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Next: 20 May 2027

Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut

On 20 May 1498, the Portuguese fleet anchored off Calicut, opening a direct sea route to the pepper coast of India.

Vasco da Gama, anonymous portrait, c. 1525
Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spices for Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut

After 10 months at sea, Vasco da Gama reached Kappad near Calicut on 20 May 1498. Spices, above all black pepper, had reached Europe for centuries through Arab and Venetian traders, and the voyage broke that chain. Portugal soon held forts at Cochin, Goa and Malacca, and for a while controlled the Atlantic route. The arrival changed the spice world, and Calicut remains one of the main markets of Malabar, with a memorial to the landing.

The spices

Black pepperThe cargo that made the voyage pay.CinnamonThe next prize in Sri Lanka.
About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Vasco da Gama" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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