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20. The B list: Herbs and spices that Heal - BLACK PEPPER

20. The B list: Herbs and spices that Heal - BLACK PEPPER
 
Black Pepper
(Piper nigrum)
Peppercorn
 
Lifelong partner of salt
 from the Piperaceae Family
Native to Kerala in Southern India
A common spice used all over the planet
 
Join the Gulzaar Foods journey into lands of the black pepper plant fruit!

 

Appearance and Description 

From a climbing vine, the fruits are actually berries, small and round. They are dried after they ripen, turning from green to red and eventually brown.

Pepper, salt's lifelong partner is a condiment on many western labels. It adds a special flavor and enhances the taste of other ingredients.

Indigenous to the south of India, there are various types of peppercorns, green, black or white, depending on harvesting time.

 

Uses

  • A spice and a medicine
  • It adds flavor to meals
  • It enhances digestion
  • It has medicinal uses
  • It is a preservative and a perfume
  • The black pepper essential oil had many benefits too!
  • It has antibacterial properties that preserve food  and it  serves as an anti-inflammatory as well

Flavor

An earthy pungent flavor and a sharp aroma with a tinge of spicy heat. Black pepper stimulates appetite with a gentle warm taste.

 

Black Pepper: Health Benefits

  • A rich source of vitamins and minerals
  • Copper, Manganese, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorous, Potassium
  • Vitamins: B6, C, K
  • Dietary fiber and moderate carbohydrates and protein
 

     References:

    1. Piper nigrum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture
    2.  "Pepper (noun)". Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper. 2016. 
    3. Nutrition facts for black pepper, one tablespoon (6 g); USDA Nutrient Database, version SR-21". Conde Nast. 2014.

     

     

     

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