Pepper: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, also George Harrison's Thanks for the Pepperoni.
"The word "pepper" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word for long pepper, pippali. Ancient Greek and Latin turned pippali into the Latin piper which was used by the Romans to refer both to black pepper and long pepper, as the Romans erroneously believed that both of these spices were derived from the same plant. The English word for pepper is derived from the Old English pipor. The Latin word is also the source of Romanian piper, Italian pepe, Dutch peper, German Pfeffer, French poivre, and other similar forms. In the 16th century, pepper started referring to the unrelated New World chili pepper as well. "Pepper" was used in a figurative sense to mean "spirit" or "energy" at least as far back as the 1840s; in the early 20th century, this was shortened to pep.[...]
Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good, often referred to as "black gold" and used as a form of commodity money. On the other hand, because of a peppercorn's individual size, the term "peppercorn rent" refers to a token payment made for something that is in fact being given.[...]
Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, placed there as part of the mummification rituals shortly after his death in 1213 BCE.[...]
As pepper supplies into Europe increased, the price of pepper declined (though the total value of the import trade generally did not). Pepper, which in the early Middle Ages had been an item exclusively for the rich, started to become more of an everyday seasoning among those of more average means."<Source>
Just in case they were referring to the chili pepper, though I imagine they meant just pepper, since pepper has a longer European history, and was said by John Lennon to be the source of the song (pepper shakers in a mess tent): "Chili pepper: Fidelity, Hex Breaking, Love [...] Pepper: Protection, Exorcism." <Source>
From a paper on Irish Serpent Symbolism, Appendix, symbolism in other cultures (Egyptian, here), "APEP / APOPHIS (The Egyptian serpent of darkness. This is the origin of terms such as Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sergeant Pepper, and Pepsid, etc.)." <Source> I haven't been able to find more on this statement, yet, but will continue to look and update as I triangulate this bit of information. Though, I thought this was interesting, "In the tomb of Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank at Thebes (modern Luxor), Apophis is shown with twelve heads above its back representing those he has swallowed who are freed, if only briefly, when he is vanquished." <Source>
More on Apep: "Apep (Aapep, Apepi or Apophis) was the ancient Egyptian spirit of evil, darkness and destruction who threatened to destroy the sun god Ra as he travelled though the underworld (or sky) at night. Originally Set and Mehen (the serpent headed man) were given the job of defending Ra and his solar barge. They would cut a hole in the belly of the snake to allow Ra to escape his clutches. If they failed, the world would be plunged into darkness. However, in later periods Apep was sometimes equated with Set who was after all a god of chaos. In this case a variety of major and minor gods and goddesses (including Isis, Neith, Serqet (Selket), Geb, Aker and the followers of Horus) protected Ra from this all consuming evil. The dead themselves (in the form of the god Shu) could also fight Apep to help maintain Ma´at (order).
Like Set, Apep was also associated with various frightening natural events such as unexplained darkness such as solar eclipse, storms and earthquakes. They were both linked to the northern sky (a place that the Egyptians considered to be cold, dark and dangerous) and they were both at times associated with Taweret, the demon-goddess. However, unlike Set he was always a force for evil and could not be reasoned with." <Source>
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