How did pepper, the "king of spices" that crackles in the pot, gain a foothold on the Chinese dining table?

A brief history of the development of pepper in China

1. The Origin of Pepper

Pepper is an evergreen tropical vine of the genus Piper in the family Piperaceae. It is native to the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats in India. It is an ancient and famous spice in the world and is known as the "king of spices". It has been used by people more than 2,000 years ago.

2. Records of Chinese Pepper

The earliest record of pepper in my country comes from Sima Biao's "Continued Book of Han" in the Western Jin Dynasty. In his "Biography of the Western Regions", it is recorded that the country of India has "various spices, rock honey, pepper, ginger, black salt" and other products. Duan Chengshi, a famous naturalist in the late Tang Dynasty, narrowed down the origin of pepper to "from Magadha, called Meiluzhi" in "Youyang Zazu". "Magadha" is one of the names of ancient countries in India, and "Meiluzhi" is the Sanskrit transliteration of pepper.

In the Tang Dynasty, pepper was very expensive and even represented wealth. As recorded in the New Book of Tang, Yuan Zai, the prime minister of Emperor Daizong of Tang, was arrogant and greedy. After he was ordered to commit suicide by Emperor Daizong, "his property was confiscated, and 500 taels of stalactites and 800 stones of pepper were found". At that time, stalactites and pepper were both very precious medicinal materials and spices. As pepper was a luxury, Yuan Zai collected pepper like he collected money.

3. The spread of Chinese pepper

After pepper was introduced to China in the Jin Dynasty, it immediately became a fashionable condiment for the upper class due to its exotic flavor, and also brought new cooking methods. For example, Duan Chengshi recorded in Youyang Zazu: "(Pepper) is similar to Han pepper, very spicy. It is harvested in June, and people now use it in making Hupan meat dishes."

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, with the development of overseas trade, the pepper trade and influence also expanded. According to relevant records, in the 26th year of Shaoxing (1156), the Kingdom of Srivijaya (located on the island of Sumatra) paid tribute of "10,000 kilograms of pepper". In the Yuan Dynasty, the pepper trade and consumption became more prosperous. Marco Polo recorded in his travel notes that Hangzhou "ate 44 dan of pepper every day". Trade promoted the application and development of pepper in China. In the Song Dynasty, it was mainly used for medicinal purposes, and in the Yuan Dynasty, it expanded to edible purposes, but pepper was still classified as a medicine.

As the volume of maritime trade increased significantly during the Ming Dynasty, the price of pepper began to fall.

At the end of Zhu Yuanzhang's Hongwu reign (around 1390 AD), pepper was worth 20 taels of silver per 100 kilograms, but by Zhu Di's Xuande reign (around 1420 AD), it was only worth 5 taels of silver. Zheng He sailed to the West seven times and visited ports along the Indian coast many times. The huge fleet he led docked at Calicut (Guri) and exchanged a large amount of pepper for gold and silver utensils, silk and porcelain. By the 15th and 16th centuries, China purchased 50,000 bags of pepper (about 2.5 million kilograms) per year in Southeast Asia, which was equal to the total amount of pepper imported from the East to Europe in the first half of the 17th century. Therefore, starting from the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the value of spices became lower and lower, and as pepper began to be planted in southern China, it eventually became a common item in ordinary people's homes.

4. History of pepper introduction in China

Pepper was first introduced to China in 1947. Mr. Wang Yuwen, who lived in Malaysia, brought two pepper seedlings back to his hometown, Jiachao Village, Wenquan Town, Qionghai. He gave one seedling to his sister, but his sister planted it improperly and the pepper seedling died soon after. He carefully cared for the remaining one, and it finally took root and multiplied in the land of his hometown, becoming the first pepper tree in China. According to experts, the first pepper introduced by Mr. Wang Yuwen was a Cambodian small-leaf pepper.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a large number of overseas Chinese from Southeast Asian countries settled in Hainan and brought back many new varieties of tropical crops for planting. Pepper, as one of the main new varieties of tropical crops, was also introduced to various parts of Hainan during this period. In 1951, overseas Chinese Zheng Hongshu introduced Indonesian large-leaf pepper from Malaysia and successfully planted it in Tayang Town, Qionghai, Hainan. In 1954, overseas Chinese brought back pepper seedlings from Indonesia and carefully cultivated and expanded the planting. In just three or four years, the 30th Team of Hainan Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm became a state-owned farm production team that truly grew pepper on a large scale in my country.

In 1957, the Xinglong Experimental Station of the South China Academy of Tropical Crops (now the Institute of Spice and Beverages of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, hereinafter referred to as the "Fragrant and Beverage Institute") was established. In order to solve practical problems in pepper production, research on my country's pepper industry began. They introduced pepper cultivars from Southeast Asia to Xinglong, Wanning City for planting. By the end of the 1980s, the "Fragrant and Beverage Institute" had introduced and preserved 13 pepper cultivars from abroad, including: Indonesian large-leaf varieties, Cambodian small-leaf varieties, Kuching varieties, Banyol No. 1, etc.

5. Development History of China’s Pepper Industry

After pepper was introduced to Qionghai City, Hainan by overseas Chinese in 1947, it was successively introduced to Yunnan Province (mainly to hot areas such as Lujiangba, Yuanjiangba and Mengdingba, covering an area of ​​about 4,000 acres), Guangdong Province (mainly to 13 counties and cities in Zhanjiang area, covering an area of ​​about 50,000 acres and a total output of about 1,000 tons), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (mainly to Bobai, Beiliu, Luchuan, Hepu, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou and other cities and counties in southern Guangxi, covering a total area of ​​about 3,000 acres and an annual output of about 10 tons) and Fujian Province (mainly Yunxiao County and other areas) from the 1950s to the 1980s, forming a pepper industry in my country that complements Hainan's pepper industry. Hainan pepper mainly blooms in autumn and is harvested in June and July each year, and the main product is white pepper; Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian mainly bloom in spring and are harvested from December to January of the following year, and the main product is black pepper; Yunnan mainly blooms in summer and is harvested from March to April each year, and the main product is black pepper. However, after the 1990s, due to factors such as market prices, planting costs and climatic conditions, the pepper planting area and output fluctuated greatly, and the industry development was extremely unstable, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places. Due to factors such as plague and cold damage, the pepper plantations in these areas have basically switched to other cash crops.

According to statistics from the Tropical Crops Department of the China Agricultural Reclamation Economic Development Center, by the end of the 1980s, my country's pepper planting area reached a peak in 1989, with a national pepper planting area of ​​more than 250,000 mu. After that, due to natural disasters, plant diseases and insect pests, and market prices, the national pepper planting area fluctuated greatly. After 2012, the national pepper area basically stabilized at around 350,000 mu to 400,000 mu. In 2021, the national pepper planting area was about 360,000 mu, of which Hainan was about 316,000 mu and Yunnan was 50,000 mu. In terms of pepper unit yield, my country was relatively low before the 1990s, with an average yield of less than 50 kilograms per mu. With the continuous advancement of my country's pepper science and technology level and the gradual promotion of technology, the output level of my country's pepper planting industry has also increased year by year. After 1991, the yield level increased to more than 50 kilograms per mu. By 2007, my country's pepper unit area yield reached more than 100 kilograms per mu, and by 2018, the unit area yield increased to more than 120 kilograms per mu.

6. Research History of China's Pepper Industry

my country's pepper industry research has gone through four stages from introduction and trial planting, high-yield cultivation, standardized production to high-quality and efficient production. The research and development of industrial supporting technologies has become increasingly perfect and is at the world's leading level.

With the emergence and development of China's pepper industry, the number of institutions and scientific and technological workers engaged in pepper research in my country has also been growing. The Xinglong Experimental Station of the South China Institute of Tropical Crops (the predecessor of the Institute of Spice and Beverages of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences) has been conducting pepper research since 1957. It is the earliest and only national scientific research institution in my country that specializes in the research and development of supporting technologies for pepper industrialization. After decades of development, by 2012, the Institute of Spice and Beverages was equipped with a pepper research team and professional laboratories with a full industry chain research system including germplasm resources, seed selection and breeding, cultivation, pest and disease prevention, product processing and utilization. In addition, some scientific and technological personnel from the Yunnan Dehong Tropical Crop Science Research Institute and the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tropical and Subtropical Economic Crops Research Institute are conducting pepper research. In addition, some technical personnel from enterprises and institutions are engaged in the promotion of pepper technology and scientific research practice on the front line of production.

1. Introduction and trial planting stage

From the 1950s to the late 1970s and early 1980s, relevant researchers mainly focused on the research on the adaptive cultivation of pepper in various regions of my country, including the biological characteristics of pepper, the adaptability of pepper to soil, temperature, and climatic conditions in various regions of my country, and the occurrence and development of major diseases and pests after the introduction of pepper. In 1959, the Guangdong Agricultural Reclamation Propaganda and Education Office published "A Method for Rapid Propagation of Pepper" in "China Agricultural Reclamation", in 1975, Fujian's "Subtropical Plant Newsletter" published "A Method for Cultivating Strong Seedlings of Pepper in Changshan Farm", in 1978, Fujian's Fang Zhongping published "A Report on the Introduction and Trial Planting of Pepper" in "Fujian Tropical Crops Science and Technology", Guangdong's Zheng Xinbai published "A Discussion on Improving the Spring Flower Yield of Pepper" in "Tropical Crop Research" in 1980, Guangdong's Zheng Xinbai published "A Preliminary Report on the Prevention and Control of Pepper Mosaic Disease with Red Wine" in "Tropical Crop Research" in 1980, Yunnan's Yang Juntao published "Selection of Yunnan Pepper Garden" in "Yunnan Tropical Crops Science and Technology" in 1980, and Guangxi's Guo Kezhan et al. published "A Preliminary Report on the Experiment of Cold Protection of Pepper Plastic Greenhouses and Colored Films" in "Agricultural Meteorology" in 1981.

2. High-yield cultivation stage

From the early 1970s to the beginning of this century, the research mainly focused on how to increase the yield per unit area of ​​pepper (including seedling standards, the number of pepper seedlings planted per plant, planting density, the selection of pillars, the length of pillars, the number of vines left, the number of vine pruning, fertilization technology, etc.), how to prevent and control the main diseases and pests of pepper (including pepper blast and pepper bacterial leaf spot). The main research results include: research on the prevention and control of pepper blast, the prevention and control of pepper bacterial leaf spot, pepper leaf picking technology, pepper shaping and pruning technology, pepper garden coconut bran covering technology, the effect of defoliants on increasing pepper yield, pepper high-yield cultivation and mineral nutrition diagnosis and guidance of fertilization technology, rubber and pepper intercropping research, the promotion of eight scientific and technological achievements related to rubber and pepper, and the identification and evaluation of the main traits of rubber tropical germplasm resources. 26 wild and cultivated pepper germplasm resources at home and abroad were collected.

3. Standardized production technology stage

From 2000 to around 2015, based on the research on high-yield single-plant planting technology of pepper and major pest and disease control technology, researchers conducted research on the supporting and standardized production technology of the pepper industry. The landmark achievements and technologies mainly include: the establishment and application of my country's standardized production technology system for pepper, the regional layout plan of Hainan Province's superior agricultural products, popular science books on pepper cultivation and their application, the collection, preservation, identification, evaluation and utilization of pepper germplasm resources, Hainan Province's local and agricultural industry standards "Pepper Cultivation Technical Regulations", Hainan Province's local and agricultural industry standards "Pepper Primary Processing Technical Regulations", Yunnan Province's local standards "Pepper Cultivation Technical Regulations for Dry and Hot Zones and Wet and Hot Zones", agricultural industry standards "Pepper Cuttings", "Technical Regulations for the Control of Major Pests and Diseases of Tropical Crops Pepper", Hainan Province's local standards "Tropical Crop Germplasm Resources Description Specification Pepper", "Pepper Leaf Nutrition Diagnosis Technical Regulations", "Pepper Excellent Seedling Cultivation Technical Regulations", "Pepper Blight Control Technical Regulations", "Pepper Bacterial Leaf Spot Control Technical Regulations", "Pepper Root Knot Nematode Control Technical Regulations", etc. The national-level pepper germplasm resource garden "Wanning Pepper Germplasm Resource Garden" was established. In addition, according to the needs of my country's tropical crop variety selection and breeding, the "Fragrant Beverage Institute" formulated my country's pepper variety approval standards, and jointly with many domestic enterprises and institutions, approved the Indonesian large-leaf pepper, a main variety introduced from abroad and planted on a large scale for a long time, and named it "Reyin No. 1 Pepper".

4. High-quality and efficient production stage

After 2012, on the basis of the establishment of a standardized production technology system for pepper in my country, researchers have carried out corresponding research on high-quality and efficient production technologies for pepper agricultural product advantage areas in my country, focusing on the regional layout of national advantageous agricultural products, in order to improve the benefits and sustainable development of the pepper industry in advantageous areas. The main achievements include: in terms of germplasm resources and breeding, the collection, preservation, identification, evaluation and utilization of pepper germplasm resources, the study of DNA fingerprinting of major pepper germplasm resources in my country, and the cloning and expression of pepper disease resistance-related gene NPR1; in terms of cultivation technology and mechanism, the key technology research and demonstration of pepper disease-resistant grafted seedling cultivation, the research and application of water-fertilizer integration technology in standardized pepper planting, the effect of shading on the carbon-nitrogen ratio of pepper leaves and the regulation mechanism, the study of the effect of acid aluminum on pepper roots, the study of the mechanism of nitrogen on the development of pepper flower spikes, the study of light regulation source-sink relationship and the mechanism of the effect on pepper flower quantity, the integration and application of pepper breeding and key production technologies, the integrated application and demonstration of compound cultivation technology under tropical economic forests in Hainan, and the formation mechanism of pepper continuous cropping obstacles and the key technology research on intercropping of betel nuts. , research and application of pepper weight loss and efficiency enhancement technology, mechanized fertilization technology of pepper, pepper-betel nut intercropping method, research and demonstration of efficient intercropping technology of betel nut in pepper gardens, response of pepper/betel nut intercropping populations to root allelopathic substances, research on the mechanism of the influence of nitrogen on pepper flower spike development, etc.; in terms of product processing and comprehensive utilization, research and integrated application of key technologies for ecological high-value processing of pepper, research on key technologies for processing of characteristic tropical spice crop products, research and industrial development of pilot processing technology for green pepper products, a green pepper seasoning sauce and its preparation method, a method for preparing brine green pepper, a method for preparing pepper oleoresin, research and product development of clean and efficient processing technology for pepper, a pepper fresh fruit seasoning sauce and its preparation method, pilot and demonstration of new compound seasoning processing technology for pepper, a method for preparing black pepper, etc.

After more than 70 years of development, my country's pepper research team has grown stronger and stronger, and the discipline system has become more and more perfect. At present, there are more than 30 national-level professional pepper research teams in my country, mainly led by the Institute of Spice and Beverages of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. The research disciplines range from the collection and preservation of germplasm resources, identification and evaluation, and innovative use, to cultivation, green prevention and control of pests and diseases, and product primary processing and deep processing, etc., pre-production, pre-production, pre-production, and post-production of the entire industrial chain process, solving the technical problems of pepper matching production in different regions of my country, and providing technical support for my country's implementation of poverty alleviation in tropical areas, consolidation of poverty alleviation results, rural revitalization strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative. A group of pepper science and technology experts represented by Chen Fengbao, Lin Hongdun, Zhang Jixiang, Huang Genshen, Zhang Huachang, Lin Yue'e, Xing Guyang, Wu Huasong, Hao Chaoyun, Yang Jianfeng, Gu Fenglin, and Wang Can (who have won provincial and ministerial or higher achievement awards) have been trained.

Author: Wu Huasong (Researcher at the Institute of Tropical Crop Germplasm Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Secretary-General of the Tropical Crop Germplasm Resources Protection and Utilization Committee of the Chinese Society of Tropical Crops)