From times immemorial, Black Pepper
was a major component in world trade and continues to be very important even
today. It also played a major role in world history. Voyages undertaken to
distant lands were primarily in search of pepper and other spices. Chance
discovery of the Americas and their colonisation by the European powers could be
attributed to this very much sought after commodity. Provenance of black pepper
on one hand brought riches to India but on the other hand it proved disastrous,
for the sub continent got annexed eventually. India is the only country where
this was grown from ancient times because of which the country had trade
relationships with the Arabs, the Jews, the Roman Empire and the Chinese. Black
Pepper was referred to as Black Gold then. The ships used to sail for Rome,
laden with Pepper and other spices in exchange for Gold. The stuff used to be
carried to other parts of Europe by land route even from the Arabian countries.
It is said that the long trade between India and Rome resulted in depletion of
the Roman Gold reserves to an all time low. Hoards of Roman Gold Coins
discovered from the coastal areas of South India seem to support the above
observation.
Apart from Black Pepper India is/was
a producer of lot many other spices such as Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg
etc. Spices other than Black Pepper are widely grown elsewhere in South East
Asian countries as well. May 20, 1498 would be considered as a black day for the
Indians when the Portuguese explorer Vasco-da-Gama landed on the shores of South
India near the port of Calicut (now Kozhikode). This saw Portugal establishing
its trading centres on the Indian Soil and extending its business empire through
out South East by the turn of the 16th century. Portugal thus enjoyed a virtual
monopoly over the spice trade. The other European powers followed suit and
headed towards the East. By the 17th century, apart from the Portuguese, the
Dutch, British, Danes and the French could also establish their ware houses for
buying and stocking spices in various coastal areas of India. Eventually this
paved the way for the colonisation of the Sub Continent.
We too have some Pepper Vines, at
home in Kerala, growing on Mango and Areca Nut trees/palms. Kerala (South
western part of India), because of the favourable climatic conditions had been
the home for Black Pepper from ancient times. However, at our home, the growth
is not very encouraging due to inadequate care. Still some of the vines do
produce bunches of pepper adequate for home consumption. On my recent visit, I
found one of the vines having long bunches of the fruit. I thought of using them
for pickles. On examination I found some fruits having turned pink. This is
supposed to be an indication that the fruits are ripe enough to be harvested. If
they are left out, birds get attracted and cause damage. However my plans of
having some pickles were thwarted as by this time the seeds inside would have
become harder and unsuitable for the purpose. Nevertheless I decided to pluck
the bunches and did so by hand, standing under the vine. When the bunches became
unapproachable, I used a ladder to climb up and pull them down. The yield was
around 3 kgs which were put to dry in the Sun.
When the small round fruits
completely dry out, they look black. The outer skin develops wrinkles and
becomes course/rough. If the outer skin is removed, the white seed will peep
out. This when powdered is known as “white pepper”. However, removal of the
black skin causes deterioration in the medicinal properties of the seeds.
Similarly there are other variants such as Red and Green. The red/green berries
are picked and compelled to retain their colours through chemical
processes.
Apart from their use as
preservatives, as spice, for seasoning and on our dining tables, they possess
immense medicinal properties. They are often used for the treatment of Cholera
and Bronchitis. Researchers have also found out that they help in the reduction
of body fat. Capsaicin, an element contained in Black Pepper which is
responsible for the pungent taste, is said to induce fat cells to disintegrate.
Therefore they are supposed to be able to control/cure Cancer, Gastric Ulcers
and Arthritis. Needless to say that it is desirable to increase the intake of
Black Pepper and also as a substitute for Chillies.
Soon we may see them in a capsule
form, prohibitively priced and some multinational companies claiming their
patents.
We have a betel vine at home which
looks somewhat similar to the Pepper vine. Here is a photograph for comparison.
interesting post on black pepper
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing
wow so much info.. You know I had no clue this is how black pepper is made .. I had a completly weird notion of how black pepper came into being ..
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Bikram's
i am always interested in such useful information.. thanks for sharing..
ReplyDeletekalamdaan.blogspot.com
Pepper is a favourite spice. What would our rasam be without this? And I have also never seen such a flourishing betel vine
ReplyDeleteHello PNS,
ReplyDeleteGreetings and good wishes.
your comment column opened for me today morning and I am thrilled.
Excellent post packed with history,commerce and colonization supported with lovely photos.Pepper is very expensive also.
Have a nice day,
Joseph
Sir
ReplyDeleteThank you for spending your valuable time to visiting my post and putting an inspiring comment.
My home in Trivandrum had a plant, got good yield too.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness what a fantastic post!!!! I have learned volumes in this one small post. I have to get my hands on more black pepper :)- especially the Capsaicin to reduce my body fats ;) But seriously I had no idea how great black pepper was- and to discover this fascinating history is amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
PNS, I too love pepper pickle. recetly I got 2 pods when I visited Sirumalai which has lot of pepper plantation. Kochi also used to be a pepper trade centre.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, thanks a lot for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've learned so much from you about pepper.
Wish you a beautiful day.
Greetings from Norway, Mette
At my uncles home in Kerala there was a pepper plant around mango tree.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful post on black gold! I remember watching a similar episode on the discovery. You have presented the story of Black Pepper just as beautifully.
ReplyDeletenice...i used to have a pepper garden when we live in Florida and produced my own...this is really cool that you make your own as well...thank you for stopping in today.
ReplyDeletePNS Sir
ReplyDeleteThat's a great writeup on the history of trade between India & other countries on account of black pepper.The painting of a discoverer(Vasco de Gama?)landing on the shores(at Calicut?) is superb. Other pics of the pepper plant & dried pepper from your own back yard is fabulous.
Enjoyed this post tremendously.
Rgds
Ram
beautiful post! it never dawned on me that pepper could look so decorative and beautiful in photos!! Very inspiring post, thank you :))
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was so much to know about pepper, such an interesting and informative post AND I loved the photos, thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a nice post .I love black pepper so much that I use it everywhere including my tea .Loved reading , it was very informative and interesting .
ReplyDeleteWOW ! pepper is one of the most interesting spices of south India . Thanks for bringing out such a beautiful and detailed post on it .
ReplyDeleteThanks, I enjoyed reading this post. It is interesting and informative at the same time...
ReplyDeletesuch an interesting post!
ReplyDeletemost of my dear friends have commentd here..and i readily agree with them that this is an interesting post..cheers boss
ReplyDeleteI really like black pepper...good to know this history of it
ReplyDeleteInteresting story about pepper.
ReplyDeleteWe didnt know that Roman Empire's treasury was affected by the spices from Kerala !!
Oh, I totally love black pepper (and I firmly believe that a good sprinkling of it on a soup or a biryani makes it come alive) My grandparents had pepper vines growing their back garden. Enjoyed this post thoroughly!
ReplyDeletevery interesting post. i enjoyed it very much!! and i learned new things
ReplyDelete~laura
very interesting....u are so lucky to have pepper growing in your backyard!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com/
Trust you to write history all the time, The Painting is exquisite and so apt for the write up
ReplyDeleteI currently use Kampot pepper but Kerala pepper is also a very high quality pepper. I like use this peppers because they are tasty and fragrant.
ReplyDelete