A little dismayed by the inability to do much research this week, I was afraid I’d have little to post about in this blog. However, during class today we discovered the amazing world of story maps and time lines as well as how to use them. During my test map I researched a bit about spices for my side of the project concerning the food of Kashgar. One of the main spices used in the region is Cumin. This was an interesting find given that during my travels in China I did not experience many dishes that were flavored with cumin. Cumin however, is extremely popular in the Mediterranean as well as in India and Nepal (I’d soon find out it was a big deal elsewhere). The curries and sauces that are made in these regions are heavily influenced by spices like cumin and turmeric.
As for the history of cumin itself, I found several intriguing accounts online including an entire blog dedicated to the history of cumin. Go figure. According to several websites, the origin of cumin can be dated back to the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia around 4,000 years ago. Incredible. Even more incredible is the fact that the word Cumin is derived from the Sumerian word Gamun, which was written in their cuneiform script.
Moving on. The popularity of cumin in the Mesopotamia region cannot be overstated. It even made an appearance in the world’s oldest recipe collection; aka “The Yale Culinary Tablets.” In the 9th Century B.C.E. Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II threw a party where he specifically boasts about the amount of cumin he has on his table.
Just when I thought I knew enough about this legendary spice, it turns out that cumin was also used as a drug in multiple scenarios. Greek medical texts list cumin as a medicinal option that can prevent women from experiencing hysteria and Pliny the Elder, in his work Natural History, says that women who smell cumin during intercourse are more likely to conceive. The Greeks knew their spices.
But so did the Romans. A cookbook, compiled by only the snobbiest food critics of Rome, listed cumin as a “pantry essential,” a spice every well-stocked home should have. In a moment of genius, traders spread cumin into the northern regions of Europe. So popular was this spice that by the 13th century, there is record of early Britons paying their rent in cumin. Cumin was now a currency.
But you’d better believe this isn’t the end. Cumin is like the McDonalds of spices. Everywhere. Realizing that cumin must not be unique, early European traders went in search for more spices like it when they traveled on their rickety trading ships into Asia and also into the Americas. When Spanish explorers set foot in the “new world,” you’d better believe they had their cumin seeds with them. By 1600 cumin was growing in modern day New Mexico and like everywhere else, it took over and became a staple on the table.
By the 19th century, the only place Cumin hadn’t been, was inside the Whitehouse. Then came Lady Bird Johnson, first lady to the 36th President. Her “Pedernales River Chili” called for a teaspoon of cumin seeds. Cumin had touched every surface of the globe before the internet was invented. Never before was a spice so universally accepted and popular. Cumin, whose roots are so near Kashgar made its way around the world in the form of medicine, currency and finally as a condiment.
I leave you with this fantastic quote from the above blog:
“(Cumin) was thought to promote love and fidelity. People carried it to weddings and walked around with it with their pockets. It was reputed to keep lovers and chickens from wandering.”