The
spice trade refers to the
trade between historical civilizations in
Asia,
Northeast Africa and
Europe. Spices such as
cinnamon,
cassia,
cardamom,
ginger,
pepper, and
turmeric were known, and used for commerce, in the
Eastern World well into antiquity.
Opium was also imported. These spices found their way into the
Middle East before the beginning of the Christian Era, where the true sources of these spices was withheld by the traders, and associated with fantastic tales. Prehistoric writings and stone age carvings of
neolithic age obtained indicates that
India's South West Coast path, especially
Kerala had established itself as a major spice trade centre from as early as 3000 B.C, which marks the beginning of Spice Trade (
History of Kerala) and is still referred to as the land of spices or as the
Spice Garden of India.