I've based this on a random map of the centres of origins of various spices. Obviously, some plants will spread naturally to adjacent areas, while others will be cultivated (herbs in the Shire, for instance). Partly I guess this is going to depend on the evolutionary age of the plant - it looks like onions spread to the New World, while things like cinnamon have stayed very local.

I've also noted key locations in red, and hypothetical trade routes in blue. And so:



The base map is the Second Age one from the Atlas of Middle-earth. It's largely based on Tolkien's Ambarkanta map, which you can see low down here; it's wildly outdated, but it's the best we have.

Apparently both Saffron and Cumin are Med plants - I figured they were both Indian, but there you go. Basil, on the other hand, is from Indonesia.

I've speculated that the far-eastern spices are unknown on the mainland. Neither Sauron nor Morgoth have ever had much to do with the sea (the Corsairs are part-Numenorean), so I doubt the Dark Lord set up oceanic trade routes. Those spices might still be available, though - the Numenoreans would have visited way back in the Second Age, and they might be cultivatable in Numenor and Umbar. That's dubious, though.

The Indian spices are a bit of a coin toss. Would they be shipped to Umbar, or not? That depends how much of a free hand you think Sauron will give his subjects.

And one thing I don't think is available in the west: poppies. Some breeds of poppy can be used to make opium. Do you really think Sauron would let a drug that can make people dependent on him out into the wild? Nah-uh. He's keeping that for himself, and using it to create spies.

hS

a) 'Given what little we know' is an understatement! The fact that the Baynes map actually told me a significant new fact about Harad (that it has camels) is a massive hint at just how little we know. And they're under Sauron's thumb, of course...

I would say that yes, given the implied deserts, nomadic traders would be viable. If Umbar serves a useful purpose for Sauron, he needs people to cart stuff back and forth to it - and it's just plain easier to piggyback an extant trade network than to enslave one of your own.

There's probably some border-trade in South Gondor - the region south of Anduin; we already know it's a 'debatable land', which sounds very much like mingling. I imagine the tall folk of Minas Tirith turn something of a blind eye to it (putting it down as 'intelligence gathering' while tucking into their spiced cakes or whatever...). But yeah, anyone from Harad wandering into the North is likely to be greeted with stabs a'plenty.

As for specifically moving spices... hmm. See below.

b) Now you've got me researching the spice trade. ^_^ 'Spices' as we know them come from, broadly speaking, India and the Middle-east. They do not come from Africa - the spice trade through Africa seems to have come about because Alexandria served as a spice-port. So your traders would be taking spices from Khand (south-east of Mordor) and the lands beyond it, and moving them to western Harad - the urban centre of Umbar.

But what would they be? I'm going to run through this randomly-chosen list of 'basic spices' to answer that.

-Bay leaves: from the Bay Laurel. Mediterranean, so could grow in South Gondor or southern Ithilien, and possibly Dorwinion.
-Black pepper: native to southern Asia. Would have to travel long distances, and bypass Mordor. Unlikely to be available - I suspect Sauron would stop the traders at his borders, rather than bothering to send them through.
-Cayenne pepper: a New World plant. While they could be a Numenorean import (see: tomatoes, potatoes), their warm climate requirement suggests to me they probably wouldn't grow in the wild - and given the state of the world in the Third Age, it's unlikely there are cultivated samples around.
-Chili powder: ditto.
-Cinammon: a bark of Indian origin. Quite possible this could be traded through Khand to Umbar.
-Cloves: native to Indonesia. As with pepper, unlikely to make it past Mordor.
-Cream of tartar: forms in wine casks, so Dorwinion or Gondor are perfect.
-Cumin: native to the Middle-east, ie, Khand and the lands south of Mordor. This one definitely makes it to Umbar, and is probably found (rarely) growing in South Gondor.
-Curry powder: a blend of spices from India. The varieties we know wouldn't exist, but some form of this would probably wander into Harad.
-Ginger: comes from China. As with the rest of the South Asian spices, I consider this unlikely.
-Kosher salt: well, it's salt. Mines or sea-salt, you can get it.
-Nutmeg: Actual nutmeg is Indonesian, but there's a lesser variety from India. The latter could make it to Harad; rumours of 'super-nutmeg' might prompt tiny portions of the former to follow (or, more likely, normal stuff they /claim/ is the good variety...).
-Oregano: a relative of mint (as are things like marjoram), which probably grows wild across Middle-earth. Certainly around Ithilien and Dorwinion.
-Paprika: New-World chili derivative. No chance.
-Crushed red pepper: as above.
-Rosemary: Mediterranean, so wild-growing in Ithilien.
-Sesame seeds: These are African! If you live in Umbar and want to make your food more interesting, sesame is the way to go.
-Thyme: another Med plant, so head to Ithilien. Sam chose a good place to start demanding herbs, didn't he?
-Vanilla extract: New-World, and symbiotic with a particular bee to boot. Even less chance than the rest.

Basically: herbs, yes. Indian/Mid-eastern spices, possible by way of Harad. South Asian/Chinese/Indonesian spices, no chance. And if in doubt, err on the side of 'Sauron thinks you're wasting your time with these frivolous flavourings - it's not like He needs to eat, anyway!'.

hS