India, Sept. 6 -- The clove is now an irritant; cardamom is considered so unpleasant, it has become a meme. This marks yet another shift in an ancient tale. Here's an overview of the winding paths these tiny packs of flavour have taken.

c. 3000 BCE: Seeds found in Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, and traces of food residue found in cooking pots, suggest that spices such as turmeric and ginger were widely used across the Indus Valley Civilisation. Traces of mustard, cumin, and coriander are also found.

But spices in India likely go back much further. The Rig Veda, compiled c. 1500 BCE but containing verses believed to date much further back, mentions turmeric, sesame and long pepper, as well as mustard seeds and bitter orange, for use in food, ...