Seasoning mixes, sauces like Hollaindase, and dishes like blackened salmon would not have the same flair without black pepper. This penetrating, aromatic, and biting spice is a must-have in every kitchen pantry, and thanks to the globalization of food products, you can easily buy black pepper in grocery stores and supermarkets.

However, there was a time when this beloved spice was a prized commodity, only available to kings and nobility. It was once proof of one’s wealth and power, used as currency, and medicine, and was even demanded as part of the Visigoths' ransom when they sacked the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD.

It might be hard to fathom how this readily available and affordable spice item was once worth its weight in gold. This was partly due to its rarity in many parts of the globe. The ancient, medieval, and post-medieval world received their limited supply of black pepper from the Indian subcontinent and the spice islands of Southeast Asia. But apart from its rarity, one of the most ingenious ways black pepper was kept exotic and in demand was through myth.

Today, we call this marketing and advertising but in medieval times it was called compelling storytelling. These fantastical stories of spices were said to be told by Arab spice traders who understood their buyers -medieval Europeans who couldn’t get enough of black pepper and saw it as a fashionable commodity. Black pepper was used in food, medicine, and religious ceremonies, meaning the demand was high.

The story goes that in forests filled with abundant pepper trees, farmers had to embark on a treacherous harvesting technique of setting them on fire to drive away the snakes that guarded them. The fires were said to turn the white peppercorns black, giving them their dry and shriveled appearance. The wild tale didn’t stop there, it was also said that replanting the trees cost money and time, which added to the high price.

The origins of myths are historically hard to trace, but they spread like wildfire and are effective in swaying thoughts when there is a void of facts. We may never know the origins of the black pepper myth and whether it was believed wholeheartedly, but it kept the price high, allowing spice merchants to control the supply and maintain its prized and exotic status.

Today information on where goods are sourced, how they are made, who makes them, and whether or not they are produced ethically is a Google search away. But in the Dark Ages, Europe’s medieval population didn’t know or care about product information, they just wanted the pleasures its flavor brought to food and the status that it provided.

They also didn’t have access to the fact-checking technology consumers have today, but this classic tale of misinformation is relatable, as our current times are plagued by misinformation on a scale never before witnessed. Messengers of a lie should absolutely take a big part of the blame for spreading a lie, but a recipient who wants to believe a lie because it ultimately benefits them is equally responsible.

There’s a reason why the myth of black pepper forests guarded by snakes lasted for centuries. Merchants in Mediterranean ports also profited from the trade of black pepper once they bought it from Arab spice traders. They sold it to the rest of Europe for high prices and fueled the prestige and wealth of cities like Florence and Venice. Black pepper was also used to pay rent, taxes, and dowries.

An argument can be made that a myth or story lasts in society if it solidifies the mechanisms and power that keep it functioning. Black pepper was currency, so it held power and gave and maintained power to people who dealt with it. It took daring feats of exploration across unknown waters to dispel this myth. Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama had to cross the Cape Of Good Hope to reach India in 1498 to find out that there were no black pepper forests guarded by snakes, but a climbing vine plant easily harvested by farmers.

Da Gama’s voyage did kickstart the infamous Age of Imperialism but provided cold hard facts about the true nature of how black pepper was grown and harvested. The mythical tale of serpents guarding black pepper trees has a silver lining if we care to see it, and it can teach us not to be slaves to the comforts and readily available and saturated information of our time.

The rise and fall of black pepper’s prestige should remind us to cherish credible information and product labels that come with our food. So, the next time you grab a jar of black pepper from your pantry, don’t treat this once-revered spice as an afterthought. Savor every drop of flavor, be a knowledgeable consumer, and respect black pepper’s place and influence in shaping our history and myths.