and West" pages 13 and 14

Look at the illustrations and captions on these pages.

1. What can you deduce from the photo under the title? ( By the second to third century, people in Trier, Germany, were flavoring mean with spices )
2. On page 14, look at the 19th century engraving showing a caravan crossing the desert. Can you think of three or more facts the illustration shows? ( camels were the main form of transportation for desert travel. The camels carried goods strapped to their backs. The travelers all wore clothes that covered them from head to toe and their heads are covered, too, to help shield them from the extreme desert heat. The camel drivers controlled their beasts using reins ) You make think of some additional facts after you study the illustration.

" A New Route to the Spice Islands"

Read the article to answer the following questions:

True or false: If the answer is "false" give the correct response.

1. The Spice Islands is another name for the Moluccas ( true )
2. In the 15th century the spice trade was controlled by Europeans (False. Arab traders controlled it.)
3. The British took control of the spice trade from the Arabs (False, The Portuguese seized control.)
4. Antonio d' Abreu discovered a passage way through the straits of Patagonia to the Pacific in 1519 ( False. It was Magellan )

"A Spy at Work"

This article describes the activities of Dutchman Jan Hugo van Linschoten. In 1583, he became secretary to the new Catholic archbishop of Goa, India, which was under Portuguese control.

1. What advantage did this give him? ( he could travel around freely without suspicion; he could get access to classified information on trade routes and conditions, and he could help travelers who had been arrested for spying )
2. What did he eventually do with the information he had gathered over the years? ( he took his findings back to the Netherlands )
3. What was the result? ( the Dutch used it to take control of the spice trade from the Portuguese )
4. What was the name of the book he wrote? ( Voyages to the East Indies )
5. What subjects did he cover in this book? ( Asian countries and customs, trade routes, weather conditions, locations of water and vegetable supplies, currency, maps and the state of the Portuguese navy. )

Search Party

You will have to look through the issue to find the answers to the following questions.

1. What is the most expensive spice in the world? (saffron )
2. Why is it so expensive? ( it is very hard to grow )
3. From what part of the plant does ginger spice come? ( the rhizome or tuber that grows underground )
4. To what family does the tea shrub belong? ( camellia )
5. What are cloves? ( the dried flower buds of an evergreen tree, syzygium aromaticum )
6. When did tea drinking become popular in India? ( 19th Century )
7. What two spices come from the same tree? ( nutmeg and mace )

"Salem's Friendship"

Read the article to answer the following questions.

1. What is the difference between pirates and privateers? ( Privateers were ships that the English and French governments allowed their owners to arm and then to attack ships flyng the flags of enemy countries. The profits went to the governments who gave the ship owner a share of the cargo. Pirate ships were run for their owner's benefits without any government backing. )
2. When did the Friendship become a Privateer? ( on its third voyage )
3. How do we know about life on board the ship? ( from entries in the ship's log book )
4. Would you have liked to become a crewmember on one of the ship's voyages? If you said " No" what are your reasons? ( long work hours, hard work, severe weather, cruel punishment, spoiled food, illness, seasickness, disease, insects and rats, bad smells, no showers, and dark, damp sleeping quarters )

As you read this issue:

At the beginning of this guide you were asked to make a list of the spices mentioned in the different articles. First, see which spices on the list are in your kitchen at home. Then, the next time you go to the supermarket, look in the aisle where spices are displayed and see if you can find every spice on the list. Which are your favorite three spices?