Black pepper

Hot and pungent black pepper is one of the most popular spices in the world. Native to India, today it is cultivated all over the tropics as a commercial crop. India is the biggest producer.
Botanical watercolour of a black pepper plant showing different coloured fruits.
Good for the stomach
Black pepper is used traditionally to treat stomach acid and prevent the formation of intestinal gas. It is sometimes made into preparations with other substances including cow's urine.
Black, white and green
Black, white and green peppercorns come from the same species, Piper nigrum.
Peppercorn rent
The term peppercorn rent is derived from the high price of black pepper during the Middle Ages in Europe, where it was accepted in lieu of money or as a dowry. Today this term means exactly the opposite - virtually free!
Popular spice
Black pepper is one of the world's most widely and frequently used spices all over the world.