Black pepper spice trade

Timeline

1. 1300–1498Malabar Coast to Alexandria · Middle EastIn the medieval period black pepper was carried from India's Malabar Coast by Arab dhows to Aden and Hormuz, then overland or by sea to Alexandria, finally flowing into European markets controlled by Venice and Genoa. In Europe black pepper served as preservative, seasoning, and medicine, priced like silver, and was one of the core economic drivers behind the Age of Discovery as well as the main commercial motivation for Portuguese exploration of new sea routes.
2. 1498–1511Calicut (Kozhikode) and Indian Ocean chokepoints · IndiaDa Gama reached Calicut in 1498, opening a direct Portuguese sea route to India. Thereafter Portugal established trading posts on the Malabar Coast, forcing local spice merchants to trade by arms, and deployed warships at key Indian Ocean nodes intending to cut off Arab middlemen. However the Zamorin (Samudri) ruler of Calicut and an alliance of Muslim merchants mounted sustained armed resistance, making complete monopoly difficult. In 1510 Portugal captured Goa, building a strategic base for further control of Indian Ocean trade.
3. 1511–1520Indian Ocean spice trade network · Indian OceanAfter Portugal captured Malacca in 1511, traditional routes for black pepper and other spices were severely disrupted. Portugal imposed the cartaz pass system, levying transit taxes on Asian merchant vessels. Muslim merchants quickly shifted trade to Aceh (northern Sumatra) and the Red Sea route, and some pepper again flowed into Ottoman-controlled Mediterranean markets. Portuguese black pepper purchases from Malabar rose markedly, and European pepper supply actually grew between 1511 and 1520, but the traditional trade system did not collapse and a multipolar competitive pattern gradually took shape.