This research project aims to shed light on the spice trade in the Middle Ages, starting from the precious data contained in the custom registers of Bologna (1388-1448). These documents were used to report any goods (related to the so-called "dazio della mercanzia") that crossed Bologna, and then continued to other destinations, especially Florence. As for spices, Bologna was an important hub in order to connect the main emporiums of the Adriatic Sea (first of all Venice) with the markets of Tuscany, such as Florence or Pisa, from where the spices sailed-thanks to the port of Porto Pisano-to other European regions, such as France, England, the Iberian Peninsula and Flanders. The daily, monthly, annual and total quantities of spices found in these registers are undoubtedly unexpected: a product traditionally described by historians as rare, precious and difficult to distribute in Europe, passed through Bologna with surprising constancy and reaching very high volumes. The daily, monthly, annual and total quantities of spices are undoubtedly unexpected: a product traditionally described by historians as rare, precious and hard to get to Europe, passed through Bologna with surprising constancy and reaching very high volumes. Considering that Bologna, despite its importance on the Italian scene, was still a "minor" crossroads in the complex commercial networks on which spices used to circulate (such as the great maritime routes, for example), these high quantities of spices lead us to reflect on what has been said so far about the spice trade in the Middle Ages. By combining the traditional historiographical method with an "empirical" approach, which takes into account the material and organoleptic characteristics of spices, it is possible to reopen the debate around this topic, which still has much to offer to food history research.