At the Library: Millennia of history blend in pumpkin spice

Autumn is now in full swing, and with it has come the ubiquitous PSL. Introduced by Starbucks in 2003, the first pumpkin spice lattes were named for the spice mix that gave them that spicy, glowing warmth reminiscent of fall desserts — pumpkin wasn’t in the recipe until 2015.

Pumpkin spice has its origins in the first known cookbook written by an American. “American Cookery” (1796) by Amelia Simmons includes two “pompkin” recipe variations, one spiced with mace, nutmeg and ginger, and the other with allspice and ginger.

Traditionally, pumpkin spice contains a mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Variations may include allspice, mace, cardamom or black pepper.

Ginger is among the oldest existing spices, thought to have spread thousands of years ago by ships of the Austronesian expansion.

The ginger plant is a perennial with narrow blade-like leaves on thin, upright stalks that can grow up to 4 feet tall. The knobby edible root is known as the rhizome.

The English word for ginger comes from the Sanskrit word shringavera, which translates to “shaped like a deer’s antlers.”

Ginger is a traditional cure for nausea and motion sickness, and has long been associated with health benefits. Ginger was one of the ingredients in King Mithridates’ regular anti-poisoning concoction, the Mithridaticum, and is referenced as an aphrodisiac in the “One Thousand and One Nights.”

Cinnamon, and the related spice cassia, come from the bark of evergreen trees of the genus Cinnamomum, a member of the laurel family. Cinnamon is sold in sticks of rolled-up layers of bark known as “quills,” or as a finely ground powder. In the U.S., the term “cinnamon” may refer to either cinnamon or cassia.

Records of cinnamon/cassia go back as far as 4,000 BC. Historically, Greeks and Romans used cinnamon in perfume and incense, Europeans used it in love potions, and Egyptians in the embalming process.

Cinnamon has been used to treat diarrhea, circulation, depression, head colds and nausea. Conjoined cinnamon buds are used in an Indonesian wedding drink to symbolize harmony and togetherness.

Nutmeg and clove both come from evergreen trees native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, sometimes called the Spice Islands, and became known in China, India and Asia/Europe about 2,000 years ago.

Nutmeg’s name derives from the Latin Nux muscatus — “musky nut”. The nutmeg is the inner dried seed of the fruit of the Myristica fragrans tree; the seed’s fibrous red covering gives us the related spice, mace.

Nutmeg has been used to treat nausea, diarrhea, kidney problems, fevers, headaches and respiratory problems. Some cultures consider it an aphrodisiac. Nutmeg is mentioned in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” The medieval nun Hildegard of Bingen wrote it can purify the senses and quell “harmful humours.”

Nutmeg was so expensive in the Middle Ages that Europeans would flaunt their wealth by bringing their own nutmegs and graters when dining out.

Cloves are dried flower buds picked from certain tree species of the Myrtaceae family. In Maluku Island tradition, a clove tree would be planted at the birth of a child. As the tree grew straight and strong, so would the child. Children were also given clove necklaces as protection from illness.

Most cultures’ names for the “clove” refer to its long, spiky shape. The English comes from the Latin clavus, meaning “nail”, and its Chinese names translate to “nail spice” or “chicken-tongue spice.”

Clove oil can be used as a mild dental anesthetic, and has antibacterial and antifungal activity. Through history, cloves have been used to aid digestion and circulation, and to alleviate cough, hiccups, vomiting and inflammation of the mouth and throat. They have been used in love potions, aphrodisiacs and preparations for heartache.

Cloves may be the earliest-recorded breath fresheners. In the 13th century, people used them to create pomanders (clove-studded apples or oranges) to ward off the plague.

Orange pomanders are still used today as fragrant Christmas decorations. If you give one to your sweetheart and they pull out a clove to chew, it’s an invitation to a kiss.

Cukier is a science librarian at Washington State University.