South Asia is fondly known for its array of pungent, potent spices, with Kochi in India often referred to as the “spice capital of the world”.
With its incredible abundance of endemic herbs, South Asia played a central role in the overland trade that saw spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and black pepper change hands across the Eastern World in antiquity. When the Austronesian peoples of Southeast Asia built the first ocean-going boats, the first maritime trade network in the Indian Ocean was created, establishing trade routes with Sri Lanka and southern India as early as 1500 BCE.
South Asia’s spices would be transported as far as Africa and the Arabian Peninsula by Indonesian sailors, and later by land to the Mediterranean world and the Roman Empire by Indian and Persian traders. By the end of the 15th century, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama had established a new maritime trade route from Europe to the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope. The spice trade continued through the era of
