The world’s “black gold”.
Professor Emeritus James F. Hancock of Michigan State University (USA) said that since ancient times, pepper has always been the most important spice in the world.
Black pepper was so “coveted” in the ancient world that merchants called it “black gold.”
Pepper may have originally been brought to China for medicinal purposes but it soon became an important spice in Chinese food.
When the famous merchant and explorer Marco Polo arrived in China in 1271, he found that pepper was a major ingredient in Chinese cuisine and the pepper trade had become an economic staple.
In Europe, the ancient Greeks and Romans especially loved pepper. They used it to add flavor to dishes and as a symbol of wealth and status. This spice was so highly prized that it was often used as a form of payment for rent, taxes, and dowries.
According to ancient Greek geographer Strabo, every year, the Roman Empire often sent a fleet of about 120 ships to India to buy pepper and then bring it back to Europe, storing it in large warehouses.
During the Age of Discovery, European explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama sailed to India in search of sources of black pepper and other spices. These voyages led to the discovery of new trade routes and made black pepper an important commodity in the global spice trade.
Vietnam maintains the “throne” of pepper export
Although India is the homeland of pepper, Vietnam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pepper.
According to the Vietnam Pepper Association, starting in 2001, Vietnam has become the world’s largest pepper exporter with a total export volume of 56,506 tons, accounting for 28% of the world’s total exports. Since then, Vietnam has continuously been the leading country in pepper production and export.
A report in June 2021 on the website of the General Statistics Office affirmed that Vietnam always holds the number 1 position in the world in pepper production and export.
In 2022 alone, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam shared with Hanoi newspaper that Vietnam will export more than 232,000 tons of pepper, reaching a turnover of nearly 990 million USD, continuing to maintain the “throne” of export. world pepper export.