The Unknown History of Black Pepper

The "Black Gold"

Native to Kerala, India, black pepper was so precious in the West back in the Medieval days that it was known as the "black gold". In fact, westerners' obsession with pepper can be dated back to the Romans. However, it was not until 600 BC when black pepper was systematically carried to the western world by Arabs, the monopoly of the sea. In the 15th century, the control transferred to the hands of the Europeans. But how did the Indians overcome the language barrier from different buyers?