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초록

영어

This article aims to answer the question why Europeans craved for the oriental spices with passion during the Middle Ages, which would drive them to the edges of the world in their pursuit. It investigates in detail several aspects concerning the spices. First, it clarifies the meaning of the medieval latin word, species, from which the modern spices derived. The species had designated almost everything produced in the soil and came to signify only modern common spices such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves etc. This article shows that the major oriental spices in common use were pepper, ginger and cinnamon. Then it explores for what purposes Europeans used spices. Their two main usages were culinary and pharmaceutic. Many cookbooks of the Later Middle Ages testify that spices were essential ingredients for most of medieval recipes. Spices were everywhere in medieval gastronomy. Spices also were considered drugs. The importance of spices in the medicine was their role in harmonizing the body's primary fluids, or humors. According to theories of health in the Middle Age, health as well as personality were governed by four bodily fluids, the four humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm. To have healthy living was to prevent humoral imbalance. Spices were mostly hot and dry and therefore effective at counteracting the moist or cold properties of many kinds of meat and fish. Finally, it investigates marvellous and fantastic imageries of spices. The Orient or more specifically the India represented a marvellous land full of valuables gems, aromatic plants, strange humans and animals for Europeans. One of the most fantastic beliefs was that spices were brought down by the rivers of the earthly Paradise or found in the regions of the India, specially near the Paradise. The most famous of dreamlands in Asia was the kingdom of Prester John where spices were produced near the fountain of Youth deriving from the Paradise. For those reasons, oriental spices had mysterious effects. In summary, not only practical usages of spices but also mystification of spices have driven Europeans to search for the kingdom of Christians and spices in the Later Middle Ages.

목차

Ⅰ. 서론
 Ⅱ. “중세 향신료”의 개념
  1. 광의의 개념: 스페키에스(species)의 의미
  2. 협의의 개념: 동방 향신료
 Ⅲ. 향신료의 용도
  1. 음식 재료
  2. 약재
 Ⅳ. 향신료에 대한 환상
 Ⅴ. 결론
 

키워드

향신료 스페키에스 후추 생강 육계 지상 낙원 체액설 Spices Species Pepper Ginger Cinnamon Paradise Theory of humors.

저자

• 남종국 [ Jong-Kuk Nam | 동국대학교 ]

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