Black
pepper is a flowering vine cultivated for its peppercorns. The mature fruit
is dark red, containing a single seed (like all drupes.) Peppercorns may be described as
black, green, or white.
Vietnam is the world’s largest
producer and exporter of pepper. Dried ground pepper has been used since
antiquity for its flavor and as a traditional medicine.
Black pepper exhibits antioxidant,
anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Black pepper helps promote weight
loss, improves digestion, relieves a cough and cold, boosts metabolism, and
treats skin problems. It reduces the risk of cancer, and heart and liver
ailments. Because of its antibacterial properties, pepper is used to preserve
food. It is also a very good anti-inflammatory agent.
Black pepper is a rich source of
minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron,
potassium, and vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin C, K, and B6 and has a high content
of dietary fiber and a moderate amount of protein and carbohydrates.
Consumption of pepper facilitates
digestion and can promote sweating and urination. Sweating removes toxins and
cleans out the pores and can remove excess water. In terms of urination, you can
remove uric acid, urea, excess water, and fat, since 4% of urine is made of
fat.
Its unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and oils helps to
increase nutrient absorption, improves heart rate and blood pressure, supports healthy
cell growth and digestion, and has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
antibacterial, fever-reducing, and immune system-enhancing properties. It acts
as a natural antidepressant, provides clear skin and beats dandruff.
Black peppercorns
are picked when almost ripe and sun-dried, turning the outer layer black.
White pepper
tastes hotter than black. They both have a fiery, but less pungent taste, and
are good for sauces and food. There are different varieties of white
peppercorns. To produce white peppercorns, this outer layer of black
peppercorns is removed. Tellicherry is probably the best-known variety. It
comes from India and typically has larger specimens than other black
peppercorns
Green Peppercorns
are fruits picked while immature and either air-dried, freeze-dried or brined.
They have a fresher fruitier flavor, but not as sharp and astringent as black. They
are more common in brine. They’re great for flavoring sauces for meat dishes.
This is the peppercorn used for classic peppercorn sauces. Brined green
peppercorns are popular in French cuisine.
Red Peppercorns are left to fully
ripen on the vine and turn a brilliant shade of red. It’s rare to find red
peppercorns as is; they are usually dried and develop a black coat, or dried
and stripped to become white.
Pink
Peppercorns aren’t actually peppercorns, but are berries that come from a
South American shrub. Though have a peppery bite with fruity and floral tones
and used for garnishing. It is best to crush them in a spice grinder or a knife
rather than a pepper mill, because they are delicate.
Pink
peppercorns come from the Peruvian or Brazilian pepper tree and are similar
in flavor to black pepper, but milder, a tiny bit sweet and highly fruity. They
are more closely related to cashews than black pepper so be wary if you suffer
from nut allergies.
Sichuan
peppercorns are not at all related to other peppercorns, and the flavor
lacks the pungency and bite of black, white and green pepper. It’s more citrus
flavored with gradually mounting heat that leaves your mouth feeling
deliciously tingly.
Long pepper
has powerful sweet-spicy fragrance. The usable part of this plant is a flower
spike coated in tiny fruit that taste a like black pepper, with extra heat.
Grains of
paradise are the seeds from a plant in the ginger family
and are referred to as “alligator” pepper. They have a peppery flavor
that’s citrusy and used in North
and West African cuisine. It’s a popular flavoring agent and used to flavor
craft beer and spirits.