 In northern France, a wide assortment of waffles and wafers was eaten with cheese and hypocras or a sweet malmsey as "issue de table" ("departure from the table").The ever-present candied ginger, coriander, aniseed and other spices were referred to as "épices de chambre" ("parlor spices") and were taken as digestibles at the end of a meal to "close" the stomach.Like their Muslim counterparts in Spain, the Arab conquerors of Sicily introduced a wide variety of new sweets and desserts that eventually found their way to the rest of Europe.