One Plant, Four Peppercorns

All four peppercorns – green, black, white and red – come from the same plant, or vine. The differences in colour and nuances of flavour are the result of processing methods and harvesting at various stages of ripeness.

The peppercorn consists of an outer shell or pericarp that encloses a single inner seed. The pericarp contains an enzyme that acts as a catalyst in creating the volatile essential oils that give pepper its typical spicy aroma. The seed itself has little aroma since the essential oils are located in the pericarp and not the seed. However, the seed contains piperine, the substance that makes pepper hot. Together, the seed and the shell give us the familiar pungency and spicy aroma of black pepper.