The Most Popular Spices in the World

About "salt and pepper"

Salt and pepper are the most known and widely used spices in gastronomy. A dish without salt and pepper is a dish lacking in flavor and essential elements to enhance its taste and savor. In everyday life, we often use the expression "it's the salt and pepper," indicating the crucial importance of something and its special character. However, these famous spices also have a complex history that demonstrates their value.

How pepper became the most important spice

The history of pepper begins 3000 years ago in India, in the mountains of Kerala, when this spice was discovered and began to be traded, first in the ports of India and later throughout the world. In ancient times, this spice was used in traditional medicine, and when it reached Rome and became widespread, a tax was introduced for buyers. An interesting ancient event related to the value of pepper is that in the 5th century AD, Alaric, the leader of the Visigoths, after an invasion of Rome, demanded, among other things, one and a half tons of pepper to leave the city.

During the great geographical discoveries, the explorer Vasco da Gama sailed to the shores of India in search of this precious spice, stating that he was looking for Christians and spices. This was a period when spices were as expensive and valuable as gold. Peppercorns were used for the noble's exquisite dishes and especially for preserving meat, but also for paying various taxes. Before the 16th century, pepper was cultivated in Java, Sunda, Sumatra, Madagascar, Malaysia, and predominantly in Southeast Asia. It was traded with China or sold locally, and after the occupation of India by England, pepper cultivated in the Malabar region reached Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Today, pepper is extensively cultivated in Vietnam, which has become the largest exporter of pepper in the world. There are numerous varieties of pepper, each with its own aroma and spiciness. This exotic spice has thus become available to everyone, flavoring many dishes in cuisines worldwide.

Pepper cannot exist without salt

Salt and pepper make a good pair. And salt has its own history, even older than pepper's. The use of salt dates back to around 6000 BC in China, in Shanxi province, when salt was used for preserving fish. The ancient Egyptians also used it for preserving fish, obtaining salt from lake water through a degradation process. In 2800 BC, the Egyptians began trading with the Phoenicians, selling them salt and salted fish.

Later, the city of Rome was built near the salt mines at the mouth of the Tiber, and when these were moved further away from the city, they built the Via Salaria, their first salt road. Salt roads were ancient and medieval trade routes where salt was transported from mines to its selling point. These routes were extremely important for the trade of those times. For example, the Venetians became wealthy by trading salt in Constantinople. In the 6th century in Africa, one gram of salt was equivalent to one gram of gold, and in Ethiopia, there were salt coins used to buy other products; this bartering continued until 1935. Legend has it that even Roman soldiers were once paid with salt, which is where the term "salary" comes from for the remuneration received for an activity.