What are the spices that were introduced to China through the Silk Road?

The "Spice Road" was the main sea passage between Asia, Africa and Europe in ancient times. In the ninth century, Venetian merchants bought cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and other spices from the islands of Southeast Asia in Constantinople and resold them to Europe, reaping huge profits. After the Europeans discovered new sea routes in the fifteenth century, the Portuguese and the Dutch invaded the spice-producing areas and transported large quantities of spices into the European market through unequal exchange and direct plunder, reaping amazing profits.

This sea route, which transported spices from the islands of Southeast Asia to the European market, was known as the "Spice Road".

Arabic spices such as frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, cloves, etc.

During the Han Dynasty, silk and tea were introduced to the West via the Silk Road. During the Tang and Song dynasties, ceramics were introduced to the West through the Maritime Silk Road. During the Han, Tang and Song dynasties, our four great inventions were introduced to the West, and it is difficult to count the westward transmission of Chinese products and technologies that represent Eastern civilization.

The Maritime Silk Road was formed during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The South China Sea route, which sails westward from China, is the main line of the Maritime Silk Road. At the same time, there was an East China Sea route eastward from China to the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, which occupied a secondary position in the Maritime Silk Road.

Regarding the South China Sea route of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty, the Hanshu Geographical Chronicles records the voyage of envoys and recruited merchants sent by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to the sea**, saying that they sailed from Ninan (present-day central Vietnam) or Xuwen (present-day Guangdong) or Hepu (present-day Guangxi) to the south, along the east coast of the Indochina Peninsula, and arrived at Duyuan (present-day Dishi in southern Vietnam) in the Mekong Delta in five months.

The route of the Silk Road

The northern line is from Chang'an, along the Wei River to Yu County (now Baoji), through Wang County (now Long County), over Liupan Mountain Guyuan and Haiyuan, along the Zuli River, in Jingyuan across the Yellow River to Guzang (now Wuwei), the distance is shorter, the supply conditions along the way are poor, it is the early route.

The southern line is from Chang'an, along the Wei River through Longguan, Shangtai (today's water), Didao (now Lintao), Caohan (now Linxia), from Yongjing to cross the Yellow River, through Xining, Yueda Doubagu (now Bidukou) to Zhangye.

The middle line and the south line diverge in Shangqi, cross Longshan, go to Jincheng County (now Lanzhou), cross the Yellow River, trace the Zhuanglang River, and turn over the Wusheling to Guzang. Although the supply conditions of the southern route were good, the detour was long, so the central route later became the main trunk line.

Some of the spices, vegetables and fruits we use today were introduced to China from the West on the ancient Silk Road.

Pepper. Pepper, which was introduced from the Maritime Silk Road, is native to the Malabar coast of India. The Tang Dynasty Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Wood Chapter" said:

Pepper, out of the country of Maga, called for the fulfillment of the branch. "Pepper is divided into black pepper, white pepper, red pepper and green pepper according to different processing methods, which can be used for medicine, seasoning and soaking in wine. Volume 7 of "Qi Min Yaoshu" is quoted from the pepper wine practice recorded in Zhang Hua's "Naturalist Chronicles" of the Western Jin Dynasty:

Pepper wine recipe, five liters of good wine, one or two dried ginger, seventy peppers, and five pomegranates at the end. "Scarcity is precious, and ancient China was not suitable for cultivating this kind of pungent crop, so pepper was considered a "luxury" for a long time. In the Song Dynasty, shipping was developed, and pepper was transmitted to the Chinese market in large quantities by sea.

Today, this spice with its unique charm has become a frequent guest on the table of Chinese.

Cumin. Another name for cumin in ancient China was "Rest Fennel", and "Rest Place" is the area of present-day Iran. "Cumin" is actually a transliteration of Uygur, cumin was first introduced to China's Xinjiang region, which was the first to grow and use cumin.

The smell of cumin is fragrant and strong, and it has the effect of removing the smell and relieving greasy, so it is often used to process beef and mutton.

Garlic, or garlic, is native to West and East Asia. According to the "Zhengbu" written by Wang Yi in the Han Dynasty, it is recorded: "Zhang Qian returned the envoy and got garlic and alfalfa.

Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" has a cloud: "Small garlic is an old part of the Middle Earth, and garlic is out of Hudi, so it has a Hu name." Since then, garlic has officially settled in China, and as the main condiment, it has given birth to a flavor that has fascinated countless people - "garlic fragrance".

Coriander. Coriander, also known as coriander, is native to the Mediterranean coast and Central Asia. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records:

Zhang Qian made the Western Regions return to planting, hence the name coriander. "The agricultural work of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Qi Min Yaoshu, records in detail the cultivation of coriander and the method of making pickled coriander. In addition to its medicinal value, coriander is mostly used as a flavor condiment for cold dishes and soups because of its special aroma.

For the majority of meat lovers, the classic combination of coriander and beef and mutton is naturally a favorite, the mutton is warm and delicious, and the coriander has a spicy special fragrance, which can be fishy and greasy. Putting coriander in mutton is also the earliest way to eat in the Western Regions, there are many beef and mutton in the Western Regions, before the Ming Dynasty without the introduction of chili peppers, coriander is an excellent seasoning to increase the freshness.

Onions. Onions are one of the oldest plants in the world, dating back more than 5,000 years to Central Asia. Onions were first called "shallots" after they were introduced to the Central Plains, but they were introduced to Japan in the 17th century and renamed "onions".

Onions are also called "skin teeth" in Xinjiang, and skin teeth are an indispensable element in many Xinjiang cuisines.

The goods that China introduced to the Western Regions from the Silk Road are:

Commodities: textiles, ironware, lacquerware, etc.

2) The technologies introduced from China to Europe are:

Technology: iron smelting, well sinking technology, and cultural thought, etc.

3) The things that were introduced to China from Europe are:

Buddhism, magic, music and dance, sculpture, etc.

Through the Silk Road, China was brought food: grapes, walnuts, pomegranates, broad beans, cucumbers, sesame, figs and other foods.

Animals such as lions, rhinos, and good horses.

There are grapes, walnuts, cucumbers, broad beans, figs, lions, rhinos, ......

After the opening of the Silk Road, the products of the Western Regions began to be introduced to the Central Plains, and the familiar sesame, grapes, figs, melons, pomegranates, mung beans, cucumbers, garlic, coriander, and walnuts were all introduced to the Central Plains through the Silk Road.

1. Coriander. Coriander, also known as coriander, is native to Central Asia and is a vegetable with a distinctive smell. During the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian brought back to the Central Plains from the Western Regions.

2. Sesame seeds. Sesame seeds, also known as flax, were transmitted from the Western Regions to the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty, and the seeds of sesame seeds are rich in oil and are one of the raw materials for oil extraction.

3. Figs.

Figs, which were transmitted to the Central Plains from the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, can be eaten fresh fruits and can also be made into preserved fruits for consumption.

4. Cucumbers. Cucumber, also known as courgette, is native to Central Asia and is rich in vitamin C, which was introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty.

5. Grapes. Grapes, native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia, are rich in glucose, fructose, and vitamins and minerals. During the Han Dynasty, grapes were transmitted to the Central Plains via the Silk Road.

6. Walnuts. Walnut is a nut rich in fat and protein, native to Central Asia, introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, and was called "walnut" at that time.

7. Pomegranate. Pomegranate, also known as "An pomegranate", according to historical records, during the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian brought pomegranate seeds back to the Central Plains from Anshi Kingdom in the Western Regions, so pomegranate is also called An pomegranate.

8. Garlic. Garlic, native to Central Asia, was transmitted from the Western Regions to the Central Plains during the Western Han Dynasty.

The Silk Road, referred to as the Silk Road, refers to the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD), opened by Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions, starting from Chang'an (now Xi'an), passing through Gansu and Xinjiang, to Central Asia and West Asia, and connecting the Mediterranean countries (this road is also known as the "Northwest Silk Road" to distinguish the other two transportation routes with the name "Silk Road" in the future). Silk products were the most influential of the goods transported west by this route (and a lot of silk was shipped from China). Its basic direction was set in the Han Dynasty and Han Dynasty, including three routes: the South, the Middle and the North.

Categories: Culture Art >> historical topics.

Analysis: Plants: grapes, pomegranates, alfalfa, beans (broad beans), flax (sesame), courgettes (cucumbers), garlic (garlic), walnuts (walnuts), carrots;

Musical instruments: gonghou, pipa, hu flute (also includes music and dance of ethnic minorities);

In addition, there are precious wool fabrics such as Pu Shao, Longwen, fish eyes, sweat and blood BMW, various exotic birds and beasts, and carpets;

Finally, Buddhism and Buddhist art were transmitted from Central Asia to the Western Regions, and then from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.