History of Black Pepper

Black pepper is native to the Malabar region on the Western Coast of South India. This aromatic spice was first introduced to Europe more than 3,000 years ago. It has been said that Attila the Hun once demanded 3,000 pounds of black pepper as a ransom for the city of Rome in 408 AD. His demands were ultimately met. It is thought that as early as the 1000s BCE, pepper was a highly profitable market for Arabia and the Arabs had a monopoly over the trading of this spice. They invented stories of dragons guarding the pepper and spread the stories around to gullible consumers who were too terrified to try to find pepper on their own. Trade routes were established, and eventually during the Medieval period, Italian merchants got in on the money-making action by establishing a control over all the shipping arrangements and paths through the pepper trade line. Essentially, these Italian merchants were able to set their prices to whatever outrageous rate they pleased, meaning they were amassing a huge amount of wealth from extremely affluent people while the average person couldn’t afford even a single ounce of peppercorns. Peppercorns became an important status symbol then in this period of Europe’s history.

There is archeological evidence that points to pepper being traded between India and Egypt, as ancient Egyptians would use black pepper in their mummification process. This is evidenced by the black pepper found in the nostrils of Ramses the Great, a pharaoh who lived from 1303 BCE to 1213 BCE.

Alluding still to pepper’s high-priced past, the modern Dutch language has a phrase that translates to “pepper expensive" in English, used to describe items of high value that only the wealthy can afford. This word is "peperduur." Today, pepper is still one of the most popular spices in the world, with the overall volume of pepper consumed each year continuing to grow. In total volume, pepper is still the world’s most valuable spice, though it is no longer the most expensive. Peppercorns are grown all over, but currently Vietnam is the world’s largest producer with 45-55% of the world’s peppercorn supply being grown there.

Black Pepper Cultivation

Black peppercorns are produced from a flowering vine of the pepper plant Piper nigrum in the Piperaceae family. The fruit is harvested while it is still green and technically considered unripe. The berries are then boiled in hot water for a few moments and then left to air dry. During the drying process, the berry shrivels and becomes wrinkled. The flesh of the berry also darkens from green to black during the drying process.

Peppercorns won’t grow on the vines until they have been established for about three years, but after this period of establishment the peppercorns will continue to grow for up to 20 years. Peppercorns are sensitive to direct light, so they are often covered or grown in shaded areas. They need plenty of water and nutrient rich soils to thrive. If cared for well, the plants can grow up to 25 feet. Usually they are grown up and encouraged around poles or tree trunks to make harvesting easier and to ensure a more even exposure to sunlight for all the peppercorns.

Where is it from?

Our black pepper is sourced from India, Indonesia, or Vietnam, depending on the time of year.

Types of Pepper

True pepper comes in black, white, green, or red. They are all from the same plant, they are just picked at different stages of the growing process. Black peppercorns are the unripe berries of the plant, picked while green and then boiled and air dried. Green peppercorns are the unripe fruit, but they aren’t boiled. White peppercorns are the fruit picked when it is starting to show signs of ripeness, boiled, dried, and then the outer hull is removed to reveal the white peppercorn underneath. Red pepper is the hardest to find as it is the color when pepper is fully ripened and unfortunately, this plant is extremely attractive to animals who love to eat the colorful pepper berries. Pink peppercorns are from a different type of plant that have no relation to black pepper or any of the other previously mentioned peppers. Sichuan peppercorns are not peppercorns at all, instead they are the outer pod of the fruit from the prickly ash bush.

Cooking with Ground Black Pepper Medium

Black pepper is a ubiquitous spice- best on pretty much everything. It is delicious on breakfast foods like eggs, sausage, bagel sandwiches, etc. For lunch you will find it tastes incredible in tossed salads, on baked macaroni and cheese, with soups and sauces. For dinner, it complements a roast quite nicely and will even taste delicious on your potatoes on the side, too. Use it in bechamel sauces. Black pepper is good on sweet peppers, on sweet corn, and on carrots. It is perfectly suited to most meat dishes, and is even good on some darker, more flavorful fish. In Vietnamese cuisine, the unlikely pair of black pepper and sugar is used to make sweet black pepper fish, an extremely popular dish.

This spice goes well with so many dishes, but some of our favorite recipes using black pepper are Patatas Bravas, Spanish Shrimp Tapas, Sausage Tortellini Soup, and Albondigas.

Whole vs Ground

When you are using black pepper, you more than likely using a fine ground pepper. This medium grind pepper is a little chunkier and a little more intense, meaning the flavor it imparts is more pungent than it would be with a fine grind pepper. As with most spices, whole pepper or coarse to medium grind pepper will retain its flavor for longer than finely ground. Once a spice has been ground down finely, the essential oils evaporate off of it quicker and the flavor is lost more rapidly. For something a little chunkier, a coarsely ground black pepper is your best bet.

Does Black Pepper Help with Digestion?

Piperine, that which is responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper, has been found to help aid in digestion. It stimulates the stomach to release more hydrochloric acid. This acid helps break down the proteins in food faster. Adding even a small amount of black pepper to your food could potentially help your digestive system do better, more efficient work.

What Does Ground Black Pepper Medium Taste Like?

Ground Black Pepper Medium tastes clean, slightly hot, and has an aftertaste with a slight bite.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Pepper is one of the world’s most used spices! It makes sense that it is a frequently sold bulk product of ours. Our customers are fond of our Ground Black Pepper Medium Grind because of the burst of flavor it gives. The unsung hero of spices, black pepper is the most common and once the most valuable! This spice is perfect for our restauranteurs who purchase in bulk as it is crucial to have flavorful pepper for their signature dishes. After all, you can’t have cacio e pepe without a deeply flavorful pepper! Ours is ground frequently in house to maintain its intense flavors and that signature aroma. This is the perfect grind to get maximum flavor without having a mouthful of straight pepper, a qualification for the presence of pepper in many a cuisine. There’s just never enough pepper flavor in those dusty shakers on your average restaurant table- you want your pepper to stand out, don’t you? This is a great pepper for Mexican, Italian, and American cuisine dedicated restaurants. It’s also excellent for our bulk customers who produce and sell their own stews, sauces, or soups commercially.

Substitutions and Conversions

You can use any grind of black peppercorns to replace this Medium Grind pepper. Do keep in mind that Ground Black Pepper Medium is coarser than fine grind, but not nearly as coarse as coarsely ground pepper, and you will have a different level of intensity with a bite of Ground Black Pepper Medium than you would with either of the other types of pepper.

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