Black Peppercorns

Black Pepper comes from the vine piper nigrum. It was one of the earliest articles of commerce between Asia and Europe and was often referred in history as “black gold”. The fruits of the vine start out dark green then turn yellow and finally bright red when fully ripe. Black peppercorns with their dark brown to black wrinkled skins are the dried green (unripe) fruit of piper nigrum plant. They have a pungent flavor with lingering heat. Currently the Malabar peppercorn is considered the best as it has the highest quantity of volatile oils. It is these oils that give peppercorns more complex flavor profiles. These oils evaporate quickly when exposed to air so it is best to grind fresh and use as a finishing spice just prior to serving.

Ground black pepper should be more grey than black indicating higher quality berries with the white inner seed were intact when ground.