the common spice, black pepper, Piper nigrum.
True peppers belong to the genus Piper, but the common name ‘pepper’ has been applied to very different articles; sometimes, as with capsicum peppers in the 15th century, this was done deliberately to cause confusion.
To summarize: the peppers that belong to the genus Piper—the ‘true’ peppers—are: white and black pepper, which are described below; long pepper; ashanti pepper; and cubeb pepper. Other foodstuffs called ‘pepper’, for varying, sometimes not very obvious, reasons include Sichuan pepper, red peppercorns, melegueta pepper, Jamaica pepper (see allspice), peppermint, capsicum peppers, and cayenne (which also deals with Nepal pepper). The actual word ‘pepper’ comes from the Sanskrit pippali where it referred to long pepper.
Both white and black—and even red and green—peppercorns are the berries of the perennial climbing vine P. nigrum, of the Piperaceae family and one of the world's most important spice plants. P. nigrum is native to the forests of Tranvancore and Malabar and now extensively cultivated in tropical regions around the world. The pepper tree is a climber; on plantations it is usually grown on other trees—betel, palm, or mango—as its cordlike stems need support. The tree begins to bear fruit in its third year and continues for six or seven more.
To produce black pepper, the berries are gathered when they are turning red but before they are completely ripe. They are left in heaps for a few days to ferment and then spread out on mats in the sun to dry. As they dry the berries turn black and the skin and part of the pulp form a reticulated covering to the seed.
To produce white pepper, the berries are left for longer before harvesting. They are then soaked until the pericarp and pulp have become soft and loose, when the whitish seed can be easily removed. White pepper, although it contains more piperine than black pepper, is less aromatic and has a weaker flavour. It is usually used when dark specks would spoil the look of the dish, for example, in any white soups, in blanquette de veau (see blanquette), etc.
There is also a sort of pepper called decorticated black pepper which has had the skin of the peppercorn removed by machine and is therefore white. The flavour is between black and white pepper.
There are numerous references to pepper by classical authors. Pliny (1st century ad) describes black pepper minutely, complaining about the price and noting that white pepper cost almost twice as much as black. Pepper was a precious and expensive substance for the Romans and Gibbon lends his authority to the tale that Alaric the Goth demanded 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) of it as part of a ransom for Rome.
By the Middle Ages, pepper had assumed great importance in Europe where it was used by the rich as a seasoning, and also a preservative. The commonly accepted notion that its main use was to disguise the smell of tainted meat and other food has been largely exploded (e.g. by Gillian Riley, 1993, but there are many other refutations). The earliest reference to the pepper trade in England is in the statutes of Ethelred (978–1016) where it was enacted that ‘Esterlings’ bringing their ships to Billingsgate should pay a toll at Christmas and at Easter plus 10 lb of pepper. The first mention of the Guild of Pepperers, one of the oldest guilds in the City of London, is from 1180, when the guild was fined for not having obtained a royal licence. In 1328 the Pepperers were registered as ‘Grossarii’ from which the term grocer is derived.
Pepper has been one of the most important commodities of the spice trade. In Antwerp in the mid-16th century, for example, the price of pepper served as a barometer for European business in general. Singapore is now the most important centre of world pepper trade.
Green peppercorns are just the unripe seeds of P. nigrum. The berries are preserved by artificial drying or by bottling in vinegar, brine, or water. If bottled just as they begin to turn red, they may be termed ‘poivre rose’, but are not the red peppercorns of commerce which are from a different plant altogether.
The seeds of P. nigrum are also a source of oil of pepper and oleoresin, used for flavouring sausages, tinned food, and drinks. The oils have the pepper aroma and flavour but lack pungency.
Indian black pepper is usually of a high quality. The main area of production is still the Malabar coast where the Alleppey variety comes from the south; Tellicherry from the north. The latter is the more expensive and is the sort used whole in Italian salami. Another Indian pepper is Mangalore; very dark with a good flavour.
The pungency of pepper is due to the active principles it contains—the volatile oil, piperine, and resin. The spice increases the flow of saliva and gastric juices and so improves the appetite. If consumed in sufficient quantities, it will have a cooling effect.
Pepper is available whole, cracked, coarsely ground, medium, or finely ground and has become, with the exception of salt, the most everyday spice in the world. In western cooking it is ubiquitous in the kitchen and as a condiment on the table.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Riley, Gillian (1993), ‘Tainted Meat’, in Walker (1993).
