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BLACK PEPPER
Pepper is one of the oldest and best-known spices in the world.

DESCRIPTION

Black pepper plant is a perennial climber with dark green leaves and spikes of white flowers.

The peppercorn is a berry like fruit, about ½ cm in diameter, green when unripe and then red when ripe.

Black peppers come from whole fruit, picked just before they are completely ripe and dried. White
peppers come from ripe fruits with the endocarp is separated after fomentation.

THE MAJOR TYPES OF BLACK PEPPER

Black pepper is classified in commerce according to its source. Here are the varieties, which may be found in
the world market today:

Malabar
A good portion of the world's black pepper comes from the state of Kerala located in the southwestern
part of India, known as the Malabar Coast. Today, all Indian pepper is generally called "Malabar”. It has a
distinctive, fruity fragrance and is highly aromatic.

Lampong
Indonesia - principally the island of Sumatra - is another major producer of fine quality black pepper.
Ground Lampong black pepper is relatively light in colour.

Brazilian
Brazil is the newest large-scale producer of pepper. Brazilian black peppercorns have a relatively smooth
surface and characteristic appearance. The outer skin is black and the center of the berry creamy white.

Chinese
Chinese pepper is very light coloured and mild in flavour. It is produced mainly the island of Hunan, off
the southeast coast.

Ceylon
The country is now officially known as Sri Lanka, but its pepper is still called Ceylon. It is a pepper
characteristically high in volatile and nonvolatile oils and is thus favoured by the extraction industry.

THE MAJOR TYPES OF WHITE PEPPER

Muntok
Indonesia, is a major source of white pepper. Muntok white pepper has its own characteristic aroma and,
as with white pepper in general, has a relatively mild flavour.

Brazilian
A portion of the Brazilian pepper berries are left on the vines to mature and which then turn into white
pepper. The Brazilian ground pepper is lighter in color and less pungent than the other white peppers.

Chinese
The white pepper, which comes from the People's Republic of China, is light in colour and quite mild in
flavour.

GREEN PEPPERCORNS

When fresh young green pepper berries are picked and either packed in liquid or dried to preserve their color,
we have the product called green peppercorns. The most common liquid packs are brine and wine vinegar.
Both keep the corns soft and greenish in color, but wine vinegar adds its own distinctive flavour. Freeze-drying
retains more of the natural green color. Freeze-dried green peppercorns are also available in the ground form.
Being immature, the berries for these products are milder in flavour and taste than black pepper and also
noticeably different in flavour from white pepper. Major sources are Madagascar, India and Brazil.
COMPOSITION

Starch is found to be the predominant constituent of pepper. Black pepper contains around 34.1 % and white
pepper contains 63.2 % of it. Pepper contains a good amount of calcium. It is also a good source of
antioxidant vitamins viz. Vitamin C and beta-carotene and essential amino acids. Piperizine is the active amino
acid present which enhances the absorption of certain drugs.
CLIMATE AND SOIL

Black Pepper is a tropical plant and a warm humid climate is preferable for commercial production.

Being a tropical plant, it requires an optimum temperature range of 25-30°C and requires a heavy rainfall
of 2500-3000 mm.

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CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION

The plant is like a woody climber, reaching heights of 10 m (33 feet) by means of its aerial roots and its
broad, shiny green leaves are alternately arranged.

The small flowers are in dense, slender spikes of about 50 blossoms each. The berrylike fruits, or
peppercorns, are about 5 mm (0.2 inch) in diameter and become yellowish red on maturity and bear a
single seed.

Propagation is usually by stem cuttings, which are set out near a tree or a pole that will serve as a
support. Pepper plants are sometimes interspersed in tea or coffee plantations. They begin bearing fruit
in 2 to 5 years and may produce for as long as 40 years.

PROCESSING

The berries are picked when they begin to turn red. The collected berries are then immersed into boiling
water for about 10 minutes, which causes them to turn dark brown or black in an hour.

They are then spread out to dry in the sun for three or four days.

The whole peppercorns, when ground, yield black pepper. White Pepper is obtained by removing the
outer part of the pericarp.

The outer coating is softened either by keeping the berries in moist heaps for 2 or 3 days or by keeping
them in sacks submerged in running water for 7 to 15 days and the softened outer coating is then
removed by washing and rubbing or by trampling. The berries are then spread in the sun to dry.

Whole white pepper can also be prepared by removing the outer coating mechanically. The flavour is less
pungent than that of black pepper.

LEADING PRODUCERS

Black pepper is mainly produced in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malayasia, Brazil, India and Thailand.

In India, black Pepper is mainly produced in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

STORAGE

Whole peppercorn can be stored in airtight container for indefinite period. Brined green peppercorns
should be used within 4-6 weeks and should be kept in the refrigerator. Pepper should be stored whole as
it looses its flavour and aroma rapidly in powdered form.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Pepper contains following nutrients

Moisture 13.2 %

Protein 11.5 %
Fat 6.8 %

Minerals 4.4 %

Fiber 14.9 %

Carbohydrate 49.2 % per 100 grams.

It also contains calcium, iron, phosphorous, carotene, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin.
Its calorific value is 304.

CULINARY USES

Black pepper is used as a culinary spice and condiment through out the world.

Use in flavoring various breads and cheeses.

It is used to season various forcemeats like sausages and frankfurters.

It is also used for pickling, canning and preparation of beverages.

Pepper is universally used as a table condiment and to flavour all kinds of savoury dishes.

Whole peppercorns are used to flavour stocks.

Pepper is a main ingredient in several known spice mixes like curry powder, garam masala and sambar
powder.

MEDICINAL USES

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Black pepper is easy to assimilate, it is a stimulant and diuretic. It contains the five elements in equal
measures and stimulates the body to recycle chemicals and food already present in the system so that no new
food is needed.

Black pepper is pungent, hot and acrid.

It is carminative in nature and expels gases from the gastric and intestinal tract
It is stimulant to skin being a rubefacient i.e. when applied externally it causes redness of the skin.

They are diuretic i.e. water from the body and thus help in throwing out body toxins.

It is wormicide in nature.

It acts as an anodyne i.e. relieves and soothes pain.

Black pepper aids in digestion of fat.

Tea made from black pepper helps in discharging excess mucus from lungs and curing diseases of throat
and mouth. The tea also cures skin diseases.

Pepper powder can relieve swelling of gums.

In excess its harmful for students and young men who want to increase their memory.

It is used as antidote to scorpion bite.

It is useful in production of antibacterial and antifungal creams and lotions.

INTERNATIONAL NAMES

Spanish Pimienta

French Poivre

German Pfeffer
Swedish Peppar

Arabic Filfil Aswad

Dutch Peper

Italian Pepe
Portuguese Pimenta

Russian Pyerets

Japanese Kosha

Chinese Hu-Chiao

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