THE SPICE TRADER BLACK PEPPER WHOLE 40G
Culinary uses: Pepper is one of the most versatile spices. Although mostly used in savoury cooking and as a table condiment, it can also be used with fruits and in some sweet breads and cakes. Pepper brings out the flavour of other spices and retains its own flavour well during cooking.
Other uses: Pepper has long been recognised as an ingredient for stimulating the appetite as well as aiding in the relief of nausea. In India it has been used as a medicine for thousands of years to treat anything from paralysis to toothache.
Historical uses: In ancient Greece and Rome, taxes were paid in pepper. In the Middle Ages, pepper was used as money and at times was as valuable as gold.
- Botanical name:Piper nigrum. Family name: Piperaceae
- Native range: Southern India
- Major producers: India, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia
- Harvesting: To produce black pepper, immature green berries are picked, briefly fermented, and then dried. During drying, the peppercorns shrivel, become wrinkled, and turn dark brown to black. For white peppercorns, the berries are picked when yellowish-red and almost ripe, and then soaked to soften and loosen the outer skin. Once this is removed, they are rinsed and sun dried.
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Pepper is a perennial vine indigenous to the Malabar Coast of India, and this area is still reputed to produce the highest quality pepper. In volume and value pepper remains the most important spice.