As early as 800-1000 B.C. the Arabian spice trade and routes were controlled leading to one of the world’s biggest monopolys particularly in peppercorns.
This lasted into the Middle Ages with European routes controlled once the spice reached the Mediterranean.
To endure the 4,000 miles Silk Road was costly but the spice was so desirable that traders could effectively set their own price.
Christopher Columbus was one of the great explorers in search of new land filled his ship with what he believed was expensive pepper from new lands only to find his ship was stocked with worthless chilli pepper when he arrived back in Spain.
As more spice routes opened up peppercorn trade swelled to 70% of the global spice trade. As new routes opened and the spice became more available the price dropped and pepper firmly became part of local food and tastes where almost every recipe calls for adding “salt & pepper to taste”.
So ubiquitous is pepper that it remains the world’s largest traded spice. Drought and quality are the main drivers of the price of fresh peppercorns.