Black Peppercorns

The history of the spice trade essentially about the quest for pepper. Peppercorns and long pepper from the coast of Malabar (India) reached Europe at least 3,000 years ago. Because of the importance of the spice trade these trade routes were fiercely protected and empires were built and destroyed because of it. Pepper has even been used as currency. In 408CE the Goth demanded pepper as a part of their tribute when they laid siege to Rome. Later pepper was traded ounce for ounce for gold and used to pay dowries, rents, and taxes. The main producers of pepper are India (still!), Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

From the family Piperaceae, Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine that is cultivated for its fruit. When dried, the fruit is known as a peppercorn. Both the whole peppercorn and the ground peppercorn are frequently referred to as simply ‘pepper’. Peppercorns come in many varieties. Black, Green, and White peppercorns are the most common. The ripeness of the fruit before being dried determines the color, and flavor, of the pepper.

Our Black Peppercorns are sourced from Brazil, India, Indonesia and Vietnam (depending on the time of year) and are picked when the berry hasn’t fully ripened. This whole black peppercorn produces a distinctly spicy flavor which is slightly hot and biting with a just a hint of sweetness and a clean aftertaste.

Store whole peppercorns in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and they will keep their flavor for about a year (while ground pepper tends to hold its flavor for only about 4 months). If you don’t already have a top grade pepper mill you should definitely get one as freshly ground pepper delivers a more intense savory experience than commercially ground pepper.

Fun Spice Fact: the chemical components of pepper will help the body fully absorb the amazing benefits of turmeric!