Spices: From Vietnam’s Highlands to Our Kitchen Shelves

The exhibition "Symphởny of Spices"

Spices have connected cultures and cuisines across the globe for over 2000 years. Regarded as one of the first global commodities, they played a major role in European colonization efforts. Yet, we know surprisingly little about their history, their origins, and how they made their way onto our kitchen shelves.

This exhibition traces the roots and routes of star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom from northern Vietnam. This triad of flavours gives the Vietnamese noodle soup phở its distinctive taste, while their aromas awaken a sense of Christmas in Switzerland.

Between phở and mulled wine unfolds a complex web of historical and contemporary connections – from local cultivation to expanding global markets for “exotic” spices. How do spices move from production to consumption? Who are the people behind them? What are they used for? And what memories and associations do their tastes and scents evoke within the Vietnamese diaspora?

The exhibition was developed based on a research project in collaboration with students from the University of Zurich and researchers from Vietnam.