THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Black Pepper

Lisa Karen Miller

          Around 442 C.E., Attila the Hun demanded 1.5 tons of black pepper as ransom during his siege of Rome. In the 15^th century, European explorers searched for trade routes to the Far East expressly to obtain peppercorns. The wealth of some European port cities, including Venice, was built on these tiny ebony spheres.

          Although it is almost ubiquitous now, it was once so expensive and difficult to obtain it was used as currency. I once saw a museum exhibit which explained that black pepper at one time was so costly that people could purchase a single peppercorn. 

          There was also a peppercorn rent. In this arrangement, tenants agreed to supply a certain amount of the spice at given intervals to the landlord. As its price fluctuated, so did the rent.

          Piper nigrum is native to Southwest India and is grown in tropical areas worldwide. One of our oldest known spices, it is used in some form in nearly every regional cuisine. Before refrigeration, it was used both to preserve meat and mask the taste and odor of meat that had gone off.

          Europeans were so far removed from East Indians that they knew little about them or the goods they provided; the ignorance was mutual.  This created a perfect opportunity for the middlemen – Arab spice traders – to control information and therefore the price.

          One story they told was that black pepper was difficult to harvest because the trees were guarded by poisonous snakes.  “Black gold” became just that, because it made many a trader quite wealthy.

          As with anything that is ground, sliced, or chopped in advance – coffee, cheese, nuts, etc. – black pepper begins to lose its flavor and power as soon it is ground. Sitting on a shelf for months doesn’t help.  Invest in a pepper grinder to see what you’ve been missing.

          High in antioxidants, it has a stimulating, warming effect on the digestive and circulatory systems. In China, it is used to relieve colds.  Its essential oil has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and can be mixed with a carrier oil for a chest rub to alleviate congestion.

          Black, green, and white peppers all come from Piper nigrum but are processed differently.  White is milder because it lacks the fruit coating retained by the black. Immature berries are green. If you buy a four-color blend that includes pink, that one is actually the seed of a different tree.            

Black pepper – an invader’s ransom.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller