Spice spices. Spices were among the most demanded and expensive products available in Europe in the Middle Ages, the most common being black pepper, cinnamon (and the cheaper alternative cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Given medieval medicine's main theory of humorism, spices and herbs were indispensable to balance "humors" in food, a daily basis for good health at a time of recurrent pandemics. In addition to being desired by those using medieval medicine, the European elite also craved spices in the Middle Ages. An example of the European aristocracy's demand for spice comes from the King of Aragon, who invested
Cassia gum on November 21, 2003 (GRN 139), both of which were not evaluated due to notifier's request to cease evaluation. In June 2008, specialty firm Lubrizol Advanced Material filed a petition to the FDA proposing that food regulations be amended to provide for the use of cassia gum as a stabilizer in frozen dairy desserts. Approval in the US is still pending, with no clear indication of when it may be obtained. In 2010, cassia gum received EU approval for human food applications. It is used as a thickener and gelling agent, and has E-number E427 in food and E499 in