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SPICE TRADE

Kerala's history is closely linked with its commerce, which in turn was wholly dependent until recent times on its spice trade. Kerala was celebrated as the Malabar Coast, known for its spices, and travelers from around the world journeyed here to trade and to gain control over this rich land. The first travelers were the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and the Chinese; latter-day traders included the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British.

Almost all of them have left their imprint on this land in some form or the other: architecture, cuisine, and literature. It is believed that the spice trade dates back three thousand years. Certainly it was responsible for Vasco da Gama's quest for the Indian subcontinent, and its discovery via a sea route.

Pepper still remains the king of Kerala's spices, but the state also has a very rich produce in cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, ginger and turmeric; it has a rich cultivation of cashew nuts, and is India's home state for coconut! As in the past, the sate continues to be the spice capital of the world.