Malabar Black Pepper: The Roman Black Gold
When Vasco da Gama first landed on the Malabar Coast, the already well-established Arab traders who were also fluent in Spanish, asked him the reason for his travel to this eastern coast. The prompt reply of da Gama as recorded by historians was - ‘Christians and Spices’. We can aptly rephrase the words of Christopher Marlowe in Dr Faustus for The Malabar Black Pepper as - ‘Was this the spice that launched a thousand ships…?’. So, let us trace and trail this peppery journey of the King of spices to different parts of the world.

Malabar Black Pepper Image Source: livemint.com

The Pepper Plant and the Raw Drupes which are boiled and sun-dried to give Black corns. Image Source: britannica.com

A painting depicting the arrival of VAsco da Gama at Calicut. Image Source: sahasa.in
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