Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)

Using Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch) in Indian Cooking

There is only one variety of pepper and the difference in them depends on the stage at which they are harvested. Peppercorns are the fruit of a flowering vine plant - these are green when immature and then turn black and red when fully mature. These are cultivated and dried to what we recognise as pepper. Pink pepper is not actually from the same plant that produces peppercorns.

Pepper has the distinctive spiciness which comes from a chemical called Peperine. It is very important to store pepper in an airtight container and grind when required to ensure that the fragrance and peppery flavour is maintained, as overtime this depletes.

Pepper is native to south India and has a long, long history of being the most traded spice - in some countries, it was as valuable as currency.