Spices have been an essential part of human civilisation. In the Indian civilisation too, trading of spices has been integrally connected to its history. Spices were traded through India right from the time of Romans. Between the 7th to 15th centuries, Arab merchants supplied spices to Europe, and for a very long time they kept their source of spices in India a closely guarded secret. Many sea voyages set sail from Europe in search of India for its spices. Over time, spices began to be exploited commercially by foreign traders. Ayurveda believed that spices, with their medicinal qualities, could infuse health into the diet. For centuries, the social system of medicine was closely linked to the culinary culture of ancient India. Today the world of spices keeps reinventing itself and fuelling the economies of the world.

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