Black peppercorns

Black peppercorns are such a common pantry item these days, it may be hard to believe it was once so valuable that it was used as currency and in barter exchange. It is produced from the still-green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The berries are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The berries are then dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn. They have a very strong flavour and are widely used in Indian cuisine.