When the founder of One & Done Seasoning decided to create a new seasoning blend that worked on everything, he jumped into a facet of history that we might not know a lot about, but the effects of which have rippled through the centuries, carrying knowledge and taste along with it.

Why Salt and Pepper?

Have you ever wondered why salt and pepper are staples on the tables of most westerners? Salt is a relatively easy answer — humans like the taste of salt, and we require a certain amount of it every day in order for certain internal processes to function properly. It enhances the taste of food, and it can be used to make food last longer. Salting meats has been an important human activity since prehistory, and some civilizations, like the Gauls and the ancient Belgians, were able to make huge amounts of money on their salted meats by selling huge quantities to the armies and peoples of Rome.

Pepper is a slightly different story. While it does taste great when used correctly, it was also very much a luxury in the western world. Since pepper originates in Southeast Asia it was incredibly expensive to purchase in Europe, which meant that only the super-wealthy could afford it. While its taste was important to them, it was also believed that pepper cleared congestion and increased virility. Eventually, people who were not as wealthy wanted to enjoy some of the finer things, and trade routes that imported black pepper began to spring up. Black pepper was less expensive than the long pepper preferred by the upper class, and grew (relatively) much closer to Europe, but the demand for black pepper, along with other spices, more than made up for the lower prices.

For hundreds and hundreds of years, these spice routes provided gigantic revenues for the traders who worked them, and for the rulers who controlled them. A great deal of the wealth of Italian city-states originally came from spice trading, and the Renaissance may not have happened in Italy without the wealth that was generated from the control of the spice trade. The spice trade is also responsible for Europe stumbling across the Americas — Columbus was looking for a quicker route to Asia that cut out the middlemen of Islamic controlled routes and Italian reselling.

And while salt and pepper have served us, and our food, well for many centuries, now is the time for a new standard seasoning. One & Done Seasoning takes everything we like about the old guard and makes it even better. Order One & Done today to find out what you’ve been missing.