(I noted Western societies due to my own experiences - please do weigh in if it is prevalent elsewhere)

OP, please remove this line, since it will prompt answers along the lines of "We totally use pepper in Country-X!", which will be removed by the mods for lacking depth and substantiation. Thanks.

This question has also been asked here.

If a more comprehensive answer is not provided in this thread, then a link to the FAQ called Food seasonings should provide tangential topics and answers.