Passage 1 Talking about Spices A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in small quantities. A spice is used as a food additive for flavoring. Sometimes a spice is used as a preservative. Spice kills or prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. Many spices are also used for medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, perfume, or as vegetables. In the kitchen, spices are used differently than herbs. Herbs are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes. Herbs, such as basil or oregano, may be used fresh. Herbs are commonly chopped into smaller pieces. Spices are dried and often ground or grated into a powder. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are used both whole and in powder form. The spice trade developed throughout the Middle East around 2000 BCE with cinnamon, Indonesian cinnamon, and pepper. A recent archaeological discovery suggests that the clove could have been introduced to the Middle East very early on. The clove is indigenous to the Indonesian island of Ternate in the Maluku Islands. Digs found a clove burnt onto the floor of a burned down kitchen dated to 1700 BCE. The burnt clove was found in the Mesopotamian site of Terqa, in what is now modern-day Syria. Spices are also mentioned in many ancient texts. In the biblical story of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to spice merchants. Generally, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, and Mesopotamian sources do not refer to known spices. In South Asia, nutmeg has a Sanskrit name. Nutmeg originates from the Banda Islands in the Moluccas. Sanskrit is the language of the sacred Hindu texts. Thus, we know how long nutmeg has been used in South Asia. Historians estimate that nutmeg was introduced to Europe in the 6th century BC. The ancient Indian epic of Ramayana mentions cloves. It is known that the Romans had cloves in the 1st century AD because Pliny the Elder spoke of them in his writings. Passage 2 What is a spice? Spice is an aromatic vegetable product used