Beyond nicotine: tobacco s sensory on farming and curing practices, amongst Virginia and England (17th Century)

Abstract

Since the beginning of English maritime expansion under Elizabeth I, tobacco emerged as an important commodity, being legally traded with the colonists of Virginia and the Kingdom of Spain, or illicitly acquired through the spoils of Spanish galleons. However, during this period, tobacco's prominence was largely due to the establishment of the town of Jamestown in Virginia, which soon became the main tobacco-producing region for England. With the ascension of James I, English foreign policy shifted, peace with Spain was established, and tobacco, despite being scorned by the monarch, was heavily taxed-a measure that did not lead to a decrease in its consumption, which continued to rise during the Stuart dynasty's reign.Colonizing Virginia was a strategic move to avoid direct conflict with Spanish interests, which led to the prioritization of this territory in 1607, while plans to colonize other regions were less favored, though not entirely abandoned. In this context, the aim of the present project is to examine, based on documentation regarding English plantations in Virginia, how tobaccos of different sensory qualities (e.g., olfactory and gustatory) were handled and how these factors can inform broader colonialist inquiries regarding the political and cultural interactions between England and Spain in the Atlantic throughout the seventeenth century, particularly in the context of tobacco trade in the North Atlantic. These records of the personal preferences of English smokers reveal a unique tobacco culture developed from the convergence of three cultures: Hispanic, English, and Amerindian.From this, we can discern the relationship of certain tobaccos with the colonial policies of the regions while investigating their production processes, considering tobacco as a humanized commodity.