There are many different types of pepper out here. Black, green, white, pink and many others. We’ll take a look at black pepper here. It is probably the most commonly used pepper in North American cuisine.
Peppercorns are actually a fruit of a flowering vine in the piperaceae family. The green, wide-leafed vines grown long tendrils where cylindrical clusters of berries ripen. The fruit is very small and contain a thin skin with very little fruit on it and a single big seed. The fruit is picked at varying degrees of ripeness depending on the type and strength of pepper desired.
This vine is native to Indian but grown in tropical regions. Currently, Vietnam grows and exports the most black pepper, about 35% of global supply. Indian, China and Sri Lanka follow in production and export.
Almost every style of cuisine uses pepper in some way. 20% of the world’s spice trade is made up of pepper and makes up billions of dollars of trade annually.
For a long time pepper was used as medicine. It has also been used in preserving mummies and has thought to cure insomnia and toothaches.
That telltale bite peppercorns have is from a chemical called Piperine and is found in the fruit and seed of the peppercorn. Piperine can break down when exposed to heat, air and light. As a result, peppercorns and ground black pepper should be stored property or used quickly.
References
- https://www.seriouseats.com/guide-to-pepper-varieties
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin
- https://silkroadspices.ca/collections/pepper-and-peppercorns
- https://www.spicejungle.com/the-jungle/where-does-black-pepper-come-from
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-pepper-benefits
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/black-pepper-benefits
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