歐洲中世紀的香料

Spices in Medieval Europe

本文自香料的字源開始，討論香料在歷史上的原來定位。香料的三大重要定義為：香氛、藥物及外來性：作為香氛，是香料迄今有效的基本功能；作為藥物，具有比藥草更強烈地藥性；外來性，則是其珍稀的原因。這些特性，如何在中世紀西歐的生活中發揮？一方面，來自自身世俗及宗教的文化傳統，另一方面，更大成分是向提供歐洲這類商品的阿拉伯文明及猶太人學習。香料在中世紀的西歐，其藥性部分的運用乃根據體液說，以各種形式與食物搭配（例如醬汁），起著厚生的作用；同時，也在審美上提升人們進食的樂趣。這些特性也可以在當地藥草中獲得，唯因配合其東方源頭，方造就香料的昂貴價格，這些大益生活的效果受到舶來品高級感的加持，不為普通人所能享有，注定是上層階級精緻文化的一部分，反映也強化了社會階級的差異。因此，香料在中世紀的歐洲，理所當然地等同富裕、地位、健康等一切權力價值。在此一認識基礎上方能明白，為何中世紀晚期的地理大發現是為香料貿易的拓展，而香料貿易又如何反過來拆解了香料的價值，使香料有別過往大相逕庭的價值。

The meaning and function of spices are often misunderstood. Most people think of spices as ingredients for seasoning food, for adding flavor to various dishes. As a matter of fact, the term spices originally referred to special plants from overseas that were used mainly for medicinal purposes. The word ''spice'' comes from Latin species, meaning a kind of thing. Italians borrowed this word to indicate imported fruits, seeds, barks or roots used for particular purposes, hence the word ''spezierie''. Similar local products for similar purposes were called ''herbs'', as of old, at much lower prices. In the ancient world, spices were used for healing or as aphrodisiacs. The limited supply made spices expensive, and they were often seen as a status symbol. In medieval times, spices were transported to Europe in much larger amounts. The price dropped but the profits were still considerable. As spices became more affordable, people started to use them in other ways, especially in cooking. This article will look at the development of the distribution of spices in medieval Europe, and the resulting changes in their use.