PEPPER (Piper Nigrum)
by Tom Rood, Master Gardener
Cornell Cooperative Extension

Being by nature an inquisitive sort of individual, I began to wonder about my favorite spice. For me, cooking and eating dishes prepared without it would be unthinkable. Our spice rack holds course and fine ground pepper as well as white and lemon flavored pepper. There is also the pepper grinder holding whole peppercorns. We purchase our various forms of pepper in bulk.

In early times, the high price of pepper kept it out of the hands of the laboring masses. These people lived with foods seasoned only with locally grown herbs. If it were not for an enterprising few willing to risk all in the pursuit of fame and riches, the discovery of the western continents may have been delayed many years. A small chest of cloves or peppercorns from the Far East was worth a fortune in those early times. It is hard to think in those terms today. When we reach for the peppershaker or jar of cloves, we don't remember that is was those tiny corns and not gold or fabulous jewels that led the pursuit westward and eventually to the discovery of the American continents.

Pepper is a generic name applied to many unrelated plants that produce hot sensations on the palette. Among these are the usual black, white, and red dry seasoning pepper and hot fleshy garden plants such as chili, cayenne, jalapeno, and cherry to name a few hot peppers. Other plants have been given the name as well; for example peppergrass, which is a member of the mustard family. True pepper, Piper nigrum, is native to Northwest India. Its use as a spice caused it to become widely cultivated throughout the tropics of Southeast Asia. During his 13th century travels, Marco Polo reportedly found it growing in great quantities in China and observed it growing on the East Indian island of Java.

Pepper was one of the important trade products on the overland trade routes from India, through the Middle East, to Europe. Products that made it through this hazardous journey extracted high prices. Pepper became a medium of exchange. Greece, and later Rome, levied tributes paid with pepper. In the early middle ages, a virtual monopoly in the distribution of pepper was controlled by Venetian and Genoese merchants. This monopoly was one of the issues that led Europeans to search for a westward route to the Far Eastern "Spice Islands". In his "discovery" of the West Indies, Columbus found hot fleshy fruit from plants growing on the islands. The similarity between this fruit's hot taste sensation and that of Far Eastern pepper resulted in the plants being named "peppers" and the name stuck.

The Far Eastern pepper plant is a woody climber that can reach to 30 feet with shiny green leaves and "inconspicuous flowers". The flowers are arranged on cascading stems; each containing approximately 50 flowers similar to a tightly bunched cluster of grapes. Ripened fruit are called peppercorns, being small berries less than 1/4 inch in diameter. They are yellowish-red when ripe and each fruit bears a single seed. There is a quantity of known cultivated varieties.

Pepper plants require a very long, wet, and hot growing season with partial shade to perform well. Propagation is by cuttings grown with vertical support. Plants are often interplanted on tea and coffee plantations. Pepper plants begin bearing fruit at two to five years of age and may survive for 40 years. Harvesting is done by hand before the fruits become fully ripe. The fruit is then dried in the sun or heated over low fires. When dry, the fruit turns black and is ready for processing or shipment. Ground peppercorns produce black pepper. To produce the milder flavored white pepper, the outer husk is removed from the seed by a fermentation process. The resulting dried seed is ground into white pepper.

Pepper owes its pungency to a resin and its flavor to a volatile oil. Piperine, an alkaloid with the same empirical formula as morphine, is also present. Pepper plants have been successfully introduced to the tropical areas of Africa and the Western Hemisphere. World production is approximately 70,000 tons with a third of that imported to the United States.

In Asia, pepper is considered foremost to be a detoxifier and anti-ageing herb. It reportedly aids circulation and blood vessel tone and contains compounds that help with bone density issues. Piperine has a reputation for increasing bioavailability and absorption of nutrients. Black pepper reduces free radicals, is an antioxidant, prevents depletion of glutathione, and prevents destruction of other antioxidants such as vitamin A. It may also help relieve sinus congestion. One remedy recommends boiling 10 peppercorns in milk and then straining them out before drinking.

When you sprinkle a bit of pepper on your salads or other dishes, take a few moments and reflect upon the history hidden inside the tiny little peppercorn. If only it could talk….

For all your lawn and garden questions, or if you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, call the Master Gardeners at the Cooperative Extension office 315-536-5123 leaving your name, question, phone number and a time we may return your call with the results of our research.