Peppercorns Black Whole, from

Peppercorns are the fruit of a flowering vine, which are dried and used as a spice or seasoning. They are dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contain a single seed. Black peppercorns are processed and dried unripe fruit, green peppercorns are dried unripe fruit and white peppercorns are unripe fruit seeds, with the husk of the black peppercorn removed. Pink peppercorns are the fruit of a plant from a different family, the Peruvian pepper tree, Schinus molle, or its relative the Brazilian pepper tree, Schinus terebinthifolius. Black pepper used to be the main source of heat in all Indian dishes before chillies were introduced in the 15th Century. It is known as ‘King of the Spices’.