Black pepper and white pepper are dual produced from the berry of the vine Piper Nigrum. For Black Pepper, the berries are picked while still green, allowed to ferment and are then dried until they shrivel and turn a brownish black color. Black Pepper has a sharp, penetrating aroma and a attribute woody, piney flavor. It is hot and biting to the taste. McCormick’s pure ground pepper imparts the greatest amount of flavor exactly to its fine, consistent granulation, guaranteed to delight pepper lovers everywhere. The plastic carafe is flavor sealed for freshness.

Health Benefits

Black pepper (Piper nigrum)stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other food components in the stomach. When the body’s production of hydrochloric acid is insufficient, food may sit in the stomach for an extended age of time, leading to heartburn or indigestion, or it may pass into the intestines, where it can be used as a food beginning for unfriendly gut bacteria, whose activities produce gas, irritation, and/or diarrhea or constipation.

Black pepper has long been recognized as a carminitive, (a substance that helps forestall the formation of intestinal gas), a property likely due to its beneficial effect of stimulating hydrochloric acid production. In addition, black pepper has diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and diuretic (promotes urination) properties.

Black pepper has demonstrated striking antioxidant and antibacterial effects–yet an additional one way in which this wonderful seasoning promotes the health of the digestive tract. And not only does black pepper succor you derive the most benefit from your food, the outer layer of the peppercorn stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slim while giving you energy to burn.

Black pepper is available whole, crushed or ground into powder. To ensure best flavor, buy whole peppercorns and grind them yourself in a mill just before adding to a recipe. In addition to superior flavor, buying whole peppercorns will aid to ensure that you are purchasing unadulterated pepper since ground pepper is oftentimes mixed with other spices. Whole peppercorns should be heavy, compressed and free of any blemishes.

Even through dried herbs and spices like black pepper are widely available in supermarkets, you may desiderate to explore the local spice stores in your area. Oftentimes, these stores letters to the editor an expansive election of dried herbs and spices that are of superior quality and freshness than those offered in regular markets. Just like with other dried spices, when purchasing black pepper try to select that which is organically grown since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating black pepper may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C content.)

Black pepper should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. Whole peppercorns will keep almost indefinitely, while ground pepper will stay fresh for about three months. Pepper can also be frozen although this will make its flavor more pronounced.

Source from : www.whfoods.com