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Show FOOD FACTS by Bob Evans . (First of Two Parts) DID YOU KNOW The hot pungent spice called Pepper comes from a different dif-ferent plant than the green or red peppers? , Botanically, the spice is "Piper-nigrum," a tropical vine bearing spike shaped clusters of fruit, which contain the round pepper corn. According to history, Pepper was discovered growing in the Malabar province of India, and that o section, together with cer- ' e;fain islands in the Dutch East Indies and parts of Malaya, are still the chief sources of Pepper. Legend indicates that it may have been an article of trade between be-tween Asia and Africa as early as 2,000 B.C. Records show that it was known to the Greeks in the 4th Cen-tury Cen-tury B.C. Like other products pro-ducts which trickled into Europe over the caravan trails from the mysterious East, Pepper was imbued with a certain glamour. Medical properties were ascribed to it. One physician physi-cian of the early days recommended re-commended eating fine peppercorns every morning to cure a stomach ache, and another advised the , use of a mixture of Pepper, Pep-per, Fennel, and Cloves to alleviate failing eyesight. in tne unent, Pepper's primary use was as a food preservative, especially in preserving meats, which spoiled rapidly before the days of refrigeration. Southern Sou-thern Europe, the western . end of the caravan routes, also had its problems of food spoilage and probably probab-ly first welcomed peppers as a preservative. Out f this use came a new food delicacy which is still a favorite sausage. In ancient an-cient sausages, as in modern mo-dern varieties, a mixture of spices was used, but pepper was always the most important. |