Black Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum. This vine which can grow up to ten feet tall is indigenous to India and South East Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are picked about nine months after flowering. Black Pepper, the spiciest, is berries that are picked unripe. The berries used for White Pepper are ripened on the vine and soaked so that their outer hulls are easily removed. Green Peppercorns are immature berries which are freeze dried or packed in brine for preservation. Pepper is grown in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brazil.
