Just 500 years ago, pepper was a coveted commodity - the valuable spice was brought to Europe by traders and weighed in with gold. The old swear word "pepper sack" refers to merchants who have become rich through trading in the spice.
characteristics and appearance
The real pepper, also known as black pepper or pepper bush, is a plant from the pepper family (Piperaceae). The pepper genus includes around 1000 different species, all of which are native to the tropics. Piper nigrum, the botanical name of peppercorns, is a climbing plant that grows up to ten meters high. Similar to ivy, the woody shrub climbs up jungle trees, but is only kept at a height of three to four meters in commercial cultivation. The spherical stone fruits are used, which, like currants, grow in panicles of up to 150 berries each. The plant is evergreen - typical of a tropical plant - and bears flowers and fruit throughout the year, although it is usually only harvested twice a year. A single pepper bush can be harvested for up to 30 years, with the maximum annual yield being around four kilograms per plant.
Pepper originally comes from India
Pepper is native to the Indian Malabar Coast between Mangalore and Cape Comorin on the Arabian Sea in south-west India. The very rainy region is also known as the Pepper Coast. Already about 1000 years ago the pepper came to Southeast Asia to the areas of today's states of Malaysia and Indonesia. The spice was brought to Europe by traders in ancient times. Today, alongside India, Malaysia and Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil are among the main growing countries. The pepper plant is often cultivated in mixed cultures with bananas or coffee. Since it is a tropical plant that needs high humidity and warmth all year round, cultivation in Germany is only possible in heated greenhouses or conservatories.
tips and tricks
When Christopher Columbus set out to find a sea route to India, he discovered America instead. From there, the European conquerors brought the Spanish pepper with them - the chili. Chili or paprika are much easier to plant in the home garden than real pepper.
IJA