Foxy Facts—Black Pepper
Black Pepper is today an indispensable spice in every kitchen which makes it the most commonly used spice in the world. You might think salt is, but salt is not a spice but a mineral. The history of black pepper goes back 4000 years and the demand for it has had an impact on the shopping experience of the modern civilization. Pepper originated from Southern
India, the pepper plant is a climbing plant, according to botanists the pepper plant grows fruit containing seeds and a plant that produces fruit with seeds is classified as fruit, not a vegetable. Therefore, black pepper is a fruit plant. The first records of black pepper plants date back to 2000 years B.C. when it was mentioned in ancient Indian writings. Black pepper was well known to the ancient Romans and was written about by the Romans from the first century A.D. in a well preserved cookbook. Peppers only desirable quality is a certain pungency; and yet it is for this that we import it all the way from India. Spices were used to improve the taste of our food, but also had other purposes. An interesting fact is it was used in toothbrushes and toothpaste to remove bad breath. Pepper was very good for this purpose, it was believed black pepper helped toothaches, sunburn, constipation, insomnia, and many other illnesses. Pepper was used to alleviate respiratory problems and used in losing weight, since the outer coat of the peppercorn affected the breakdown of fat cells in the body. So a little pepper meant more delicious food, better digestion, lack of bad breath, and also better health. It is clear why pepper was such a desired commodity. During the 16th century and the 17th centuries pepper spread across Europe and in the 28th century is made it ’ s way to France. The United States is one of the biggest pepper buyers in the world. Over $650 million dollars worth of peppers is being imported into the United States. Today there are many types of pepper, the most common is white and red pepper, but the most commonly used is the black pepper.
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