Oh, you mean like actual pepper? Eh, that's good too. Especially since it masks the taste of spoiled meat, which most meat was in the days before refrigeration. Due to some awkward crusades, the Egyptian merchants weren't terribly welcome in, you know, Europe. But they had all the pepper, because the Egyptians imported it from India and controlled both overland and overseas access to the Mediterranean. And while others cited moral or religious opposition to trade, the Venetians usually found a way, which is why the whole freakin' town is made of marble. Thanks, Thought Bubble.