The term Yavanapriya, mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts, denoted

The term Yavanapriya in ancient Sanskrit usage denotes pepper. Multiple scholarly and regional histories note that pepper was so prized by the Greeks/Romans (the yavanas) that Indian writers called it Yavanapriya — literally ‘dear to the Yavanas’. A survey of maritime-trade literature of ancient India explicitly states that pepper’s export was so abundant it was referred to as Yavanapriya in Indian literature [1]. Similarly, accounts reconstructing trade at Muziris and related literary references explain that Romans’ passion for pepper led Sanskrit writers to label the spice Yavana-priya (beloved of the Yavanas) [2]. These sources identify pepper, not cloth, ivory, or dancers, as Yavanapriya.

Sources

1. [1] https://magazines.odisha.gov.in/orissareview/jan2005/englishPdf/Maritime_Contact.pdf
2. [2] https://www.keralatourism.org/muziris/history/reference-evidence