Source

THEKKADY, INDIA, October 29, 2003: Of all the distinctively flavored seeds, barks, roots, fruits and leaves that we call spices, pepper is the most widely used, and for centuries it was the most valuable, begins this informative (and long) New York Times article on the pepper trade which so influenced India’s history. In ancient times, the demand for pepper was almost insatiable. In that era, the vines that yield the small, well-rounded black berries grew only here in the lush Cardamom Hills of southwest India. So many ships came to trade for them that Cochin (now called Kochi) on the Malabar coast became one of the world’s great ports. Alaric the Visigoth demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the price for sparing Rome in the fifth century. In medieval Europe a small bag of black pepper could be exchanged for a sheep. In the 16th and 17th centuries, pepper was sold in Western capitals for 600 times what it cost in India. India has recently ceded its place as the world’s leading exporter to Vietnam, and Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia are also major exporters. But most epicures consider Indian peppercorns the world’s finest. The climate and terrain here are very nearly perfect for the cultivation of pepper. Pepper vines are trained to climb coconut palms or areca palm trees in backyards, or silver oaks used as windbreaks on the tea plantations, or any other tree with a tall, straight trunk. They have dark green leaves, ribbed and leathery, and reach a height of 12 to 15 feet. Flowers bloom after the first monsoon rains in the fall, followed by six-inch spikes of berries. Besides enlivening the flavor of food, pepper helps to promote digestion.

Post Views: 582