Marco Polo at the table

Marco Polo's journey does not follow a menu but a thread connecting three tables: the merchant's saddlebag on the trail (dry provisions that do not spoil), the sumptuous feast of the Mongol court where rice, rare spices, and whole mutton are served, and the memory of Venice, his city of water, where a humble bread dipped in oil is broken. One does not eat according to starter-main course-dessert, but according to where one is: in the saddle, at court, or back home. Fermented drinks and spiced sweets punctuate the stages.

Throughout the *Description of the World*, Marco Polo marvels at spices — fresh ginger, cinnamon, pepper — that travel by caravan and junk. They mark both savory court dishes and comforting sweets. For a Venetian, spice is treasure, currency, and medicine all at once.