Gone for the Duration

At Manhattan's Hotel Astor last week 300 spicemen topped off a three-day conclave with a savory, super-spiced banquet costing $10.12 a plate. But the very spices they were eating might not be replaceable until war's end. The spice industry is the No. 1 example of a business where shortages will soon be complete, with no recourse to ersatz. Some examples: > Before the war, sage was plucked by Greek and Yugoslav goatherders. With these sources out, U.S. trade prices have risen from 7-c- to $1.35 a pound. When spice-grinders tried to use wild California sage instead, it could not be sold because t smacked of turpentine. Though a sprinking of backyard sage may help out, such supplies will not be commercially important. >Thyme came from France. No U.S. horticulturist is yet growing it commercially. > Best paprika came from Hungary. A little still arrives from Portugal and Spain, but even that may be cut off before a 350-acre paprika experiment in Louisiana is successful. > Spanish saffron, used to color and flavor fancy rolls and buns, soared from $18 to $45 a pound, is still almost impossible to get. Because it takes 14,000 tiny flower stigmata to make an ounce, U.S. growers will not even try to produce it.

Stocks of East Indian pepper--the most mportant spice--will last two or three years. The romantic spices of the East cinnamon, cloves, mace and nutmeg), which Columbus sought, still reach the U.S., but only in dubious dribbles. Others are obtainable in the West Indies or Mexico. But even to uncritical U.S. palates, one spice is no substitute for another.

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