Experience the fascinating story of how spices shaped our modern world

The Spice Trail is a story of epic voyages, bloody wars, the birth of multinational companies and contemporary cultures around the globe. In Medieval times spices were thought to have medicinal properties that could cure disease they were also unbelievably expensive and a symbol of wealth and power. A small sack of nutmeg could buy a London town house, pepper was traded as currency (hence the term peppercorn rent) and the worlds most expensive spice saffron was and still is known as red gold. With immense fortunes to be made explorers set forth in search of these tastes of paradise and Kate Humble will be retracing their footsteps as she journeys around the globe on the trail of some of the most coveted spices in the world. Kate will uncover the story of the most heavily traded spice in the world pepper in India before heading south to the cinnamon lands of Sri Lanka a place shrouded in mystery for Europeans until the Portugese accidentally landed on its shores. In Indonesia shell journey around the fabled spice islands an archipelago of tiny volcanic islands once known as paradise on earth that drew European explorers in search of nutmeg and clove. And from the Atlas mountains of Morocco shell follow the spice trail to Spain as she reveals the story of the worlds most expensive spice - saffron before heading across the Atlantic to Mexico in search of vanilla a spice discovered by the most famous Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes. The Spice Trail is a journey to find out how spices shaped our modern world during on of the greatest periods of discovery the world has known and an account of the role these spices still play in the communities of the exotic birthplaces. Episode one: Pepper and Cinnamon In the first half we visit India to look at Pepper and find out that Black pepper corns are traditionally sun dried. We are told that White pepper is soaked and de-husked to make it milder. Green pepper is mentioned but not explained and Red is not mentioned at all. We see how the corns are removed by being trodden on and massaged by bare feet. We see the devastation a Fungal disease has brought to what was once the primary area of production. We also see the silent and secret negotiation language of the buyers and sellers who use their hands under a cloth to negotiate without the need for a spoken language (a kind of Tactile signing). In the second half we see small Cinnamon trees being cut in Sri Lanka. The outer Bark is scraped by hand and the inner bark is then carefully removed with a knife. The best parts are used to create an outer sheaf and the other parts are placed within. These outer sheaves are joined to each other and overlap slightly to create a standard length stick or rod known as a quill. The sticks are then rolled daily as they dry and are tied into bundles for trading and transport. Episode two: Nutmeg and Cloves In this programme we visit the Spice Islands, the original home of these two spices. In the first half we look at nutmeg and discover it has many layers. There is the outer fruit which is used for jam. When ripe the fruit opens revealing a red nut and this is the best time to pick it we are told. However in the program we see examples of fruit being cut open when it has been picked early. We see the outer red skin of the nut being removed and dried to create mace. The inner skin or black shell of the nut is then removed and discarded and what is left is the hard brown nut we call nutmeg. We also find out that Almond trees are important for shade and a species of Dove is responsible for planting most of the almonds trees and nutmeg trees. The second half of the programme looks at Cloves. We are introduced to the pink flower buds on the tall trees and are told that the best cloves are pink and not yet opened. A mixture of long poles, rope pulling and tree climbing are used so the pickers can collect the clusters of buds from all over the trees. Back on the ground the individual cloves are sna