They charged up to 100 times what they paid for the spices because they travelled thousands of miles to bring the spices to Europe. Also, to prevent other people making the journey, the Arabs kept their sources a secret and made up stories of the dangerous lands they had to travel through to get the spices.

In 1271, Marco Polo set off from Italy to travel all the way to China along the Silk Road, the name given to the route popular with spice traders. When he returned he amazed Europe with tales of the wonderful places he had visited, including fields of spices and golden palaces. Not surprisingly, people in Europe were keen to find a way to reach this strange new land and see the treasures for themselves.