spice
the desire to control spice trade was one of the main reason that European dangled to the farthest of the world. Spices were important because at that era, there were no food refrigeration and spices served to change the taste of food and water away any odour therein.
Venice had become a economic and political power by the end of the 15th century, ushering other European countries to try and break their dominance on trade, namely the trade of Spice. This kind of plant material was one of the most profitable trades in the Middle East and West Asia, in consequence, the race for new trade routes was so big and profitable that it ushered Europe and related countries into the Modern Age out of the Middle Ages.
