Colonialism began with the search for spices. I know because it changed my family’s life, says podcaster Anna Sulan Masing
Colonialism was born from the greed for spices and led to today’s globalised world. I know because it’s my family’s storyPhotograph: fcafotodigital/Getty ImagesPhotograph: fcafotodigital/Getty Imagesn 1603, James Lancaster arrived back in London after several years in pursuit of riches, bringing ships laden with peppercorns. He was in command of the first British EastCompany fleet, an entity that was granted a royal charter by Elizabeth I in 1600, and had travelled to south Asia and back.
The desire for spices such as pepper drove European expeditions eastwards, to cut out the middlemen who brought them overland. Ultimately, the desire to own and amass riches from these spices and similar goods drove colonialism. The unknown “east” became known and ownable. In a sense, those first pepper-filled ships marked a turning point, a period when the western world shifted, after which there was no going back.
With pepper, as it is for migrants, the answer to “where are you from?” is complex and varied, and involves many stories and histories including colonialism and violence; it can tell us about hidden pasts and forgotten voices. As a mixed-race person from postcolonial places who has found a home in Britain, and whose family grew pepper in Borneo, my story feels entwined with the spice. I quite simply exist because of these global trade crossings.
I learned that white pepper developed a hold in French cooking during the Renaissance period so as not to darken the roux; that it is a feature in Hong Kong Cantonese cooking, particularly in the sauces and broths, as it is aromatic. It is now as much a staple in
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