Pepper
Families 
History 
Beneficial Effects 
In Cooking
The berry comes from a plant originating in India and more precisely from the Malabar coast, called pepper plant. Pepper belongs to the piperaceae family and the berries grow in clusters along a stem. It takes about seven years for a pepper vine to start producing berries.
Its name, Piper Nigrum, from the Sanskrit Pippali, is the only peppercorn which can officially hold the name pepper in France. The other genera must state their origin and a description of their taste or other physical particularity such as “long pepper” (Piper longum).
Therefore, “real” and “false” pepper can be differentiated as they cannot all be called Piper Nigrum. For instance, the very aromatic pink pepper is indeed slightly spicy but comes from a Brazilian plant introduced into America, and not Asia. The same thing is true for Jamaica pepper also called Allspice which has a hint of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper. Contrary to popular belief, the different varieties of pepper are in fact from one single plant, but harvested at different times so having different colours.
When maturing, the pepper turns from green to red then brown. It does not become black until it is harvested and dried.
Pepper is without doubt the most widespread of the spices. Universally known, it has existed for so long that it is practically impossible to date its appearance. It is supposed to have been used in China and India for many years before Alexander the Great brought it back from his expeditions to Asia in 330 B.C.
Later, it became quickly popular with the Romans who first started mixing it with juniper berries to pep up bland dishes, or on the contrary, to mask the taste of meat which had become tainted. More than a mere spice, pepper, like salt, became an important medium of exchange. Although widespread in the Middle Ages, it remained a rarity, thus expensive. Although not used directly as a tax levy like the salt “gabelle”, its value was sufficient to enable payment of debts and taxes.
What made pepper so precious was of course the great distances travelled to obtain it. In the same way as for gold, the procurement of spices, and pepper in particular, represented one of the major objectives for the long expeditions undertaken by Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama.
Today, although pepper is cultivated in Brazil and Madagascar, Asia is the main world supplier, with India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia being the principal producers.
Beneficial effects
Pepper consists of essential oils, resin and piperine, and its intense taste comes from its outer layer. This explains why white pepper is relatively milder.
It stimulates the appetite while its many minerals help digestion.
Over the centuries many researchers have tried in vain to find a medical use for pepper and notably as a pain reliever. But, be careful, a large amount of pepper can be over-stimulating and even irritating in some cases.
Just after being ground, the seed releases all its flavours, these aromas are lost quite quickly over time (3 months maximum for ground pepper kept at room temperature). Today certain pepper mills offer up to three grind sizes: fine, medium and coarse. Peppercorns should be heavy, compact, identical in colour and should not be brittle.
Add pepper to dishes at the last minute because it loses its flavour after prolonged cooking. Pepper is not only a condiment; it is used in many recipes as a basis ingredient, such as the sauce poivrade, or the famous steak au poivre.
Like many other spices, pepper is gaining access to sweet recipes and is being associated more and more with fruit such as pineapple and figs. Pepper ice cream is an amazing new and fashionable dessert, quite a contrast to the infamous pepper sweet reserved for little practical jokers.
Finally, you may be pleased to learn that it is possible to cultivate your own pepper, by buying a little plant of Piper nigrum for less than 10 euros. However, patience is necessary because even if kept in a greenhouse your pepper plant may never produce berries.
Pears with chocolate and pepper
Serves 4
Ingredients:
pears: 4
sugar: 200 g
orange zest: 1
bitter chocolate: 125 g 
whipping cream: 15 cl
butter: 20 g
ground pepper
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Preparation:
Make a syrup by boiling 75 cl of water with the sugar and the orange zest.
Peel the pears, remove the cores without cutting open and plunge them into the boiling syrup. Let them simmer for 20 minutes without covering. Drain and leave to cool.
Break the chocolate into pieces, heat the cream to boiling point and pour over the chocolate, mixing continuously. Add the diced butter and mix smooth.
Place the pears on 4 plates, pour the chocolate sauce over them, grind a couple of turns of pepper on top and serve immediately.
