SC - White Pepper in Period

[David Dendy]

Just catching up on recent messages. Several people asked whether white
pepper was imported to Europe and used in period. Here's what I can come up
with in a hurry.

Pliny the Elder's *Natural History* in the first century AD mentions three
sorts of pepper. Black pepper fetched four denarii a pound, white pepper got
seven, and long pepper was most expensive at fourteen denarii.

The Italian merchant manual of Pegolotti (Florence, between 1310 and 1340)
includes round (black) pepper, white pepper, and long pepper among its list
of 288 'spices'. Uzzano's manual of 1442 also lists white pepper. It is
separately noted in some customs tariffs.

Marco Polo noted large quantities of white pepper in the Malaysian
archipelago (although this was probably mainly for export to China, where
white pepper was a preferred variety).

So white pepper was known to Europe, and was imported to some degree. What I
do not know is whether it was used to any significant extent in cookery. I
don't offhand recall seeing any recipes in period cookbooks which called
specifically for white pepper. Perhaps those who are going through cookbooks
would be kind enough to keep an eye open for mentions of white pepper, and
post any if found?

Yours sincerely,
Francesco Sirene

David Dendy / ddendy at silk.net
partner in Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net
Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/

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