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Kerala history is closely linked with its commerce, which in turn was wholly dependent
until recent times on its
spice trade. Kerala is known for its spices, and travellers from around the world journeyed here to trade and to gain control over this rich land. The first travellers were the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and the Chinese; latter day traders included the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British. Almost all of them have left their imprint on this land in some form or the other: architecture, cuisine, literature. It is believed that the spice trade dates back three thousand years. Certainly it was responsible for Vasco da Gama's quest for the Indian subcontinent, and its discovery via sea route.
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