Spices
Spices are plant substances primarily used for flavoring or coloring food.
Contents
Variety
Several variety of spices exist in the known world, such as: red pepper,[1] white pepper,[1] black pepper,[1] peppercorn,[2] cinnamon,[3] cloves,[3] nutmeg,[1] saffron,[4] curry,[5] cardamom,[5] ginger,[6] mustard seed,[3] and salt.[3]
Saffron is worth more than gold and only the wealthier people can afford it.[4]
Rare and strange spices are imported to Westeros by ship from Sothoryos,[7], the Summer Isles,[8] Qarth, Yi Ti, and Leng. No western route to the Eastern Essos rich in silk, gemstones and spices have been discovered yet. Such discovery would make its discoverer an extremely wealthy person.[9]
Culture
The spiceflower is a scented flower found in the Dothraki sea that is used in perfumes.[10]
The Ancient Guild of Spicers is one of the three prominent organization of merchant princes within the city of Qarth.[11]
The Saffron Straits are the eastern exit of the Jade Sea, dividing the continents of Essos and Ulthos.[12]
Lannisport is known for its spiced honey wine.[13] At the Wall, the brothers of the Night's Watch drink hot mulled wine, spiced with cloves and nutmeg.[14]
Dornishmen like to eat their food with fiery peppers and strange hot spices.[15][16] People from the Reach claim their food cause the Dornishmen to be so hot-tempered and Dornishwomen to be so wild and wanton.[17]
The candles in the solar of Petyr Baelish in the Eyrie smell of nutmeg and other costly spices.[18]
Regular sister's stew are spiced with salt and pepper but wealthy people can also add cloves, nutmeg, and saffron too.[4]
Spices from the Summer Isles are used in the preparation of the strangler.[8]
Meereen has a spice market.[19]
History
Two of the Rhoynish Wars, fought between the Valyrians and the Rhoynar, were named the first and Second Spice War.[7]
In 50 AC, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his master of coin, a former Pentoshi spicemonger named Rego Draz, instituted a series of luxury taxes on expensive foreign imports including spices.[20]
Elissa Farman and the Hightower brothers, Eustace and Norman, attempted to find a western route to the Eastern Essos in 56 AC.[9] After facing fierce storms, Elissa and Eustace found new spices on three small uninhabited islands. Elissa continued her voyage west from there but Eustace sailed east desiring to return home.[13] It is unknown if Elissa succedded to find a western route but many years later, Corlys Velaryon found an old ship similar to Sun Chaser in Asshai.[13] Unlike Elissa, Corlys made several voyages by sailed east to the Eastern part of Essos. Those voyages made Corlys and House Velaryon extremely wealthy to the point of becoming the wealthiest House in Westeros.[21] One of the villages on Corlys's home island of Driftmark developed into a prosperous port town named Spicetown[22] and the Velaryon warship Spicetown Girl was named after the town.[23]
The Shivers hit Westeros in the winter of 59–60 AC. As no remedy was known to cure the deadly disease, several options were tested such as drinking wine spiced with snake venom.[13]
Trade boomed in King's Landing during the Lysene Spring, spices from the East were arriving to the city more frequently than before.[24]
Daemon II Blackfyre smelled of oranges and limes, with a hint of some strange eastern spice beneath.[25]
House Spicer was founded by a petty lord, a wealthy merchant elevated to nobility by Lord Tytos Lannister of Casterly Rock.[1] Maggy the Frog's tent was redolent with queer eastern spices.[26]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
Magister Illyrio Mopatis is a dealer in spices.[10]
A Dance with Dragons
Davos Seaworth is served a bowl of sister's stew cooked with rarer spices than usual by Lord Godric Borrell, including the costly saffron that Davos has only tasted once before in his life.[4]
The Winds of Winter
| Warning This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change. |
Saffron, the daughter of a spice merchant from Gulltown, is pregant with the bastard of Ser Harrold Hardyng.[27]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 36, Cersei VIII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 5, Arya II.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 9, Davos I.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 42, Daenerys IV.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 30, Arya VII.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: Ten Thousand Ships.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 A Clash of Kings, Prologue.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 3, Daenerys I.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 40, Daenerys III.
- ↑ The Lands of Ice and Fire, The Known World.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Fire & Blood, The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 49, Jon X.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 38, The Watcher.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Queer Customs of the South.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 13, The Soiled Knight.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 23, Alayne I.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 60, The Spurned Suitor.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Lysene Spring and the End of Regency.
- ↑ The Mystery Knight.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 12, Cersei III.
- ↑ The Winds of Winter, Alayne I