Ginger is the root of a shrub first known in Asia, and now cultivated
in the West Indies and Sierra Leone. The stem grows three or four feet
high and dies every year. There are two varieties of ginger--the white
and black--caused by taking more or less care in selecting and
preparing the roots, which are always dug in winter, when the stems
are withered. The white is the best.
Cinnamon is the inner bark of a beautiful tree, a native of Ceylon,
that grows from twenty to thirty feet in height and lives to be
centuries old.
Cloves.--Native to the Molucca Islands, and so called from
resemblance to a nail (clavis). The East Indians call them
"changkek" from the Chinese "techengkia" (fragrant nails). They grow
on a straight, smooth-barked tree, about forty feet high. Cloves are
not fruits, but blossoms, gathered before they are quite unfolded.
Allspice.--A berry so called because it combines the flavor of
several spices--grows abundantly on the allspice or bayberry tree;
native of South America and the West Indies. A single tree has been
known to produce one hundred and fifty pounds of berries. They are
purple when ripe.
Black pepper is made by grinding the dried berry of a climbing vine,
native to the East Indies. White pepper is obtained from the same
berries, freed from their husk or rind. Red or cayenne pepper is
obtained by grinding the scarlet pod or seed-vessel of a tropical
plant that is now cultivated in all parts of the world.
Nutmeg is the kernel of a small, smooth, pear-shaped fruit that
grows on a tree in the Molucca Islands, and other parts of the East.
The trees commence bearing in the seventh year, and continue fruitful
until they are seventy or eighty years old. Around the nutmeg or
kernel is a bright, brown shell. This shell has a soft, scarlet
covering, which, when flattened out and dried, is known as mace. The
best nutmegs are solid, and emit oil when pricked with a pin.