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I remember reading somewhere that "regular" pepper, such as black and white pepper were popular, because they were reasonably easy to get once you had a trade fleet up and running.
Also, salt was popular, but it was easy to make anywhere, so the colonialism didn't really factor in to supply:demand, other than a little increase in need for food preservation for long sea journeys.
Nutmeg basically caused east india company to commit genocide because of the popularity.
"spices" were valued for their exclusivity, or because rich people ate them.
For example, allium plants like garlic and onion were viewed with suspicion and disgust, even considered poisons. This isn't because they don't taste good, more that anybody with a garden could grow them. Meanwhile, spices like nutmeg, which only grow in far-off places were coveted.
This is also the probable explanation for prohibitions on pork. Pigs are the meat of the poor, because you don't need much land or resources to raise them. That old wives tale about trichinosis implies that ancient people were too stupid to cook their pork thoroughly while consuming chicken and fish that had the same illness and parasite problems as pigs.
And when spices became cheap enough for the masses, rich people suddenly wanted flavorless food.
ETA: This is an oversimplification. Rich people also wanted to show they didn't have to eat spoiled food, so they instructed their chefs to get the freshest ingredients and barely cook them to highlight its "natural flavor."
Poor people used cheap spices to hide spoilage, one example of which we know today as corned beef.
Saffron, it's still pretty expensive today.
because it has to be picked by hand, and sadly involves a lot of child labor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_trade
The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in the Eastern World.[1]
Townsend has a great YouTube video about the spices that the more poor would eat.
Nutmeg, cinnamon, peppercorns, and mace were expensive and so were desired/popular, but so are caviar, foie gras, and truffles today. But being popular doesn't make it what people really ate.
Salt
The Wikipedia article on Spice has some pretty good details on the subject:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice#%3A%7E%3Atext=Early+history
Nutmeg
More than you ever wanted to know about nutmeg, and its colonial history 105 minute documentary.
Insultingly simplistic TL;DW: New York might not have become New York if it wasn't for the nutmeg trade.
Melange
Fear is the mind killer...
Salt
You know how you can put salt and pepper on most things? Salt comes from just about everywhere, but pepper does not.
