Magellan at the table

In Renaissance Portugal, meals did not follow the starter-main-dessert sequence: the *iguarias* (dishes) arrived together on the table, sweet and savory mingled in the same course, and one helped oneself according to rank. Two worlds coexisted in Magellan's life: the table of the *solar* (noble house), rich in spiced meats and sweets with sugar and almonds, and the Spartan ration of the *convés* (ship's deck), reduced to hardtack, salted fish, and wine. Spices — especially those sought at the ends of the earth — signaled prestige and perfumed both food and drink.

This is the spice that justified the entire voyage: a tiny dried bud worth its weight in silver, brought from the islands of Ternate and Tidore. Magellan died before reaching them, but it was this peppery, warm fragrance that guided his sails. It appears studded in festive meats or infused in spiced wine.