Ginger
Marco Polo, exploring southern India in the 13th century, was the first Westerner to see ginger, already known in Europe during antiquity.
Dioskouridis had mentioned it, but the Greek and Roman cuisines were not interested in it. From the 9th century onwards it spread to our continent, where its relatively low price (a pound of ginger cost as much as a sheep) established it.
One of the famous books of the Middle Ages mentioned ginger powder as a food flavoring. It existed in cooking until the 18th century.
Little by little the French abandoned it for pepper, although it costed more. The Anglo-Saxons remained faithful, so much so that Ginger became a name. In the past her reputation was great. It was used prophylactically against the plague and hysteria. It was part of Fioravadi's formula.