The feel-good story of the year so far is the recent surge in Kampot pepper prices. The little Kampot that could is now well and truly on the global map, seasoning the world’s finest dishes – and Anthony Bourdain’s ego – with its unique spice. It wasn’t that long ago – okay, a few centuries, but they’re still burning sorcerers in the provinces so it’s all relative – that black pepper was called “black gold” for its value as a tradable commodity; a currency that powerful nations used to their barter advantage.
Italy controlled the pepper trade in the Middle Ages – eventually changing to pizza because you didn’t need boats to do home deliveries, and hours could be extended to 3am. The Dutch have an old expression they like to use: “pepper expensive” or peperduur (great with a plate of fries, by the way) for anything that’s overpriced. We shouldn’t be surprised then that peperduur spawned “Dutch treat” – or, as the Italians like to call it, a really shitty reason to divide the bill.
Culinary aficionados might know that a famous 3rd Century Roman cookbook cites pepper as a popular seasoning used almost exclusively by the wealthy. Eighteen centuries later, pepper competes with marijuana as the best thing to perk up a potluck. Those who doubt pepper’s rich party past need only look to Ramesses II, aka Ramesses the Great, the Egyptian Empire’s most powerful pharaoh. According to archaeologists, Ramesses II was found in his tomb with black peppercorns stuffed into his nostrils – mummification rituals, they say, for his death in 1213 BCE (no explanation was given regarding either the turntable spinning early Top 40 next to empty bottles of Cristal or the guy who kept saying “I love you, man”). According to Wikipedia, “not much else is known about the use of pepper in ancient Egypt and how it reached the Nile from Southeast Asia.” Several I-prefer-to-not-be-named historians surmise that Asian donkeys were made to swallow packets of pepper to get the popular product through Egyptian customs. And so the term “mule” was born.
Little Kampot is proudly taking its place among the leaders in today’s competitive world pepper market. But the province needn’t look very far to see who dominates the global trade. Well over 30% is produced by their neighbours in Vietnam, much of that for export. Any NGO worth their weight in, well, pepper needs to start getting behind Kampot’s producers to take the momentum that’s been created in her cash crop (aka Egyptian marching powder, the pharaoh’s favour, the Sphinx’s sphincter) to help Kampot put a noticeable dent in Vietnam’s dominance of the trade. According to Nguon Lay, president of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, the street price of black pepper rose from $11 per kilogram in 2013 to $15 this year, while red and white pepper went well above that. Demand is so high for the Kampot product, users from Miami to Marseilles are asking their dealers for it by name. And it’s about time too! To quote Tony Montana: “First you get the Kampot pepper then you get the power” – words that are inspiring powerful Asian businessmen to pick up a pirated copy of Scarface in search of other motivational messages.
If you’re not feeling the Kampot pepper love, Rockefeller Without Borders suggests you make better use of your grinder, because not only is pepper a great spice, it’s also long been used – well before tiger penis and even bear paw – as a traditional medicine that can cure almost any illness. Liberal sprinkles on your morning eggs will instantly cure your malaise – not to mention your diarrhea, dementia and boring sex life. And while you’re at it, spare a thought for Ramesses II, who died for our pepper sins. All aboard for the Kampot Black Gold Express!