Pepper Politics
Iris Macfarlane describes how the Malabar coast in western India was the earliest scene of European sea-borne trade.
When Vasco da Gama landed on the coast of Malabar in 1498, it was a splendid moment of satisfaction for him; but to the Indians his was just one more name on the list of traders who wanted their pepper and pearls, their cloth, cinnamon and areka nut.
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