The search for spicy tastes was one of the first driving force for crossing the ocean, the trigger for a globalized and capitalist relationship with the plants of the southern hemisphere.
On the trail of five popular spices, I investigate both sides of the industrial revolution. Starting from the uses and imaginations of spices, I venture towards production circuits and the agroforest, the cradle of spices.
Its colonial history and the innovations that enabled the democratization of tropical tastes bring me back to the épicerie, an intercultural stage in the city.


My thesis is an investigation of how the industrial era blurred our connection with the imported products of spices, and how our relationship with those has changed across the ages. The edition is organized in eight chapters and four leaflets, each leaflet being the exploration of a theme on both sides of the industrial revolution : the imaginary of spices, the productive forests, the colonial history and the story of the épicerie. This work is made of different types of investigations : historical, geographical, ethnographical but also field research to connect with the actors of the contemporary spice world.
All for the sake of connecting the consumer back to those little powder jars on the shelf, and understanding their value.