Since antiquity, pepper has always been the most important spice in the world. It played a central role in the medicines of ancient India and China, became a critical component of Roman food, and remained central in the cuisine of medieval Europe. Dreams of its acquisition drove Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1524) around the Cape of Africa to the Indian Ocean and Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World.
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Timeline
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2000 BCEPepper is widely used in Indian cooking.
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400 BCEPepper is known in Greece.
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30 BCEPepper is directly imported by Roman ships from India and its price decreases.
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100 CE - 300 CEPepper becomes a major ingredient in Roman cooking.
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408 CEAlaric I the Visigoth besieges Rome. As ransom, Rome pays 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, 4,000 silken tunics, 3,000 hides dyed scarlet, and 3,000 pounds of pepper.
