While Europeans were doing their best to keep the Roman spirit of gastronomic diversity from dying completely, Muslim traders were venturing farther than ever in search of spices. Tales from the Thousand and One Nights show how far they got. Sindbad may have reached Japan. Closer to home, Ali Baba used the name of a spice to open the cave that housed the wealth of the 40 thieves.

Arab mariners covered vast distances. This was helped by their knowledge of the monsoon winds, which was far greater than the Romans' had been. The word for monsoon was itself derived from the Arabic word, mawsim, or "season." Their most profitable destination was Southeast Asia, source of the most expensive of all spices and eventually to become a significant part of the Islamic world. Arab traders had been visiting the Malay Archipelago long before any part of the region had officially become Muslim. Visitors from other Muslim areas, including India and China, had also prepared the way for widespread conversion.

Muslims in the Middle Ages were engaged in more than just trading spices. The medical knowledge that came out of this period shows how important the use of these ingredients was. This extended far beyond the borders of the Islamic Empire. Arabic became the lingua franca of health, and medical treatises were read from northern Europe to Southeast Asia. The image of Islam was never higher than where medicine was involved. The contribution of the 10th century writers Ibn Sina and Al-Zahrawi was vital to universal knowledge.

In addition to their literary gifts, the practical ability of Muslim physicians was much in demand, and the Persian polymath, Al-Razi, believed: "All that is written in a book is worth less than the experience of one doctor." Much of that experience entailed knowledge of spices. Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and other famous writers were full of praise for everything from cloves to ginger. Later, less well-known authorities were also committed to the power of this medicine. In the 14th century, Rashid ud-Din Fadlullah wrote to his son, the governor of Asia Minor, requesting wormwood, anise and agaric for use in his hospital in Tabriz. This facility was equipped with 1,000 Chinese jars, each one labeled with the names of medicinal syrups.

Armed conflict from the 11th century onward may not have been the highpoint of Christian-Muslim relations, but the Crusades did at least open eyes on both sides to new trade possibilities. Europe had crawled out of the Dark Ages and was ready to improve its diet once again. The facilitator was Venice. Religious zeal on the Crusaders' part had become such a minor consideration that in 1204, they took the Christian city of Constantinople rather than bothering with Jerusalem. The plan had been devised in Venice, and for the next 300 years, Venetians dominated trade with the Islamic world.

Venice was not alone; the Renaissance was also fuelled by the ports of Genoa, Pisa and Barcelona. Spices were the most popular import in this arrangement, followed by silk. From Europe came the less sensual pleasures of wool and iron. The leading mercantile empires of the Islamic world were the Ottomans and the Mamluks, both of which knew how to harness their economic might. In 1428, the Mamluk Sultan Barsbay is recorded as having imposed a personal monopoly on the pepper trade. As this was Europe's favorite seasoning, consumers were displeased to find that the price had doubled. The later Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay was more conciliatory in sending the Doge of Venice precious spices, textiles, porcelain and, for unspecified purposes, a civet horn. A few decades later the Venetians reciprocated with gifts of glass, wool, fur, velvet and Parmesan cheese.