pepper

Under the generic term "pepper" there are various spices obtained from the fruit of black pepper ( Piper nigrum, Fam. Piperaceae ). This small herbaceous shrub and climbing plant, native to India, enhances the landscapes and economies of different tropical countries.

Since ancient times, in fact, pepper has been the subject of intense commercial exchanges, which have contributed to increasing its culinary and phytotherapeutic popularity. In addition to embellishing foods, in fact, pepper helps to prolong their preservation and can help to regularize digestive functions. In fact, if consumed without abusing it, pepper is good for the stomach, liver and - for those who appreciate its culinary virtues - also for the spirit.

Black pepper

Black pepper, which is the most spicy and aromatic of all, is produced by immersing the immature drupes in boiling water for a few minutes. This is followed by a drying in the sun which concentrates its nutritional principles, including proteins, potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and niacin. Vitamin C, on the other hand, is particularly lacking in chili peppers.

White pepper

The white pepper, less spicy and aromatic than the previous one, is obtained by maceration in water of well-ripe drupes, which are thus easily deprived of the mesocarp (pulp) by rubbing and dried. It is in this portion of the fruit that an aromatic and volatile oily complex consisting of pinene, fellandrene and caryophyllene is concentrated (the volatility of these substances explains why, to preserve all its aroma, the pepper should be ground only at the time of employment, the risk of sophistication is also lower). In the endocarp - that is to say in the innermost portion of the fruit - two alkaloids are concentrated, piperine and piperidine, to which the pungent taste is due.

Green pepper

Finally, the green pepper is obtained by immersing the still green drupes in brine, in order to block the oxidative processes of an enzymatic nature. In this way the green pepper retains a certain softness and a particularly aromatic flavor, albeit less pronounced than that of black pepper.

Fillet with Green Pepper LIGHT - Without cream and Without Butter

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Popular medicine

In addition to being a condiment, pepper is used as a gastric and nervous stimulant, and externally as a rubefacient and insecticide. With its piperine, it is also used in some products intended for the control and reduction of body weight; is gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux, gastric ulcer, hemorrhoids and hypertension.