Field of Science

On the Spice Trail

A great deal of the age of exploration, or when Europe discovered the rest of the world, was driven by the money that could be made by answering the demand for spices. While seeking another piece of information, the Phactor happened upon the British Library's Turning the Pages project that puts classic documents in your hands that you may virtually "flip through the pages". One exhibit that can be viewed is called The Spice Trail, images from the Raffles Family collection of natural history illustrations from SE Asia. Perhaps you've had a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel where the drink was invented. Yes, the Phactor has done this, a minor claim to fame. There are other botanical goodies at the same source, and hopefully the registration does not prove too onerous. It was easy enough to do, but then it promptly rejected my password upon its 2nd use. The site is neither simple or straight forward, but so many cool things to see. Perhaps others will manage better and report back.

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