The spice trade was once the world's biggest industry and made merchants rich across the globe. The insatiable appetite for spices created empires, revealed vast continents to Europeans, defined international economies, and tipped the balance of world power. But the spice trade also sparked conflict and resentment. There were lots of winners, and plenty of losers.
Today, we don't think twice about flavoring our food with spices. But how did this lucrative business evolve, and why did it redraw the world map? Click through this gallery and find out more about the life of spice.