Pepper has been cultivated since ancient times, originally in India. There's a common misconception that in the Middle Ages, it was ground and used to mask the taste of spoiled food, but there's no evidence to support this. Historians believe this is unlikely, as pepper was a luxury item only available to the wealthy, who could afford fresh food. Pepper was introduced to Greece by Alexander the Great. According to legend, Eudoxus of Cyzicus was the first European to bring pepper and other spices to the continent. For centuries, Arabs controlled the spice trade, and after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Venice became the main distributor, collecting gold to pay the East for pepper and other spices. Pepper was so rare and expensive that it was used as currency during the Middle Ages. Its high value was one reason the Portuguese sought a sea route to the Spice Islands by sailing around Africa. Green peppercorns are completely unripe berries. Unlike other types, they are more often used whole than ground and are harder to find fresh. They are usually sold dried or pickled in vinegar.