Black pepper
Piper nigrum · Spice
Top 10 pairings
Black pepper is cracked over almost every savoury dish, and with salt it is the Western table's default seasoning. No spice is traded more. Each peppercorn is a vine's dried, unripe fruit; piperine gives its warm bite.
Picking a good onedrag
Just milled, loud and oilyFaded, dusty, smells of nothing
Whole in the jarEveryday bestWhole corns keep a year or more. Grind to order; dry-toast first for a nuttier bite.
Crush and smellWarm and woody, citrus gone quiet
Whole or groundWhole corns in a jar, still loud
Look at the cornsColour a bit uneven, a little dust
Press and rollFirm, a few light corns on top