500 years ago another group of commodities flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, making those that controlled that vital trade route fabulously wealthy. Those commodities were the spices: nutmeg and cloves. Grown only in two tiny islands in modern day Indonesia and the Philippines, they were worth their weight in gold. Then in 1512 the Portuguese upended that global trade and in so doing created the modern world and the blueprint for how commodity traders operate today (minus the cannons). Joining us is award winning historian Roger Crowley to discuss his latest book: Spice: The 16th-Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World.
