Page 216 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

208 NATURE, AGRICULTURE & PLANTATIONS
MALAYSIAN PEPPER BOARD
Lembaga Lada Malaysia Lot 1115, Jalan Utama 93450 Kuching, Sarawak
T (082) 331 811 W mpb.gov.my
IN BRIEF
Pepper is the world’s most widely used spice for food flavouring. This is true of just about every cuisine. The plant requires a warm and wet tropical climate for optimum growth, making Sarawak most suited for pepper cultivation.
MAIN FEATURES
The pepper vine (Piper nigrum) is native to Southwest India, has been used in Indian cuisine for over 4,000 years and has been a valuable trade commodity since ancient times. It was used in Egyptian mummification rituals and was well-known in Ancient Greece, while the Roman Empire sent an annual fleet of 120 ships
from Egypt to India’s Malabar Coast to
LOCATION / ROUTE
Pepper farms can be found in several areas in Sarawak particularly in Serian, Sri Aman, Betong and Sarikei.
HOW TO GET THERE
The best way to visit pepper farms is to drive there or to join a tour that includes a stop at a pepper farm.
A typical pepper garden in Sarawak. Note how the pepper plants are laid out in rows on a gently sloping hillside, rather like a vineyard. This is to ensure ease of harvesting as well as adequate drainage.
satisfy the European demand for pepper. In Renaissance Europe, the pepper trade was monopolised by the Italian cities of Venice and Genoa, which led directly
to the European “Age of Exploration”, followed by colonial expansion, with Portugal and later the
Netherlands, Britain and France seeking to control trade in pepper and other spices from South and Southeast Asia.
Local cultivation in Malaysia dates back to 1856. 98% of Malaysian pepper is grown in Sarawak and a combined total of 17,437 hectares of land in
Majlis Sukan Negeri Sarawak Bahagian Sains Sukan
Stor JKR
Puspakom
Penview Hotel Kuching
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