Pepper Spices In Kerala
Come to Kerala and see the King of Spices. Kerala Backwater tours take you on tours of the Spice Plantations of Kerala, where you can see how pepper is grown. Pepper has been grown in India for centuries. An indigenous plant of India, Pepper is also called the "King of Spices" because of its medicinal properties and its uses as a preservative and flavoring agent. Pepper was a very important spice in medieval times and the Mediterranean traders who sold pepper to the countries of Western Europe, made fortunes through the pepper trade. Arab traders exported pepper from Cochin and other ports on the Malabar Coast of Kerala across the Arabian Sea on boats called dhows. The pepper was then carried by camel caravans to trading centers in the Mediterranean and sold to buyers, until it finally arrived on the dining tables of households in Europe. Even today the pepper grown in Kerala is considered to be among the finest pepper in the world. Two of the best-known varieties of pepper are "Malabar Garbled" and "Tellicherry Extra Bold." You can see pepper being grown and harvested on Kerala tours of the pepper plantations of Kerala with Kerala Backwater. The botanical name of the pepper plant is Piper nigrum. The plant is a climbing vine, which grows in tropical forests in the Malabar Coast of Kerala. Pepper grows around the year and requires the support of a tree or an artificial frame around which the green stem of the pepper plant entwines itself. The part of the pepper plant that is consumed is the fruit. The berries of the pepper plant are reddish green when unripe and become black when dried. These black berries are added whole or ground and used as flavoring and preservatives in food. When the black outer covering is removed and the berry is dried and processed white pepper is produced. The roots and vines of the pepper plant are also used for medicinal purposes. Pepper is used in the treatment of rheumatism. Taste the health giving properties of Pepper, the King of Spices, on tours of the spice plantations of Kerala, with Kerala Backwater. |
