Spices that were more expensive than gold and truffles for a thousand years

In modern times, pepper is distributed very cheaply, so if you go to the supermarket, a can of pepper costs less than 5,000 won.

You may not know how much it is, but most people know that pepper was a luxury spice in the past.

Pepper was very popular among the nobility in Northeast Asia and Europe.

In ancient China, pepper was called “black gold” and each grain was worth as much as a pearl.

When supply became difficult during the Crusades

A handful of pepper is one sheep, two handfuls is a cow.

200 grams of pepper was worth enough to buy 10 slaves.

(100 million won in 10,000 won bills)

In Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries, 2 boxes of pepper were

It was a high-end spice that could be traded for about 100 million won in today’s money.

Pepper became a luxury good as its price was much higher than that of other herbs.

Even in modern times, it’s like taking Instagram-worthy photos of food covered in truffles and gold leaf.

In the past, European aristocrats would sprinkle more pepper than necessary on their food to show off their wealth.

Food simply sprinkled with an excessive amount of pepper was considered “gourmet food.”

But this popularity and high price did not last forever.

The aristocrats, who used to buy it expensively, turned away from cinnamon and pepper and turned to new luxury spices such as cloves and saffron.

During the colonial era, European countries succeeded in cultivating pepper in Africa, which lowered the price significantly.