What is peppercorn?

What is peppercorn?

In legal parlance, a peppercorn is a metaphor for a very small cash payment or other nominal consideration, used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract.

Why is it called peppercorn?

Etymology. The word pepper derives from Old English pipor, Latin piper, and Sanskrit pippali for “long pepper”. In the 16th century, people began using pepper to also mean the unrelated New World chili pepper (genus Capsicum).

Is Peppercorn same as black pepper?

When you think of pepper, you likely envision the black variety. In reality, black peppercorns are green peppercorns that have been cooked and dried out. Black pepper is most commonly used as a seasoning or crust that adds a robust spice to some of our favorite foods: meats, eggs, salads, fries, soups and more.

Where was the origin of pepper?

Peppers are native to tropical America and are particularly important in the cuisines of tropical Asia and equatorial America. Traces of pepper fruits have been found in prehistoric remains in Peru and Mexico, and the plants were widely grown in Central and South America by various pre-Columbian civilizations.

How do I use peppercorns?

But peppercorns aren’t just for grinding at the table or stove. Added whole, they bring gentle heat. Use them in the herb sachet called bouquet garni that flavors long-simmered stocks and stews. Add them to brines for whole chickens, turkeys and pork roasts.

Is Peppercorn a fruit?

Black peppercorns are the dried fruit of the almost-mature pepper berry (in fact all pepper is from the same plant, piper nigrum). So it’s just a dried berry.

What can I substitute for peppercorns?

ground black pepper
The most similar substitute for black peppercorns would be ground black pepper. To use ground black pepper in place of peppercorns, simply use ¼ teaspoon ground pepper for every teaspoon, or about 8 whole peppercorns, called for in the recipe.

What type of fruit is pepper?

The botanical classification: Peppers are fruit. With this definition in mind, peppers are classified as fruit because they contain tiny seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the pepper plant.

Can you cook peppercorns?

A: Any black pepper—coarse or finely ground—will add spice and heat at the table or stove. For slow-cooked soups or stews, add ground pepper near the end of cooking rather than early on. For pickling, whole peppercorns work best, but you can also use ground pepper.

Are black peppercorns seeds?

The black pepper vine grows vertically and is native to India. The Piper Nigrum plant produces tiny, fleshy fruit that contains a single seed. The peppercorn seeds are ground up to produce black pepper.

Where do peppercorns grow?

Peppercorns are actually a tiny fruit, the drupe (a fruit with a single seed in the middle) of a flowering vine known as piper nigrum, grown in tropical regions, native to the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. Some of the best peppercorns in the world come from the Malabar Coast in the Indian state of Kerala.