Spices: Black Pepper

/in /by

Black Pepper

A Climbing Plant from India

word “pepper” can refer to both the plant and its spice. Botanically, true pepper is Piper nigrum, a long-lived, woody climbing plant native to the Malabar Coast of India. Today, the main growing regions are Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Brazil. The plant has large, leathery leaves and can grow up to 10 metres tall, but in cultivation it is usually kept at 3–4 metres.


From Flowers to Peppercorns

Peppercorns are the processed fruits of the plant. Around 50 to 150 small fruits develop from the tiny flowers on hanging flower spikes about 10 centimetres long. A pepper plant can be harvested twice a year and produces good yields for up to 30 years.


Four Colours

Green, black, white, and red pepper all come from the same plant species. The differences depend only on the ripeness of the fruits when they are harvested and on how they are processed. A single species can therefore produce four spices with different colours, flavours, and levels of pungency.


Green and Black Pepper

Green pepper is made from unripe fruits that are either preserved in brine or dried quickly. Black pepper is also harvested while unripe. During slow drying, the outer layer shrinks, becomes dark, and gives the peppercorns their characteristic wrinkled surface.


White and Red Pepper

White pepper is made from fully ripe fruits. After soaking, the outer fruit layer is removed, leaving only the pale seed. True red pepper is considered especially rare and is made from fully ripe fruits that are carefully dried whole. Fully ripe fruits preserved in brine are also often sold as red pepper.


Pink Pepper

Pink pepper does not belong to the pepper family. It comes from the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus species), a member of the sumac family. It is best known as the colourful ingredient in mixed pepper, a blend of black, white, and green pepper with pink berries.


Other “Peppers”
Not everything called “pepper” is true pepper. Cayenne pepper is made from ground chilli peppers. Sichuan pepper is produced from the dried fruit husks of several Zanthoxylum species. Allspice also resembles peppercorns, but it comes from a member of the myrtle family and is not botanically related to Piper nigrum.