Suggested uses

Basic prep

Storage & handling

Store in a dry, cool place.

Ingredients

Black pepper

Black Peppercorns come from the common pepper plant (Piper nigrum), a flowering tropical plant that was originally native to India. The plant produces tiny berries or "drupes." These berries can be harvested and processed at various stages of their maturity to achieve different flavors and colors. Black Peppercorns are harvested at full maturity, but before they ripen. When picked, they are somewhere between green and yellow. They are next briefly boiled and then allowed to dry and ferment until they become wrinkled, black and very aromatic, with a moderately hot, pungent flavor.

While Vietnam is currently the world's largest producer of Black Peppercorns, India was the site of the first documented peppercorn use, in the 4th century B.C. Experts believe the plant originated in the Southern Indian state of Kerala.

Peppercorns have far-reaching cultural and historical significance. Europeans sought them as far back as ancient times, and as a result they often drove exploration and commerce. As early as the Roman Empire, they were bought, sold and taxed. The lure of pepper and other spices brought explorers from all over Europe to India during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Peppercorns were sometimes accepted in lieu of money in dowries, taxes and rents, such was their value!

A stimulant, Black Peppercorns have traditionally been used as a remedy for digestive complaints including indigestion and constipation. The chemical that gives peppercorns their hot flavor, piperine, may assist in chemical functions within the body. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Black Peppercorns are also used to stimulate appetite and to treat colds, coughs and sore throats.

Black Peppercorns are a common ingredient in chai, an Indian spiced black tea beverage, along with spices that are believed to be "warming tonics," such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom and star anise.