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Pepper was used in ancient Roman cuisine and became a status symbol of fine medieval European cookery. In fact, pepper was so popular in Europe that it helped fuel the age of age of exploration (AD 15th century). For centuries, pepper was only grown in a small region of India (Malabar), and throughout history different cultures held a monopoly on the trade (Arabs, Venetians, Portuguese, and British).

Black pepper is actually native to the Indian subcontinent. It originated in the lush, tropical forests of the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. Rather than being brought to India, it was introduced from India to the rest of the world thousands of years ago. Because it is native to the region, ancient Indian communities and the Indus Valley Civilization were already using and cultivating black pepper as early as 2000 BCE.

Black pepper, nicknamed as ‘black gold’ and the ‘king of spices’, is the most important and widely consumed spice in the world. Pepper has grown in India for thousands of years and was first introduced to the West after the global conquests of Alexander the Great (4th century BC).It was weighed like gold. In AD 410, when Rome was captured, 3,000 pounds of pepper were demanded as ransom.