Why is this spice of thyme considered a spice in Western cooking? This is a very interesting question, in order to find the answer to this question, but found a more interesting thing, no one would have thought that the origin of the word fragrance, it is related to the spice of thyme.
As an aromatic plant, thyme first appeared in people's field of vision a bit unexpectedly, and its history can be traced back to about 3500 BC. Around 3500 BC, the remains of the Sumerian civilization in the Tigris River Valley have records of thyme. It is said that the Sumerians had discovered this aromatic plant at that time, but people at that time did not call the aroma of thyme aroma, but was defined as a special smell.
By about 1450 BC, when the Sumerian civilization had long disappeared in the dust of history, the ancient Greeks also noticed this plant, and it was only at this time that the smell of thyme was called aroma, in the eyes of the ancient Greeks, the aroma of thyme could not only drive away the putrefaction, but also drive away the sadness, bring people a pleasant mood, and inspire courage, so in the ancient Greek period, there was a tradition, the army would bring thyme leaves when they went to war, in order to stimulate the courage of the warriors.
By the time of ancient Rome, the concept of spices that resembled thyme, which could bring a pleasant taste, had been incorporated into the category of fragrances, and in this case the concept of spices had also sprouted. Later, the definition of fragrance was extended to become the origin of The English fragrance, the spice of thyme, from the beginning of its appearance, it actually has a close connection with Western civilization, so thyme is defined as a Western spice, in fact, there is nothing surprising.