I am smaller than a dime, and though I am cool, I can also burn. I can be many colors, but also none at all. I am a household name, but people rarely speak of me. What am I?
The answer is an item so insignificant to your daily life that it never crosses your mind — pepper. It’s a kitchen staple, and while it’s rarely a forward flavor in the foods you eat, it is present in nearly every dish you order at a restaurant. We’re not alone in our love of the humble peppercorn, and its place in history is unrivaled.
Pepper is the world’s most traded spice and, centuries ago, the spice trade defined the routes of sea explorers. Don’t forget that Christopher Columbus was searching for India — and its wealth of spices — when he bumped into North America.
Despite its ubiquitous use, pepper is just one of hundreds of spices used across the globe to season food. Some cultures are more well-known for their use of spice, like curries in India and southeast Asia, and Cajun and Creole seasonings in the southern United States (which, of course, come from the Caribbean and African influences of the region).