Food historian Michael Krondl recounts the spice trade wars amongst Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam in his book, The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice. He talks about how spices have been used as currency, medicine, recreational hallucinogens, and to justify genocide. Krondl has more information about spice history on his website.
Music break: Blue Room by George Barnes & Carl Kress