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The History of Pepper
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The History of Pepper | The Most Important Spice in the World?
How did pepper get from what Europeans considered paradise to almost every kitchen and restaurant today? Let’s find out.
The pepper plant is indigenous to the luscious green rain forest of Kerala, India, although native in other parts of the world. It's on these shores of the Malabar Coast, that countless adventures have come searching for tasty trade goods over the millennia. Sumerian records dating back to 3,000 BC, refer to Kerala as the "Garden of Spices". Ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Egyptians were all attracted to these gardens. By 600 BC, nomadic Arabs gained control of the spice trade and Arabia flourished. By the time Alexandria the Great died, the legendary gardens also attracted Greeks who sailed from their strategic foothold in Egypt.
Rome, annexing Egypt, eventually took control of the spice trade. As time went on, Rome was attacked by barbarians and guess what they wanted? Alaric king of Visigoths lay siege to the city of Rome in 408. He demanded 5,000 pounds of gold, 4,000 pounds of silver and 3,000 pounds of pepper, or else he’d sack the city. Even when they produced his tribute, he sacked that city away!
With restricted access, countries craved the flavor of pepper all the more. Pepper, among other spices, that were once bountiful, now became hard to come by. Out of the dust of the fallen Roman Empire, Venice arose as a great naval power, and soon controlled the Adriatic Sea. The Venetians were quick to dominate the distribution of pepper. With naval superiority Venice positioned themselves as modern day Drop Shippers: purchasing product from Muslim controlled Alexandria and reselling it on European market. The price of pepper skyrocketed, and soon only the most wealthy were able to afford it.
With the eventual fall of Rome, the Dark Ages slowly crept over Europe like a shadow. The knowledge of Kerala and it’s “Garden of Spices'' slipped out of time and mind.
The Arabs in control of the trade routes also didn’t want Europeans to encroach on their profits, so myths circulated in Europe exaggerating the dangerous nature of harvesting pepper. Stories describing dragon-like serpents guarding the pepper trees. Only in the smoldering remains, would nimble hands carefully extract the scorched pepper corns. These tales doubled as a convenient origin story explaining the color of black pepper.
Pepper became a status symbol, a way for the rich to flaunt their wealth and affluence. It also doubled as a more stable form of currency than actual money (like holding on to gold). Could you imagine if these people had Instagram back in the day? They would be showing off their sacks of pepper, and spices on silver platters in fancy dining rooms. Flashing their chalices of wine soaked with fruits and spices, and snapping pics of their weird white people curries. Let’s take a look at a really strange recipe found from the Middle Ages.
A cookbook from the fifteenth century gives the following directions for the preparation of meat:
"Cook a large piece of pork, not too lean and very tender. Chop it as fine as you wish, add cloves and mace and continue chopping, also chopping in dried currants. Then shape into little round balls, approximately two inches across, and set aside in a bowl; next prepare a good almond milk, mix in some rice and boil well, taking care that it stays very liquid...Sprinkle generously with sugar and mace, and serve."
The medieval ruling classes had a peculiar penchant for strongly seasoned dishes. The higher the rank of a household, the greater its use of spices.
Today we would see the dishes they were making and think it was Arabic-Indian cuisine rather than to any western one. Prepared foods were virtually buried under spices; food was little more than a vehicle for condiments which were used in combinations we nowadays would consider quite bizarre.
When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453 A.D., Venice’s power subsequently waned. Portugal and Spain, promptly assumed naval superiority.
Spain sent Christoper Columbus to find India but by way of the Atlantic. Yet, they found something we'd eventually call the "Americas”. In the midst of discovery, the Dutch gained freedom from the Spanish who went off to form their own spice company.
Vasco da Gama set off to sail around the continent of Africa in the name of Portugal searching for India and its fabled “Garden of Spices”. And in 1498, they landed on the shores of Kerala, with his men shouting “for Christ and spices!”. Lisbon was soon to become one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.
Over the years the Dutch fought the Portugese for dominance over the spice trade. After a 200 year monopoly Britain came in and defeated the Dutch and colonized India.
How did pepper get from what Europeans considered paradise to almost every kitchen and restaurant today? Let’s find out.
The pepper plant is indigenous to the luscious green rain forest of Kerala, India, although native in other parts of the world. It's on these shores of the Malabar Coast, that countless adventures have come searching for tasty trade goods over the millennia. Sumerian records dating back to 3,000 BC, refer to Kerala as the "Garden of Spices". Ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Egyptians were all attracted to these gardens. By 600 BC, nomadic Arabs gained control of the spice trade and Arabia flourished. By the time Alexandria the Great died, the legendary gardens also attracted Greeks who sailed from their strategic foothold in Egypt.
Rome, annexing Egypt, eventually took control of the spice trade. As time went on, Rome was attacked by barbarians and guess what they wanted? Alaric king of Visigoths lay siege to the city of Rome in 408. He demanded 5,000 pounds of gold, 4,000 pounds of silver and 3,000 pounds of pepper, or else he’d sack the city. Even when they produced his tribute, he sacked that city away!
With restricted access, countries craved the flavor of pepper all the more. Pepper, among other spices, that were once bountiful, now became hard to come by. Out of the dust of the fallen Roman Empire, Venice arose as a great naval power, and soon controlled the Adriatic Sea. The Venetians were quick to dominate the distribution of pepper. With naval superiority Venice positioned themselves as modern day Drop Shippers: purchasing product from Muslim controlled Alexandria and reselling it on European market. The price of pepper skyrocketed, and soon only the most wealthy were able to afford it.
With the eventual fall of Rome, the Dark Ages slowly crept over Europe like a shadow. The knowledge of Kerala and it’s “Garden of Spices'' slipped out of time and mind.
The Arabs in control of the trade routes also didn’t want Europeans to encroach on their profits, so myths circulated in Europe exaggerating the dangerous nature of harvesting pepper. Stories describing dragon-like serpents guarding the pepper trees. Only in the smoldering remains, would nimble hands carefully extract the scorched pepper corns. These tales doubled as a convenient origin story explaining the color of black pepper.
Pepper became a status symbol, a way for the rich to flaunt their wealth and affluence. It also doubled as a more stable form of currency than actual money (like holding on to gold). Could you imagine if these people had Instagram back in the day? They would be showing off their sacks of pepper, and spices on silver platters in fancy dining rooms. Flashing their chalices of wine soaked with fruits and spices, and snapping pics of their weird white people curries. Let’s take a look at a really strange recipe found from the Middle Ages.
A cookbook from the fifteenth century gives the following directions for the preparation of meat:
"Cook a large piece of pork, not too lean and very tender. Chop it as fine as you wish, add cloves and mace and continue chopping, also chopping in dried currants. Then shape into little round balls, approximately two inches across, and set aside in a bowl; next prepare a good almond milk, mix in some rice and boil well, taking care that it stays very liquid...Sprinkle generously with sugar and mace, and serve."
The medieval ruling classes had a peculiar penchant for strongly seasoned dishes. The higher the rank of a household, the greater its use of spices.
Today we would see the dishes they were making and think it was Arabic-Indian cuisine rather than to any western one. Prepared foods were virtually buried under spices; food was little more than a vehicle for condiments which were used in combinations we nowadays would consider quite bizarre.
When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453 A.D., Venice’s power subsequently waned. Portugal and Spain, promptly assumed naval superiority.
Spain sent Christoper Columbus to find India but by way of the Atlantic. Yet, they found something we'd eventually call the "Americas”. In the midst of discovery, the Dutch gained freedom from the Spanish who went off to form their own spice company.
Vasco da Gama set off to sail around the continent of Africa in the name of Portugal searching for India and its fabled “Garden of Spices”. And in 1498, they landed on the shores of Kerala, with his men shouting “for Christ and spices!”. Lisbon was soon to become one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.
Over the years the Dutch fought the Portugese for dominance over the spice trade. After a 200 year monopoly Britain came in and defeated the Dutch and colonized India.
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