How to cook pepper

Information for pepper in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Pepper

Pepper is one of the world’s most common spices and one of its most versatile. Used in nearly every culture, pepper is a condiment found on tables worldwide. Ground or whole, it can add a kick to nearly any dish, adding warmth and texture with just the right amount of subtlety. It is a popular addition to soups, stews, cheeses, marinades, and luncheon meats.

Pepper is actually the fruit of the pepper plant, which is a vine indigenous to India. Small white flowers on the plant produce peppercorns. They turn various colors, green, red, then brown, as they mature and can be harvested and used at any time during their ripening stage.

Green pepper - Typically sold canned, green peppercorns are green pepper berries that are harvested before they mature. They are mild in flavor.

Black pepper - These peppercorns are pepper berries harvested just as they are about ready to turn red. Black pepper is the most flavorful of all pepper varieties. It is often sold ground, although many connoisseurs prefer to grind their own with a pepper mill.

White pepper - This milder pepper is made from peppercorns that have turned red and therefore are ripe. The dark outer shell of the berries is removed before the pepper is processed. White pepper is also typically sold ground.

Other types of pepper you may find are gray pepper and pink pepper. Gray pepper can be a mix of white and black pepper, although it can be a black pepper that has been minimally processed. It typically has a mild flavor. Pink pepper is not made from the berries of the pepper plant. Instead, it is derived from a South American shrub that is a member of the ragweed family. Its flavor is more subtle than that of pepper.

For maximal flavor, buy peppercorns whole and grind them yourself. Ground pepper may have undesirable additives. An advantage to buying whole peppercorns is that they can be kept for months at room temperature. In contrast, ground pepper keeps its kick for 3 months or less.

• Vinegar
• Saffron
• Salt
• Sesame seeds
• Szechuan peppercorns
• Turmeric
• Vanilla
• Beverages
• Water
• Coffee
• Tea
• Juice

• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cumin
• Curry
• Fenugreek seeds
• Ginger (gingerroot)
• Juniper berry
• Licorice root
• Mace and nutmeg
• Mustard
• Paprika

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