Piper nigrum
The term pepper most commonly refers to a spice derived from the flowering vine Piper nigrum. This plant is native to India and produces a smoky, spicy berry called a peppercorn once dried.
Botany
This climber is native to south India and is now naturalized in tropical regions around the world. It’s a woody perennial vine that reaches heights of 13 feet with alternate leaves two to four inches long and two inches across. Flowers are small growing off of three-inch tassels. The fruits appear on long drupes and ripen to a red color. Each fruit contains one large seed and a thin fleshy coating.
Commercially, pepper is grown on support trellises or stakes. It’s also often spotted growing up trees similar to ivy. It will spread readily and root where vines touch the ground.
Spice
Black pepper is high in manganese and vitamin k. It improves digestion by stimulating the production of digestive acids. It can also stimulate the break down of fat cells aiding weight loss. Possibly the king of spices, black pepper accounts for almost a quarter of the world’s spice trade.
Black pepper, white pepper, and green pepper all come from these berry-like fruits. The difference in harvest and processing creates these distinctly different spices.
- Black Pepper: Green unripe drupes are harvested, briefly boiled and dried whole. The skin blackens as the fruit dries.
- White Pepper: Ripened red drupes are harvested. The fruit is taken off of the seed and the seed is then soaked, fermented, and dried.
- Green Pepper: Green unripe drupes are harvested. They are frozen, treated, pickled, or canned to preserve their green color.
The processing of white peppercorns removes much of the aromatic compounds and volatile oils that flavor black pepper. White pepper has a unique flavor of its own with complexities added through fermentation.
Green peppercorn carries the mild flavor of the young unripe berry. They do pack some heat and tartness. Green peppercorns are excellent for light foods like vegetables and fish. Brined peppercorns are chopped and added fresh to recipes.
Pink Peppercorn
Pink peppercorns are not related to Piper nigrum. They are actually berries from the Peruvian shrub Schinus molle or Peppertree. This plant is a relative of the cashew. Berries from the Peppertree have caused allergic reactions in nut-sensitive people and should be avoided by those with allergies.
The berries when dried, resemble peppercorns, and they are ground into a culinary spice. Pink peppercorns have a mild peppery flavor. They are often used together with black pepper in dishes or added to drinks and syrups.
The FDA has not given this fruit GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status. There have been claims that Peppertree berries are poisonous to some animals and have caused illness in children.
Sichuan pepper
Sometimes this seed is also referred to as peppercorn. It is another seed which resembles a dried peppercorn and is ground into a culinary spice. Seeds are harvested from various species of the genus Zanthoxylum. These small deciduous trees come from China and Taiwan.
The berry is a reddish shell with a black seed inside. The husk and seed are ground whole, and the spice is particularly prized in Asian cooking. Though it is not hot like a chili pepper or a peppercorn, the Sichuan pepper creates a tingly numbing sensation that prepares the mouth for spicy foods.
Unlike its warm climate counterpoints, this ‘pepper’ is a cold climate native. Sichuan pepper has found a traditional place in Nepalese and Tibetan cooking. It is one of the few culinary plants that withstand the extreme conditions at such high altitudes.
Capsicum Annuum
This is a species of fruiting herbaceous plant native to Central America. Commonly called chili pepper, this fiery fruit turned spice was likely used for thousands of years by the Native Americans.
Not much history is left from the most ancient cultivators of the chili pepper other than that it was used, traded, and eaten. Once discovered by Spanish explorers the fruit gained popularity in the old world.
Columbus wrote of the chili peppers medicinal properties. It is believed that the spread of the chili pepper to Asia was a result of Portuguese traders taking it east. Today chili pepper is a staple spice all over the globe in various styles of cuisine. It has an integral role in Indian and Asian cuisine.
Through plant breeding, hundreds of cultivars of peppers have emerged throughout time. Some are sweet and others are very spicy. Colors of chili pepper include red, green, orange, yellow, purple, and chocolate. Spicy members of the capsicum family are 250 times hotter than peppercorns or more.
Spiciness
The hottest fruits in the world belong to the chili pepper family. The Scoville scale is a method of measuring the intensity of spiciness. It measures in heat units with a mild bell pepper ranking at between 1-100, and a Habanero ranking at around 100,000 SHU (Scoville heat units).
here are some of the world’s spiciest peppers and their Scoville rating. For comparison, police grade pepper spray is ranked at two million SHU.
- Carolina Reaper: red chili pepper ranking 2.2 million SHU
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: red chili ranking 2 million SHU
- Komoto Dragon: orange to red chii pepper ranking 1.4 million SHU
- Naga Viper: red chili pepper ranking 1.34 million SHU
Some of the more popular varieties more commonly seen in gardens and recipes include:
- Jalapeno: Chili pepper harvested green, 2500-8000 SHU
- Chipotle: Red chili pepper used as flavoring, 5,000-10,000 SHU
- Thai Chili: Small green to red chili pepper, 50,000-100,000 SHU
Paprika
Often associated with Hungarian cuisine, paprika is a new arrival in the old world. This is a dried powder made of Capsicum peppers. Paprika is the dried fruit of sweet varieties of pepper like the bell pepper.
Usually known for being mild and not spicy like chili powder, paprika can range in heat content. It all depends on the exact variety of pepper that is dried and powdered to produce this highly prized spice.
It may have arrived late in Hungary, but it was quickly adopted and utilized by plant breeders there. Most of the commercial paprika produced today is from Hungary. They have cultivated their own unique varieties of paprika peppers for hundreds of years. There are over eight different grades of paprika produced in Hungary differentiated by pungency, spiciness, tartness, and flavor.
Cayenne
Cayenne pepper is a bright red colored spice used for adding a bit of heat to just about anything. This fiery powder is akin to chili powder and is made from powdered chili peppers.
More specifically, cayenne is made from a specific type of chili pepper. The cayenne pepper is a skinny tapered pepper up to 10 inches long. There are different cultivars, but most cayenne peppers ripen red and are harvested at the red stage.
One pepper plant easily produces 20-40 fruits in a growing season. Cayenne is ranked between 130,000 and 190,000 SHU. It’s a significantly hot pepper.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the compound found in chili peppers that gives them their heat and the name Capsicum. Different chili peppers contain different amounts of capsaicin, the more they contain the hotter they are considered to be.
Pure capsaicin comes in at a staggering 16 million SHU, but can it cause harm to the body when ingested? It certainly is capable of causing extreme discomfort. People who eat spicy foods may feel like their mouths, stomachs, and intestines are on fire. It is believed that you can build up a tolerance of capsaicin by gradually increasing the amount of it you eat each day.
There is no evidence to suggest that capsaicin is actually capable of causing tissue damage. It can exacerbate pre-existing conditions like stomach ulcer or heartburn. It can also cause redness, swelling, pain, and irritation when it comes into contact with the skin or eyes.
There is growing evidence suggesting that capsaicin has numerous health benefits. While no long-term damage is done, it is still recommended to wear gloves when handling hot peppers and hot pepper seeds.
