All For Pepper

Spices trade with the East has always been a subject of European history and politics. Kerala was at the crux of it. It still is. Pepper exports from the country are at its highest from Kerala. The Jews and the Romans were the first Europeans/ West Asians to reach India. Pepper was a major trade item – gold was given in exchange for it. The Arabs reigned over the spices trade in the early pre-Christian era, and they also took incense and oils from the East, by land as well as through the Persian Gulf.

Somewhere around 116 B.C., a Greek sailor set sail to the East in search of the source of this black gold. He reached India’s southwest coast successfully. This led to the establishment of Greek and Roman spice trade in the following years. They are the ones who named it pepper: in Latin, it is “peperi”.

By 3 A.D., the Romans lost their position as the top traders. Then came the Arabs, who regained their hold in the trade. Venice started overtaking the Arabs, and the competition between the two led to the huge rise of pepper price. Western Europe was in the search for an alternative. In the mid and later 15^th century, Portugal revived the thirst for the search for the Eastern spices. With stronger ships and avid travllers and explorers, Vasco da Gama set foot on Indian soil, by reaching Calicut in northern Kerala in 1498 A.D. The Portuguese now dominated the very rewarding spices trade.

Years later the Dutch entered the scene. In 1663 A.D., they defeated the Portuguese and took over the spices trade from their hands. And, almost 200 years after their successful reign, the British took over the power in India. Even now you can see spices shops lining bazaars and areas in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry in Cochin. On a walk, you can visit them and buy spices.