Black Pepper

The incredibly widespread spice, pepper, is derived from dried fruits of the flowering vine, Piper nigrum. These dried fruits are commonly known as peppercorns, and fresh-crushed peppercorns are what makes the best pepper! It is native to south India and has been used in Indian cooking for more than 4000 years. In ancient times and until recently, black pepper was incredibly expensive and coveted worldwide. Now, it is cultivated in many tropical regions throughout the world, making it much more affordable. The typical spice associated with black pepper is derived from the chemical compound piperol (compared to the spiciness associated with capsaicin found in chili peppers).

Since black pepper is used in small quantities only, there is no appreciable nutrition associated with it. But, that doesn’t mean we want to skip on the flavor it can add! Good quality black pepper is available on Amazon.