Spices

This is how the world tastes

Every time we eat, we come into contact with spices that find their way into our kitchens from remote parts of the world. This starts with pepper. However, hardly anyone knows what spice plants look like, where they come from, where pepper grows or from which parts of the plant spices are made. The turbulent history of spices and the spice trade is also hardly known. Wars were fought and peoples subjugated because of them.

The pupils immerse themselves in the world of spices and discover it with all their senses. For example, the precursor of our cocoa - the fiery Aztec drink - is prepared by the pupils themselves and, of course, tasted. At our spice tree, they look for the spice plants, assign the spices to them and learn what makes the spice plants so special. On an adventurous journey across the Silk Road, the pupils playfully immerse themselves in the history of spices and learn about their value. After all, why would anyone fight a war for nutmeg and pepper?

Competences:

•     practise their perception through the senses of smell, taste and touch
•     describe, sketch and classify different parts of plants that are used as spices
•     investigate different ingredients of herbs and spices
•     cook an original cocoa drink, which they then taste
•     playfully learn about the history of spices and their value
•     use simple structural models on a macroscopic level