Coarsely ground black pepper of high quality. Black pepper has a spicy aromatic taste and a pleasant heat. We grind our pepper ourselves to get exactly the coarsely ground pepper we desire. Black pepper in ground form fits in all cooking and is of course also a beloved table seasoning. However, not all pepper is real pepper, Sichuan pepper, allspice or chili pepper are not real pepper. Only Piper nigrum, the pepper that belongs to the botanical family Piperaceae, is true pepper. Black, green, and white pepper all come from Piper nigrum, and the only difference is when the berries are harvested. Green peppers are unripe berries that are harvested first, while black peppers are harvested when the berries are still slightly unripe and white peppers are harvested when the berries are fully ripe. Like wine, pepper takes on a different character depending on the climate and soil where it is grown. India is considered to have the highest quality black pepper. Pepper has been cultivated in India for many thousands of years. In the fourth century during the time of Alexander the Great, pepper came to Europe and quickly became a popular spice. Due to the long transports and the formation of trade monopolies, pepper became a very expensive spice and expressions such as peppery prices arose during this time. Due to the high price of pepper, other cheaper spices are often used as a substitute, e.g., seed of paradise (guinea pepper), Ethiopian pepper and monk pepper. Because pepper was such a valuable spice, the goal of many voyages of discovery was to find pepper in particular. If you found a spice that resembled pepper (allspice) or tasted strong (chili pepper and Sichuan pepper), you gave the spice a name that contained pepper. • Black pepper is stored dry and dark to preserve the aroma longer.