Black pepper is produced from the still-green unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn. On some estates, the berries are separated from the stem by hand and then sun-dried without the boiling process.

Once the peppercorns are dried, pepper spirit & oil can be extracted from the berries by crushing them. Pepper spirit is used in famous beverages like Coca-Cola and many medicinal and beauty products. Pepper oil is also used as an ayurvedic massage oil and used in certain beauty and herbal treatments.

Browse Ingredients by Category:

• Vegetables
• Herbs and Spices (Fresh)
• Herbs and Spices (Dry)
• Roots and Rhizomes
• Meat and Poultry
• Fish and Seafood
• Mushrooms and Fungi
• Flowers and Tree Leaves
• Fruits and Nuts
• Staple Foods
• Chili Pastes and Curries
• Sauces and Condiments
• Insects