Black pepper coomes from a plant and is known as
Pepper is a pungent spice made from berries. One of the earliest known spices ever discovered, pepper is used worldwide in almost every household.
CLASSIFICATION
Black pepper belongs to the family "Piperaceae."
HISTORY
Pepper has been used for at least 3,000 years. Native to India, pepper was first cultivated in the tropics. Trade between India and Europe, introduced the peppercorn to a larger audience. Once it arrived in the United States, pepper became a common household ingredient.
PEPPER PLANT
The pepper plant is currently grown in tropical areas, where it is exposed to high heat and partial shade. Pepper plants are most often interspersed with tea and coffee producing plants. The actual plant reaches heights of over 30 feet. The pepper plant has broad green leaves and small flowers. Peppercorns, the fruit of this tree, hang from its branches and grow to about 5-centimeters in diameter. When the yellow-red peppercorns are mature, they produce a single seed. Pepper plants are mature enough to bear seeds at the age of 2-years, and will constantly produce fruit for as many as 40-years.
BERRY PICKING AND BOILING
As berries turn bright red, they are picked and collected. The berries are then dropped into boiling water, where they remain for about 10-minutes. The water causes the berry to turn black.
DRYING
After the berries have been immersed in water, they are spread out to dry in the sun for several days. Once dried, peppercorns are shipped to pepper manufacturers and factories, where they will be ground and processed.
GRINDING
Grinding of whole peppercorns produces black pepper. After the short grinding process, ground black pepper is packaged and sold to distributors.
PEPPER VARIETIES
The pepper plant peppercorn can not only be made into common black pepper, but also white pepper. White pepper is made from ripe or overly ripe peppercorns. Instead of grinding the peppercorn, workers remove the outer shell of the peppercorn, after they have been exposed to high levels of moisture. The inside of the berry is then dried in the sun, packaged, and sold.
PEPPER FACTS
BLACK PEPPER is a healthy addition to any diet. Pepper aids in stimulating circulation and digestion.
BLACK PEPPER has been used for centuries in Asia to help treat colds and cough and muscle aches and pain.
BLACK PEPPER is know as "The King of Spices" worldwide.
PEPPER is the single, most commonly used spice in the world today.
PEPPER is used in many popular brands of multi-purpose spices.
PEPPER contains minute amounts of essential oil.
