The History of Pepper

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.

[@kirragriffith99]

This video is awesome! You just got a new subscriber. 😎

[@arunsatheesan3785]

I am from Kerala. It's amazing how thousands of years ago the Arabia flourished with help of Kerala and its spices and today Kerala benefits heavily from the job opportunities in those Arabian countries.

[@mishabm316]

And not just Arabia, but half of Europe as well

[@navalfa7291]

Now you can find those Authentic spices that men went to war in Eastern Chicken Masala.

[@nothingexists5066]

In that time kerala not even existed Only Tamil and kannada kingdoms existed

[@arunsatheesan3785]

@@nothingexists5066 Are you done flexing your tamil pride? The region was known as Kerala even during those times.

[@navalfa7291]

@@nothingexists5066 Tamil Pride, Can I ask you a basic question. How long has it been since you washed your face? Just by hygiene standards alone, Kerala is better cultured than Tamils.

[@sreejithsiva7885]

A small correction Dutch rule in India came to an end not because of British , it was the the king Marthanda Varma of Kerala ( Travancore kingdom) defeated Dutch rule in the war of Colechal , And it was the only kingdom in whole Asia who defeated the Dutch army.

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you for the correction!

[@SithisXVII]

Just eating a dish that I added pepper to and just kept thinking about how it made the dish so much better and now I'm here. Great video.

[@onealper]

i felt richer by adding more pepper, the food i ate became more expensive

[@amalkrishna4628]

Kerala pepper was found also in Egypt's pyramid.

[@akshatsrivastava4280]

If there has ever been a perfect KZbin video, it has to be this one. Everything from the background sound to the narration, from the visuals to the writing is just perfectly on point, man. Hats off for this one. I’m subscribing right now so that when you have a million subs I can comment on your videos “Who’s been subscribed since

[@thewhodat2314]

So it's Pepperfect?

[@HistoricalEats]

You win the internet today! 😂😂😂

[@HistoricalEats]

Wow, that's genuinely so kind of you to say ☺️😍 your words of praise inspire me!

[@ZzTHEGAMERzZ]

I love history and food, finding this channel has been fantastic, I was shocked to see you dont have more subscribers.

[@jush_majuja]

😂😂😂 couldn't stop laughing the sound effect for "by the time Alexander the Great died..." 01:48 😂😂

[@HistoricalEats]

My goal is to keep making you laugh! 🤪

[@user-ho4hk7sk5z]

Awesome video, was not expecting this from just a quick curious search in pepper. Excited to check out more of your stuff!

[@HistoricalEats]

Welcome aboard!

[@donlitos]

He who controls the spice controls the universe

[@AMoreRaps]

Great video! Very informative, answered all my questions

[@christopherlemon7682]

Really well made video. Great job!

[@Lottisanta]

Wow! Amazing video!

[@juleschandler]

Another informative video! Thanks!

[@HistoricalEats]

Thanks for tuning in again. I hope you enjoyed.

[@docalex6346]

I really love the way how you presented your content. I hope more people would discover your channel. Amazing job! More content please especially history.

[@HistoricalEats]

Stay tuned! 👀

[@Robert-yj2fu]

Very interesting content, thank you 👍

[@marylandnguyen4995]

I can’t believe you don’t have a huge subscriber count! This video was too cool and the edits were awesome. Informative and entertaining all at once. :)

[@HistoricalEats]

Hey, thank you for your kind words!

[@aguilarcast]

Greetings from Colombia! Just discovered this channel and I love it! I'm an English teacher and I'll recommend your channel to my students since your pronunciation is so clear.

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you, this totally made my day!

[@duyhuynh9106]

This is amazing content, thank you!

[@LaneyandherGermanShepherds]

Thanks I had no clue !

[@that_it.1]

I Hope u will hit 1k subscriber very soon best of luck👍

[@mylesjude233]

Great video, you just gained a new subscriber

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you for your kind words 😊

[@mylesjude233]

@@HistoricalEats Your welcome

[@Liza37hera]

Thank you I was searching for this content occasionally for weeks.

[@HistoricalEats]

More to come!

[@zarikahmed6587]

Love the video! Where do I find the cookbook online? I wanna use it in a paper and I need to cite it

[@TriniOrishaGyal]

This was very interesting and informative. as a foodie and a history geek this made my day!!!

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you for your kind words. Stay tuned, we cookin' 😉

[@francescatroiano4675]

Interesting

[@stefangrace1812]

Great video! It’s so interesting how something that many people overlook has such a history. I’d love to see you make a video about the origins of potatoes! It wasn’t til last year I learned potatoes are all native to Latin America

[@HistoricalEats]

Thanks for the idea!

[@herschelschueler]

How do you have so few subscribers? Jesus man I didn't even realize before I went to subscribe. Wouldn't have ever suspected that based on the quality.

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you friend 🥹

[@isaiahgray3057]

Pepper goes well with everything.

[@HistoricalEats]

What does it slap so hard with eggs?

[@LatitudeSky]

It truly is a wonderful thing to visit any grocery store and have endless affordable spices to choose from. Even dollar stores have a large selection and other stores still have a large selection of dollar spices. And they're good. Maybe not exquisite and fancy but good. And very affordable. What fortunate people we are to have such things so easily available. There really is no reason to ever eat bland food.

[@TonyT-fz8od]

amazing video, what is the background music used in the video?

[@DanTheArtisan91]

Man, in my mom's kitchen there is a a little jar filled up with black pepper im flexing ma boi xD very cool video of the origins of peppA

[@allllllllllllllllll5]

Lets not forget the atrocities committed by vasco da gama. He was an absolute madman

[@SmartDumbNerdyCool]

So when did Salt and Pepper get married?

[@muhammedshafi3763]

Pepper. I'm talking about Europe centuries ago. Before the onset of the winter, which lasted for months, local farmers would slaughter some of their cattle and keep them as meat. Grasses did not sprout in the pastures due to winter snowfall. This led to a shortage of feed. Humans also suffered from food shortages. The solution was to kill the cattle and keep them as meat. Remember the days when there was no electricity or cold war like today. They used me to preserve and taste the meat for a long time. In short, I was an essential element to them. I'm not alone. They also loved our native cardamom, cinnamon sticks and ginger. From time immemorial traders have been wondering what pepper is

[@HistoricalEats]

Beautiful

[@daniel.b6867]

This is your daily dose of internet

[@420]

I came here to learn after eating some delicious peppered beef jerky and feeling curious.

[@HistoricalEats]

mmm, now I want peppered beef jerky!

[@fatoufaty9890]

MashaAllah keep going we need this 👍

[@devanshumina2001]

Pepper Was valued In The Roman Empire So Much so that it was known as black gold. Traders Carried Pepper From Ancient India To Rome By Ships , Land. Roman Gold Coins Have Been Found In South India. I STUDY This Stuff in NCERT Class - 6

[@daddyshome2479]

Italians, French all hold their cuisine with such pride not knowing the spices they use in their cooking is from Kerala. They owe us big time.

[@perryfinley]

i do wonder, and was, that's why i looked thus

[@bluemike807]

Does anyone know the name of the song from the opening credits?

[@johnjacobastoriv688]

Osum

[@raxit1337]

Great Uncle Roger cameo :D You earned a like!

[@HistoricalEats]

Thank you, my mans! Who do you want to see next? lol

[@raxit1337]

@@HistoricalEats The chili pepper is really interesting to me. It's so common in Mexican, Indian and Chinese cuisine, as well as in Spain and Portugal. A history of the chili pepper and how it went from Mexico to Europe to Asia would be really cool.

[@HistoricalEats]

Fantastic idea 💡💯

[@NeostormXLMAX]

How does this channel only have 360 subs lmao

[@HistoricalEats]

I need to make more videos! 😂 But, you inspire me... So, thank you

[@someguy007]

Ha!!! u sound like the voice of daily dose of internet

[@kaceobrwa7039]

why did you stop making videos? 😕

[@nairorokidul]

"Sumerian records dating back to 3,000 BC, refer to Kerala as the "Garden of Spices"." - source?

[@Bys_cniht]

I just use so much fucking pepper on my steaks tho. Like they have a crust of black pepper on them. Black pepper is goated

[@jibinplathottam]

Nowadays the farmers are not getting enough price for the pepper. The labour cost is more than the pepper cost. So most of the farmers are not harvesting properly.

[@HistoricalEats]

That's so crazy to think about... What do you think the solution is?

[@darrinsiberia]

I came here because I started hunting and I heard pepper was important for harvested game

[@swingdog]

So people fought and died over pepper? Why didn’t they just go to Walmart?

[@Agent-vj3ns]

Coarse ground pepper is bomb af

[@HistoricalEats]

Bussin' on god

[@CJ-ud8nf]

Keralam 🎉🎉

[@joshuakjohn966]

Almost the entire world gained benifed from the spices and the technology of producing crystal sugar from India. The spices which were once way too costly than diamonds and gold, the spices which was wrathful of buying an entie country, India the country which evolved from one of the greatest civilization(Indus valley civilization) which everyone was amazed of once. And here I'm from Kerala(India) giving multiple attempts for IELTS and trying to move to a country which is not blind in religion, which gives individual freedom, value for life and give better opportunity. Such a long way from there till here.

[@HistoricalEats]

100%

[@apeironbohemicus4283]

I like the video and the content but some of the background sounds are a little bit annoying - I had to listen twice in order to understand the medieval recipe because of the ambient sounds and that Asian guy yelling at rice. xD

[@HistoricalEats]

HIYA!

[@glkglkglkglk9193]

Hiya , you dare call uncle roger 'that asian guy'? Nieces and nephews are not happy

[@Cezhiyan07]

The great Kingdoms - Cheras, Cholas & Pandiyas of Tamilagam had a great trade links with Western & Eastern World.

[@TheJMundy]

Who is the narrator of this video? Is it Max Miller?

[@HistoricalEats]

It's me 😹

[@vitojohn8168]

Sometimes when i feel sleepy when watching movie i will take few black pepper and eat it

[@HistoricalEats]

How does that make you feel?

[@vitojohn8168]

@@HistoricalEats feel hot lol

[@ritamustikasari]

In Indonesia it calls 'lada'.

[@ricochetsixtyten]

1:50

[@Malife12]

Explain cinnamon ?

[@EcoSpeeder]

.. Krakatoa ??

[@thewhodat2314]

DAT DAT PEPPER

[@HistoricalEats]

hoo!

[@terencem9962]

Where did salt bae come from?

[@HistoricalEats]

Hahaha - actually tho!

[@Gh..o..s..t]

And yet you want change. Change brings struggles struggles bring wars

[@EnlightnMe48]

Many spices are toxic in large doses. Black pepper I don't think is one of them.

[@HistoricalEats]

I didn't know that! Maybe I should investigate?!

[@ajbarsic]

Why is Dali in this video so much?

[@Juanro_7]

Uncle Roger Fuyoh!

[@cbot3051]

HIYA!

[@HistoricalEats]

What she doin'?

[@mohdyousaf7852]

I am from thalassery (kerala). Thalassery pepeer is the one of best

[@HistoricalEats]

Can i haz sum pls?

[@mohdyousaf7852]

Where r u rn?

[@HistoricalEats]

👀👀

[@mohdyousaf7852]

@@HistoricalEats if u r from uk. I am going there in this sept

[@HistoricalEats]

No :( I'm in Canada + US

[@dallasgreen378]

Did you just say "weird white people food"? Would you ever say "weird black people food"?

[@stephenmoerlein8470]

The sequence is historically inaccurate. The Portuguese discovered the route around Africa before Columbus sailed west, and the Dutch did not establish an independent spice industry until they stole navigational secrets from the Portuguese (they were the distribution agents for Portuguese spices to northern Europe).

[@JoeL-kn9tc]

Black pepper is the king of spice.

[@HistoricalEats]

👑👑

[@jarhead3864]

I’m stoned af

[@HistoricalEats]

History of Weed coming up! lol

[@jarhead3864]

@@HistoricalEats crazy that I was commenting “I’m stoned af” on KZbin, I live a whole new life now. I’ve been saved by grace, what a great gift from God!

[@HistoricalEats]

We're all connected! 🙏🙏

Black pepper was extremely expensive in China

[@crubbster]

This is wrong.. pink Pepper or red Pepper or Rose Pepper is not the same plant as black, White and green Pepper (piper nigrum). Pink Pepper is a dried berry of the shrub Schinus molle, commonly known as the Peruvian peppertree. It has No relations to the piper plant.

[@dagfinnsigridsonskoglund563]

Green, black and white pepper, all the same plant. Red is not!

[@zelloking]

When ever I watch the history about a pice or food the Europeans always are glorified them self’s and they don’t come close to what the Mexicans produce for the planet the Mexicans are the most advanced at farming they Blowout anybody of the water just with one spice or eatable they created Here is one the tomato. That alone wipes all the competition!! But when ever I see a history about a Mexican spice or eatable they don’t get the credit they deserve the whole thing starts like this m: when the first people arrive in the Americans there was this weird plant that the nomads kind of kicked around and they made it stable. What shame who makes this history videos!!!

[@HistoricalEats]

Hey, I'm curious about what you're saying here. I really want to dig deeper. What kind of spices are you referring to?

[@donlitos]

What is "white people food"?

[@joonpak]

Taste bland chicken. Put some pepper on it. Now I see why people went to wars for this shit.

[@HistoricalEats]

LOL for real!

[@RoboBreaker]

"Snapping pics of their weird white people food?" What's wrong with you?

[@HistoricalEats]

Maybe I'm just not funny =[

[@mikejose4186]

Do You think that all spices came from Kerala, India? What a crap..🙄

[@WorksofMercyFoundation]

what do you mean by white people food?

[@dongking4570]

I like pepper pepper good

[@SajiSNairNair-tu9dk]

😂👉kg? 😀

[@pattonftw]

"Weird white people food"

[@HistoricalEats]

😅😅

[@vairamvairam7923]

back then there was no kerala, it was tamilakam and ruled by tamil kings

[@glkglkglkglk9193]

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@faheyfan1]

Waste of time. This is mostly a very broad and simple history of the global spice trade from a European perspective. Little focus on pepper itself.

[@HistoricalEats]

Thanks for the feedback, perhaps I'll be revisiting this video soon!

[@dongking4570]

Dont know about anyone ever being allergic to it either ?

[@caseygregori]

colonialism isnt a bad thing

[@HistoricalEats]

That's true. It's not good or bad. It just is. It's the reality.

[@keeya_ks]

Unless you are the one being colonised yeh

[@Meg_Mucklebones87]

Thanks for this video! My mind was actually blown just now. Can't believe I, now 34, have never been educated on pepper until now? 😲🤌