Show pepper heated forge pepper to you is just another con diment in the pantry but once upon a time it was coveter coveted by kings and explorers laid down their lives to get the precious seasoning when the eastern roman empire fell mane alaric the goth exacted 3 pounds of pepper as part of the trib ute the Pep guild of lon don organized in 1180 was for many centuries the most powerful of the trade guilds portugal sent vasco da gama game to find a water route to india so that the pepper supply might be more abundant A pound of the seasoning once paid for a year s rent of land or a house in england |