--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pepper it was that brought Vasco da…" description: "\"“Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships across the ocean, from Lisbon's Tower of Belem to the Malabar Coast: first to Calicut and later,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg" --- # Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships… ![“Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships across the ocean, from Lisbon's Tower of Belem to the Malabar Coast: first to Calicut and later, for its lagoony harbour, to Cochin. English and French sailed in the wake of that first-arrived Portugee, so that in the period called…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg) > ““Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships across the ocean, from Lisbon's Tower of Belem to the Malabar Coast: first to Calicut and later, for its lagoony harbour, to Cochin. English and French sailed in the wake of that first-arrived Portugee, so that in the period called Discovery-of-India — but how could we be discovered when we were not covered before? — we were 'not so much sub-continent as sub-condiment', as my distinguished mother had it.”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores how colonial trade routes and cultural exchange shaped identities, likening India to a spice rather than a continent. **In simple terms:** Trade and culture shaped identity. Key Takeaway Recognize how history influences modern identity. Themes colonialism identity trade culture globalization Mood reflective analytical Type historical literary philosophical When to use this quote - historical studies - travel writing - educational curricula - culinary tourism Key Concepts postcolonialism cultural hybridity economic exchange Questions to Reflect On - How do trade routes affect cultural identity? - In what ways does metaphor shape our view of history? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on metaphor may obscure concrete historical facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Captain Cook discovered Australia looking for the Terra Incognita. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding India but discovered America. 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Before the British took Malabar, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-could-be-argued-that-it-actually-began-thousands-of-years-ago-long/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [If we blend efficiently democracy, demographic demand & demand, I believe that there will be a Vasco Da Gama on every street who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/if-we-blend-efficiently-democracy-demographic-demand-demand-i-believe/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [The “Vasco da Gama's era” ends in a nightmare in which men-Westerners and non-Westerners alike-are bewildered by this confusion and the old fancy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-m-cipolla/the-vasco-da-gama-s-era-ends-in-a-nightmare-in-which-men-westerners/) [Carlo M. 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I spend more time giving concerts in Ohio than I do in any other state - perhaps more time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-m-a-buckeye-at-heart-i-spend-more-time-giving-concerts-in-ohio-than/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [I walk out into a nature such as the old prophets and poets Menu, Moses, Homer, Chaucer, walked in. You may name it America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-walk-out-into-a-nature-such-as-the-old-prophets-and-poets-menu/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Columbus was not the first person to discover America, but the last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-domingos/columbus-was-not-the-first-person-to-discover-america-but-the-last/) [Pedro Domingos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-domingos/) > [I think at Ohio State, we're professional athletes in Columbus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-elliott/i-think-at-ohio-state-we-re-professional-athletes-in-columbus/) [Ezekiel Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-elliott/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Columbus quotes > [I think at Ohio State, we're professional athletes in Columbus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-elliott/i-think-at-ohio-state-we-re-professional-athletes-in-columbus/) [Ezekiel Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-elliott/) > [“Columbus was not the first person to discover America, but the last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-domingos/columbus-was-not-the-first-person-to-discover-america-but-the-last/) [Pedro Domingos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-domingos/) > [I walk out into a nature such as the old prophets and poets Menu, Moses, Homer, Chaucer, walked in. You may name it America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-walk-out-into-a-nature-such-as-the-old-prophets-and-poets-menu/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [I'm a Buckeye at heart. I spend more time giving concerts in Ohio than I do in any other state - perhaps more time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-m-a-buckeye-at-heart-i-spend-more-time-giving-concerts-in-ohio-than/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I remember my first run-in with cops. It took me really getting to hang, well after that, with cops who were cool, and realizing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-remember-my-first-run-in-with-cops-it-took-me-really-getting-to/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Chris Columbus was really interesting to watch how he works with children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-ellis/chris-columbus-was-really-interesting-to-watch-how-he-works-with/) [David R. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-ellis/) > [ We see it \[the as-yet unseen, probable new planet, Neptune\] as Columbus saw America from the coast of Spain. Its movements have been felt,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-herschel/we-see-it-the-as-yet-unseen-probable-new-planet-neptune-as-columbus/) [William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-herschel/) > [Columbus discovered no isle or key so lonely as himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/columbus-discovered-no-isle-or-key-so-lonely-as-himself/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There are more American Indians alive today than there were when Columbus arrived or at any other time in history. Does this sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-are-more-american-indians-alive-today-than-there-were-when/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [It is the striving after perfection that makes one an artist. It is the sense that one is imperfect, unfulfilled, unfinished. One attempts by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/it-is-the-striving-after-perfection-that-makes-one-an-artist-it-is/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [“If Captain Cook was not the first of European navigators to discover the Hawaiian Islands, he was at least the first to chart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-david-kalakaua/if-captain-cook-was-not-the-first-of-european-navigators-to-discover/) [King David Kalakaua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-david-kalakaua/) Browse all 284 Columbus quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships across the ocean, from Lisbon's Tower of Belem to the Malabar Coast: first to Calicut and later, for its lagoony harbour, to Cochin. English and French sailed in the wake of that first-arrived Portugee, so that in the period called Discovery-of-India — but how could we be discovered when we were not covered before? — we were 'not so much sub-continent as sub-condiment', as my distinguished mother had it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Salman Rushdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama-s-tall-ships-across-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Columbus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama-s-tall-ships-across-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/salman-rushdie-153_quote_pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama_1531390.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pepper it was that brought Vasco da Gama's tall ships across the ocean, from Lisbon's Tower of Belem to the…” — Salman Rushdie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Salman Rushdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Pepper it was that brought Vasco...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama-s-tall-ships-across-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/pepper-it-was-that-brought-vasco-da-gama-s-tall-ships-across-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```