Spices still had ‘distinctive aroma’ after being discovered on 15th century shipwreck

Divers off the coast of Sweden recently recovered a fully stocked pantry from a medieval shipwreck, researchers said. Despite having been submerged in the ocean for over 500 years, fruits were found with skin and flesh intact, and one spice maintained its vibrant color and sweet aroma.

Sifting through the wreckage with their hands, and aided by an underwater vacuum, divers were able to recover dozens of plant species, many of which originated from the far reaches of the globe, according to a study published on Jan. 26 in the journal PLOS One.

The remarkably preserved findings provide a window into the eating habits of Northern Europe’s elite in the medieval period, researchers said.

They suggest that “the Nordic region was not an isolated backwater to continental Europe, but a vibrant and connected group of emerging nation-states with regional style and consumption patterns that were as sophisticated and diverse as those on the continent,” Dr. Brendan Foley, one of the study’s authors, told McClatchy News.

Origins

Scuba divers originally spotted the wreck in the 1960s, but it was not until 2000 that a diver realized it might be more than an ordinary shipwreck.

After local officials ordered an archaeological reconnaissance mission, the algae-covered remains were identified as Gribshunden, a 100-foot-long 15th century vessel that once belonged to King Hans of Denmark and Norway.

According to written records, the king had sailed Gribshunden to Sweden for a political summit in 1495 with the expectation that he would be crowned king of Sweden, “fulfilling his ambition to re-unite the Nordic region under a single monarch,” researchers wrote.

However, while the ship’s occupants were on land, an explosion rocked the vessel’s hull, sending it to the seabed about 36 feet below, researchers said.

The king’s pantry

Since the wreck was identified, a variety of artifacts have been salvaged from Gribshunden over the past two decades, including wooden gun carriages. But most recently, after a multi-year lull in excavations, divers returned to the site between 2019 and 2021, resulting in the discovery of the king’s pantry.

In total, 3,097 plant remains from 40 species were recovered from a 1-square-meter area at the rear of the ship, researchers said. The extensive haul is the only known archaeological example of a “substantially complete royal medieval pantry.”

Fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries, and vegetables, including cucumbers, were found. Additionally, nuts, seeds and a large variety of spices with far-flung origins were recovered.

The retrieved spices included ginger, black pepper, clove and saffron — which still retained a “distinctive aroma” after 527 years underwater, researchers said. The clove must have been sourced from Indonesia, and the ginger likely came from India, Foley said.

The organic remains, which likely would have withered and disappeared on land, were preserved by the Baltic Sea’s “exceptional environmental conditions,” which include a low concentration of salt in the water, researchers said.

These “extraordinary” finds suggest the ship’s occupants enjoyed “high-status” lifestyles because many of the recovered foods, particularly the spices, would have been extremely expensive.

It’s likely that King Hans of Denmark and Norway brought these plants onboard to woo the Swedish nobility as part of his effort to win the crown, according to the study.

The foreign food might have displayed the “cosmopolitan identity of the king, his access to luxury commodities from far distant origins, and his royal court’s position in the global economy,” researchers said.

Unfortunately for the king, the costly fruits, nuts and spices never made it ashore to impress the Swedish nobles. But now, centuries later, the recovered delicacies can dazzle a far larger, global audience.

The discovery of the pantry has led Foley to consider what other ancient items could be preserved at the bottom of the Baltic.

“The sea floor holds our complete history,” he said, “and maritime archaeology is how we can reveal it.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Spices still had ‘distinctive aroma’ after being discovered on 15th century shipwreck."