Black and White Pepper (spherical, dark brownish-gray black, reticulated wrinkles, the base where the fruit stalk falls off is white, white pepper has smooth linear patterns, spicy aroma)

Top: Coriander Seed (spherical, wavy, longitudinal ridges) Bottom: White Pepper (smooth, longitudinal vein patterns)

【Name】

Pepper

 【Source】

Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Newly Revised Materia Medica)

 【Common Usage Level】

C

 【Botanical Origin】

The dried, mature fruit of Piper nigrum L. of the Piperaceae family, with the outer pericarp removed.

 【Characteristics】

(1) Black Pepper: Immature drupes, nearly spherical, 3~6㎜ in diameter, surface dark brown to grayish-black, with reticulated wrinkles. There are minute protruding stigma relics at the top, and scars from the fruit stalk falling off at the base. The exocarp and mesocarp are loose and brittle, easily peeled off, and the endocarp is thin and slightly hard. The longitudinal section is mostly yellowish-white. Aromatic odor, pungent, spicy taste.
(2) White Pepper: Nearly spherical fruit core, 3~6㎜ in diameter, surface grayish-white, smooth, slightly flattened or slightly concave at the top, somewhat raised at the base, sometimes showing black-brown spots, with 10-14 longitudinal vein patterns around it. The characteristics of the endocarp and seeds are the same as black pepper.

 【Identification】

《Quality Differentiation》: “The best is one with large grains, strong pungency, and a fresh aroma.”
1. Good black pepper has large grains, is plump, black in color, wrinkled, and has a strong aroma.
2. Good white pepper is large, round, firm, white, and has a strong aroma.

 【Category】

Fruits