Black Pepper | Plant, Cultivation, & Description - Britannica

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  • Introduction
  • History of use
  • Physical description, aroma, and flavor
  • Cultivation and harvest
  • Other plants named pepper
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics Images & Videos Fruits of the black pepper plant History of pepper in the spice trade black pepper Quizzes Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous Britannica AI Icon Contents Science Plants Flowering Plants print Print Please select which sections you would like to print:
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External Websites
  • CORE - Biological action of Piper nigrum - the king of spices (PDF)
  • WebMd - Black Pepper: Health Benefits, Nutrition, and Uses
  • Cleveland Clinic - What are the Health Benefits of Black Pepper?
  • Government of India - Indian Culture - Black Pepper: The King of Spices
  • National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Neuroprotective Effects of Black Pepper and Its Bioactive Compounds in Age-Related Neurological Disorders
  • Healthline - 11 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Black Pepper
  • Nature Communications - The chromosome-scale reference genome of black pepper provides insight into piperine biosynthesis
  • International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicine - Review: Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum L.) Botanical Aspects, Chemical Content, Pharmacological Activities (PDF)
  • Frontiers - The chloroplast genome of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and its comparative analysis with related Piper species
  • PennState - PlantVillage - Black Pepper
  • Verywell Fit - Black Pepper Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
  • McCormick Science Institute - Black Pepper
Fruits of the black pepper plant
Fruits of the black pepper plant The spice black pepper is made from the fruits of the black pepper plant (Piper nigrum). (more)
black pepper plant Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: Piper nigrum, pepper Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 30, 2026 •History Britannica AI Icon Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

black pepper, (Piper nigrum), perennial climbing vine of the family Piperaceae and the hot, pungent spice made from its fruits. Black pepper is native to the Malabar Coast of India and is one of the earliest spices known. Widely used as a spice around the world, pepper also has a limited usage in medicine as a carminative (to relieve flatulence) and as a stimulant of gastric secretions.

Taxonomy
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Division: Angiosperm
  • Order: Piperales
  • Family: Piperaceae
  • Genus: Piper

See also list of plants in the family Piperaceae and list of herbs and spices.

History of use

History of pepper in the spice trade
History of pepper in the spice tradeLearn about black pepper (Piper nigrum): how it is produced, its history in the spice trade, the use of its berries (peppercorns) in food, and the compounds that give black pepper its pungency.(more)See all videos for this article

In early historic times pepper was widely cultivated in the tropics of Southeast Asia, where it became highly regarded as a condiment. Pepper became an important article of overland trade between India and Europe and often served as a medium of exchange; tributes were levied in pepper in ancient Greece and Rome. In the Middle Ages the Venetians and the Genoese became the main distributors in Europe, and their virtual monopoly of the trade helped instigate the search for an eastern sea route. The plant is widely cultivated throughout Indonesia and has been introduced into tropical areas of Africa and of the Western Hemisphere.

Physical description, aroma, and flavor

The black pepper plant is a woody climber and may reach heights of 10 meters (33 feet) by means of its aerial roots. Its broad shiny green leaves are alternately arranged. The small flowers are in dense slender spikes of about 50 blossoms each. The fruits, which are sometimes called peppercorns, are drupes about 5 mm (0.2 inch) in diameter. They become yellowish red at maturity and bear a single seed. Their odor is penetrating and aromatic; the taste is hot, biting, and very pungent. Ground black pepper contains up to 3 percent essential oil that has the aromatic flavor of Capsicum peppers but not the pungency. The characteristic flavor is principally derived from the chemical piperine, though the seeds also contain chavicine, piperidine, and piperettine.

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap Britannica Quiz Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

Cultivation and harvest

The plant requires a long rainy season, fairly high temperatures, and partial shade for best growth. Propagation is usually by stem cuttings, which are set out near a tree or a pole that will serve as a support. Pepper plants are sometimes interspersed in tea or coffee plantations. They begin bearing in 2 to 5 years and may produce for as long as 40 years.

The fruits are picked when they begin to turn red. The collected fruits are immersed in boiling water for about 10 minutes, which causes them to turn dark brown or black in an hour. Then they are spread out to dry in the sun for three or four days. The whole peppercorns, when ground, yield black pepper. White pepper is obtained by removing the dark outer part of the pericarp, and the flavor is less pungent than that of black pepper. The outer coating is softened either by keeping the berries in moist heaps for 2 or 3 days or by keeping them in sacks submerged in running water for 7 to 15 days, depending on the region. The softened outer coating is then removed by washing and rubbing or by trampling, and the berries are spread in the sun to dry. Whole white pepper can also be prepared by grinding off the outer coating mechanically.

Also called: pepper (Show more) Related Topics: black pepper white pepper Piper (Show more) See all related content

Other plants named pepper

Various plants called pepper, including the pepper tree (Schinus molle), the pepper vine (Ampelopsis arborea), and the sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia), are grown as ornamental plants and are not used as spices.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Sohini Dasgupta.

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