Vasco da Gama arrived at the rocky outcrop of Kappkadavu in southern India in 1498 seeking the rich spice trade of India. A modern-day family watches the sun set at the same beach. Some call it the Scottish Highlands of India. It's cooler up here in the foggy mountains that climb to 3,200 feet and the rod-straight betelnut trees are the ideal stakes for twining pepper vines. By late March, most of the BB-sized peppercorns have turned from green to red and have been picked.
Some late bloomers remain to tempt a curious palate.
The quality of the Wayanad pepper is the best in the world,'' says Madai N. Chandran, who operates a 60-acre coffee and pepper estate up here. Initially, the soft, undried peppercorn tastes gloriously sweet but within seconds its juices burn, drawing in a whistle. It's a taste that lingers for hours. Surrounding the broad concrete rectangle where the coffee harvest is dried, bougainvillea and hibiscus flourish. Both coffee and pepper crops are long-term investments.