Black Peppercorns are made by picking the pepper berries when they are half ripe and just about to turn red. They are then left to dry, which causes them to shrivel and become dark in colour. Black pepper is the most pungent and flavourful of all types of peppers and it is available as whole or cracked peppercorns, or ground into powder.
The uses for this whole peppercorn berry are really limitless, so stock up and experiment with something a little different than traditional black pepper.
Whole peppercorns, when stored correctly, will keep their flavour for a little over a year. When the whole peppercorn is cracked using a mill, oils are released bringing out even more flavour.
Health Benefits
Black pepper stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion.
Black pepper has long been recognized as a carminative (a substance that helps prevent the formation of intestinal gas), a property likely due to its beneficial effect of stimulating hydrochloric acid production.
Black pepper has also demonstrated impressive antioxidant properties.
It is also an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of dietary fibre.
Apart from helping in treating cough, cold and other diseases like cancer and intestinal problems, adding it to your daily diet helps in improving your skin and hair.
