Food is a crucial part of worldbuilding. This is a point you can be certain that I will keep coming back to. And all foodstuffs, while helping define a culture, has a point of origin. You shouldn’t just throw in a few herbs and spices at random and say, “There! Food as worldbuilding. Done.” You should think about where these foods have their origins, and apply that sort of thinking to your own world.<\/p>\n
Now, that doesn’t mean you need to give pure one-to-one correlation. Vanilla has its origins in the Americas, as do peppers and potatoes… but don’t feel like you need to create a psuedo-Americas where all three come from if you want all in your world. But you should make deliberate choices, and you should be aware of the real-world origins of foods. <\/p>\n
And, of course, cultures can import and fully adopt herbs and spices from other areas, and that’s a crucial element of worldbuilding. Cultures do not exist in a vacuum; they bleed into each other. By making the herb or spice originating from one region of the world a critical element of the cuisine of another region, you’ve already told a lot about that culture.<\/p>\n
So, in the interest of “I’ll make your research a little easier”, here’s a quick list– but hardly exhaustive– of various herbs and spices and their areas of origin. Hope you find it helpful.<\/p>\n
Herbs<\/b><\/u>
Basil \u2013 India \/ Southeast Asia
Bay Laurel – Mediterranean
Chervil \u2013 Eastern Europe
Coriander\/Cilantro \u2013 Southern Europe\/Northern Africa
Dill \u2013 Europe
Epazote \u2013 Mexico \/ Central America \/ South America
Fennel \u2013 Meditteranean
Garlic \u2013 Central Asia
Lavender \u2013 Western Europe
Mint – Mediterranean \/ Western Asia
Marjoram \u2013 Cypress\/ Southern Turkey
Oregano \u2013 Western Europe \/ Mediterranean
Parsley \u2013 Mediterranean
Rosemary \u2013 Mediterranean
Saffron – Mediterranean \/ Western Asia
Sage – Mediterranean
Savory \u2013 Western Europe
Sumac \u2013 North America & Africa
Tarragon \u2013 Europe & Asia
Thyme – Mediterranean \/ Western Asia
Wasabi \u2013 Japan
Watercress \u2013 Europe \/ Asia <\/p>\n
Spices<\/b><\/u>
Achiote \/ Annatto – South America
Allspice \u2013 Southern Mexico \/ Central America \/ Greater Antilles
Anise \u2013 Eastern Mediterranean \/ Western Asia
Cardamom \u2013 India\/Nepal\/Bhutan
Caraway \u2013 Western Asia \/ Northern Africa
Chili \u2013 Americas
Cinnamon \u2013 Southeast Asia
Clove \u2013 Indonesia
Cumin \u2013 Mediterranean \/ Western Asia \/India
Fenugreek \u2013 Persia \/ India
Fil\u00e9 \u2013 Eastern North America
Ginger \u2013 South Asia
Horseradish \u2013 Southeastern Europe
Juniper \u2013 Mediterranean
Mace \/ Nutmeg \u2013 Indonesia
Mustard – Mediterranean \/ Western Asia
Paprika \u2013 Americas
Pepper \u2013 India
Tumeric \u2013 India
Vanilla \u2013 Mexico\/Central America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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