Pepper transformed the Asia
Everyone knows that on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) discovered America. However, until his death, Columbus was convinced that he had found India. Why did he look for India? He actually wanted to find pepper. The seemingly ordinary pepper jar can be found in the cupboards of every family in modern times; some people will travel across the oceans to find it, risking their lives?
That’s right. Since Roman times, pepper has been an important spice and seasoning. When Pharaoh Ramses II was buried in 1224 BC, he had a corn of pepper in each of his nostrils; the Greeks and Romans used pepper as a spice, seasoning, and medicine. Because the demand for pepper is huge, the world’s first trade network across Europe and Asia was established for pepper. According to estimates at the time, the Romans purchased pepper, other spices, and silk, resulting in a deficit of 100 million Roman denarius equivalent to ten tons of gold!
After the decline of the Roman Empire, the pepper trade once again fell into the hands of Arabs and later Venetians; until the 15th century, the European pepper trade came to an end due to the expansion of Ottoman Empire; the price of spices was also increased. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 1453, the price of spices soared.
So the European royal families all wanted to find a way to the sea to go to India to buy spices. At that time, many people believed that the Indian Ocean was an inland sea and could not be directly reached from the Atlantic Ocean; but some people still held different opinions. In 1488, the Portuguese aristocrat Bartolomeus Dias (1451–1500) discovered by accident that he could bypass the southern tip of Africa and reach the Indian Ocean, and the European royal family began to look for sea routes again. Then in 1497, Vasco da Gama (1469–1524) once again bypassed the southern tip of Africa and headed to India, successfully reaching the Malabar coast of India. Although it is great news for Europe, it is not good for India and the East Indies.
Before the 16th century, the spice trade in the Indian Ocean was pure business; everyone took what they needed and was very peaceful. But when the Portuguese, and later the Spanish, Dutch, and British came, they wanted to monopolize the world’s spice trade! So they began to use force to occupy land everywhere.
First, the Portuguese captured Goa, Melaka, and the Spice Islands (Moluccas) on the west coast of India in the early 16th century; by the early 17th century, these strongholds fell into the hands of Britain and the Netherlands. These countries are busy occupying places everywhere, and even Taiwan is also unlucky: the southern part of Taiwan was occupied by the Netherlands in 1624, establishing Fort Zeelandia (Anping Castle); in 1626, Spain occupied Keelung and Danshui, and was later driven away by the Dutch. The Dutch were finally driven away by Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga, 1624–1662) in 1662.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Southeast Asia and India became the battlefield between Britain and the Netherlands. The people who lived and worked in peace and contentment were forced to become slave laborers because European countries came here to find spices. What is even more irritating is that the two countries can rely solely on paper agreement, without even consulting the opinions of the locals, cedes the land and the people on it to other countries. Among them, the Dutch East India Company was the most brutal. In order to ensure that they could monopolize the spice market, the Dutch stipulated only which islands could grow spice; all wild plants in other areas were cut and burned, and theft of spice would be executed. However, the tyrannical behavior led the islanders to secretly give the plants to French travel explorer/botanist Pierre Poivre (1719–1786) in 1770 for him to bring them to Mauritius for planting.
The animals of the East Indies also suffered together. Many animals on the islands have never seen humans, and fleets from various countries are looking for fresh food on the islands. It is said that the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) on Mauritius Island was tragically extinct during this time. In Taiwan, the Dutch slaughtered a large number of wild deers in Taiwan from 1624 to 1662 just for the hide. According to estimates, at least 3.8 million deer were slaughtered!
After a large number of spices entered Europe; the price of spices began to become more affordable; when ordinary people could afford to use spices, Europeans stopped using so many spices to cook their food. Some people think the main reason Europeans in the Middle Ages used so much pepper is to cover up the smell of rotten meat. In fact, if you think about it, you will know that it is unreasonable! The main reason was that pepper was very expensive at the time, and people who could afford pepper could definitely afford fresh meat. What’s more, pepper was so expensive at that time, it was a waste to use it to cover up the smell of relatively cheaper meat. In fact, the reason why they used so many spices (mainly pepper) was to show off.
Now everyone is familiar with pepper. Have you noticed that there are white pepper and black pepper? Are they the fruits of different plants? In fact, black pepper and white pepper are the fruits of the same plant! White pepper is the seed from which the pulp is removed, and black pepper is the dried fruit without removing the pulp. In addition, if only the ripened fruits are dried or boiled before drying, red pepper can also be made. Because red pepper can only be made from mature fruits and requires more labor, it is more expensive and less common.
A small grain of pepper has led to the world’s trade network, and it has also allowed Europe to meet Asia; it is just that this encounter may be a curse rather than a blessing for the Asians!
