The Portuguese Factory and Trade in Pepper in Malabar During the 16th Century

A new phenomenon-the Portuguese factory-appeared on the Arabian sea coast at the beginning of the 16th century. Trade conducted by the factory was the chief medium of European influence on the economic life of the regions under the Portuguese colonial control. The Portuguese factories, like the Portuguese trade in Asia, were different in nature from other factories established in that time in territories colonized by Europeans. The aim of this paper is only to explore one field of their activity-the trade in pepper-and to identify the specific character of the factories in Malabar and their role in the 16th century trade in Asia.