THE SPICE
OF LIFE
KEW FESTIVAL
Pep up your taste buds and excite your imagination at
Kew’s Full of Spice festival this summer. Throughout the
Gardens and glasshouses you’ll discover exciting flavours,
exotic aromas, intriguing plants and amazing stories from
around the world. Christina Harrison offers a taste
Photos: The Picture Pantry/Alamy, foodfolio /Alamy
H
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KEW SUMMER 2015
W W W. K E W. O R G
ot, smoky, sweet, aromatic, and full of exotic
flavour – there are many ways to describe
the smell and taste of spices. The very word
‘spice’ conjures up vivid images of far-off
countries and warm, tropical climes, and indeed this
is where most of our spice plants originate from. For
centuries we’ve sought them out to add delicious extra
dimensions to our food, and this desire shows no sign of
waning. Many of us are familiar with a certain array of
spices in the kitchen, but do you know where in the world
the pungent powders in your cupboards come from, which
plants they’re made from, or how they’re produced?
Today, the cost of most spices seems trivial – we
pick them up in shops or food markets for just a pound
or two and use them without much thought for their
value or production. But in the past they were so highly
prized that people risked their lives on the high seas,
discovering islands and even continents in pursuit of
them. Empires rose and fell around them, and there
are plenty of tales of shipwreck, piracy, luck and loot.
Their influence has not only spread to our food and
drink, but to art, music and even cultural traditions. In
fact, in many ways they’ve shaped our modern world.
This might seem like a bold claim, but Kew’s
summer festival, Full of Spice, aims to open your eyes
to the colourful world of spices – not just their distinctive
flavours, but their diversity, weird chemistry, beneficial
properties and dramatic, life-changing histories.
W W W. K E W. O R G
There are many plants, and different parts of those
plants, that are used as spices. Traditionally a spice is
defined as the seed, fruit, root, bark or other plant part
used to flavour, colour or preserve food. Such a vague
definition has led to herbs sometimes being classed as
spices. Other plant parts used as spices include flower
buds (cloves), bulbs (garlic) and flower stigmas (saffron).
Spices are sold and used in a variety of forms,
including fresh, dried (whole or as seeds) and ground.
Many spices are ground into powder before use, as this
increases their surface area, allowing more of their
essential oils to flavour the food.
The majority of spices come from tropical plants,
but there are a few temperate exceptions, including
Nutmeg and
mace both
come from the
same plant,
Myristica
fragrans –
mace is the red
lacy covering
that surrounds
the nutmeg
seed kernel
KEW SUMMER 2015
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SUMMER FESTIVAL
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KEW SUMMER 2015
Illustration: Juliet Percival; NB map locations are approximate to region of origin or main production
caraway, black mustard, saffron and cumin, which
originated around the Mediterranean Basin. There are
also some more unusual spices that can easily be grown
in the UK, including the fragrant black seeds of Nigella
sativa, related to the familiar blue-flowered love-in-a-mist
(N. damascena), and what’s known as wild fennel pollen
– the dried yellow flowers of the herb fennel (Foeniculum
vulgare), which are picked when the yellow pollen is
showing. The flowers and pollen have a sweeter aniseed
flavour than the leaves and seeds, and are used to
intensify the taste of a wide range of foods.
This summer you can discover many of these spice
plants at Kew, in outdoor displays as well as in the humid
domes of the glasshouses. You’ll find ginger, black pepper
and tamarind in the Palm House and a vibrant array of
fiery chillies in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. So, if
you have no idea what a nutmeg or vanilla plant looks like,
now’s the time to start your journey of discovery at Kew.
There are also plenty of opportunities to be enlightened
about the fascinating origins of spices, and just why the
desire for a few plants that pepped up our food changed
the course of history and opened up the world to traders.
Because we’re so familiar with these products
today, it can seem strange that countries, companies and
individuals put such huge efforts and investment into
finding and bringing back shiploads of these plant parts.
Believe it or not, the spice trade really began with pepper
(still the world’s most traded spice today – see p32). Now
a staple condiment, black pepper was being traded as
far back as 2000BC, along ancient routes between India
and the Mediterranean. It and other spices changed
hands many times on the way to the markets of Europe,
by which time they had become expensive luxury
products. Used to show off wealth and believed to have
medicinal properties (nutmeg, for example, was said to
ward off plague), many spices became highly desirable.
As trade and prices grew, Europeans began to want
to cut out the middlemen and side step the complicated
politics, so started to send out expeditions of their own
to Asia. The Portuguese led the way in this quest in the
16th century, and established bases in India, Malaysia »
W W W. K E W. O R G
W W W. K E W. O R G
KEW SUMMER 2015
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CULINARY KEW
Far left: look for
ginger (Zingiber
officinale) in Kew’s
Palm House – the
spice is produced
from the rhizome
(underground stem)
of this tropical
herbaceous plant
Cinnamon and pecan bread
and the Indonesian Maluku islands, to control sources
of cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and cloves. The
Dutch and British followed, both founding East India
Companies in the early 1600s. Their rivalries over who
had the monopolies on different spices, and who
controlled spice-producing areas, are now an integral
part of history. It was not long before the profitable
maritime trade routes set up for spices were being
used for trading many other goods too.
These valuable plants were among many that Kew’s
first unofficial director, Sir Joseph Banks, had on his wish
list for the Gardens in the late 1700s. He sent out both
plant hunters and letters across the world to gather
important and useful plants, and tried with varying degrees
of success to grow them in the new hothouses at Kew.
The early value placed on spices as medicines was
not entirely without merit. Some spices, such as cinnamon
and cloves, do have antimicrobial properties. Others,
such as cumin and ginger, are known to have antioxidant
properties and help us to absorb other nutrients from
our food. Today, many people still use spices to try to
improve their health, including taking ginger to stave
off sore throats, or using clove oil for toothache. Kew
continues to be a leader in the authentication of plants
and plant products, including spices such as star anise
as well as Chinese medicines. Kew is also involved
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KEW SUMMER 2015
in the conservation of food plants through many diverse
initiatives, including MGU – the Useful Plants Project.
This important project helps communities in Africa and
Mexico to protect native useful plants, such as baobab
and tamarind, by growing them in community gardens.
On these plots the plants can be harvested with ease and
in safety, reducing the need to take them from the wild.
There’s a unique way to discover more fascinating
facts about spices this summer, and that’s by taking a
rickshaw spice ride. Simply pre-book a ride online, in one
of the three beautifully decorated rickshaws, then relax
as your driver regales you with exotic tales of far-off lands
and spicy encounters. What better way to get a flavour
of the festival and the importance of these plants?
Once your feet are back on the ground, you might
like to join the lively dancers of Strictly Spice on the
Orangery Lawn. Take a few spins and turns with them
and you’ll learn some secrets about the science of spices.
Between dance classes everyone is invited to the Judges’
Table, where Kew scientists are on hand with experiments
to help you choose which spice is the hottest, what makes
a plant spicy, and why some plants have evolved to be
spicy. You’ll be able to put lots of plants through their
paces and vote for your favourite.
After you’ve enjoyed a tamarind tango or fenugreek
foxtrot, you can immerse yourself in the giant spice
W W W. K E W. O R G
Makes two loaves
inflatables near the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Look
out for the mega-sized chilli, garlic, nutmeg and ginger
inflatables and plunge yourself headlong into each one
to see which parts of the plant give it its flavour. It will,
at the very least, offer interesting photo opportunities!
Next, head for the centrepiece of the festival –
The Spice Exchange pavilion on the Secluded Garden
lawn. In this inspiring space made of spice jars, there
will always be lots to see and do. Explore the spice
plants exhibition, watch storytelling theatre, browse
the delicious books in the pop-up library, and share
your spice stories, memories, recipes and remedies
on postcards for others to read as part of an evergrowing spice storywall.
You can also experiment with the high-tech
approach to sampling spices at the Spice Mix Super
Computer 2.0, where through the wonders of
technology you can smell and sample a range of
spices, then create your own unique mix to take home.
With appetite suitably whetted, you can then cook
up some spice-laden bread in the nearby Dough Kitchen.
Join one of the regular cookery sessions and you can
explore which spices go well together and make some
deliciously aromatic bread.
In fact there’s a real banquet of exciting events,
engaging talks, tours and workshops, as well as a Kew
Lates programme of six evening openings for you
to enjoy, so don’t hold back – spice up your life this
summer and make the most of this fiery fiesta.
––
Christina Harrison is editor of Kew magazine
»» To see the latest details of all the Full of Spice displays,
events, talks, botanical bar, and more, go to www.kew.org,
where you’ll also find podcasts about spice plants. A wide
selection of hot new spice products is available in Kew’s Victoria
Plaza shop. You can read more about spices on p26 and p32
»» To find out about Kew’s work with useful plants, go to
www.kew.org/science-conservation. You can support
this vital work in many ways – see www.kew.org/support
W W W. K E W. O R G
You will need:
500g strong white bread flour
7g sachet of quick-action yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 medium eggs
50g butter
milk or beaten egg to glaze
75g pecans (or walnuts)
75g icing sugar for glazing
lemon juice
For cinnamon butter:
175g butter, softened
175g light or dark muscovado sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Method:
Photos: WILDLIFE GmbH /Alamy, SoFood /Alamy
Left: the flower of the
saffron crocus (Crocus
sativus) has three vivid
red stigmas, which
are harvested by hand
and dried to make
saffron, the world’s
most expensive
spice by weight
1 Put the flour, yeast and salt
in a bowl and stir well. Pour
in 225ml of warm water,
then add the eggs and butter
and mix well until the dough
is smooth (up to ten minutes).
2 Cover and leave in a warm
place for one hour, until the
dough has doubled in size.
3 While the dough is proving,
mix together the ingredients
for the cinnamon butter.
4 Turn the dough out onto a
floured surface and knead
gently. Divide into two. Take
one half, knead it again
quickly, then create an
oblong roughly 30cm x 38cm.
Spread with half of the
cinnamon butter and roll up
from a long side of the dough
to encase the butter into the
dough. Stretch the dough
along its length then twist
it into a coil. Either repeat
this step with the second
batch of dough or put it
in the freezer for baking
at a later date.
6 Press the dough into a deep
buttered 20cm sandwich tin,
cover and leave to rise until
it has doubled in size.
7 Pre-heat the oven to 190°C,
375°F or Gas Mark 5. Brush
the dough with milk or egg
and sprinkle with pecans.
Bake for 30 minutes until
risen and golden and firm
to touch. Cool on a wire rack.
8 Mix the icing sugar with
sufficient water or lemon
juice (about 2½ teaspoons)
to make a thick, pourable
icing. Drizzle it over the
bread and leave to set.
Recipe from Kew’s Global Kitchen Cookbook, £10,
available in all Kew’s shops and at www.kew.org/shop.