| ≥1 piece |
Although very different in appearance, flavor, and aroma, black and white pepper are obtained from the same botanical source. They are the fruit or berries of Piper nigrum L., harvested at different stages of maturity, and processed in distinctly different ways.
Pepper, in all its forms, is used as a source of flavor and pungency in prepared foods and as a "table applied seasoning" in cuisines around the world. Quite remarkable in view of the fact that, unlike many other popular herbs and spices, it can be cultivated only in tropical climates.
Black pepper is comprised principally of immature, unripened berries. During drying, the exterior of the berry, the epicarp and mesocarp, is blackened by enzymatically catalyzed oxidation reactions. The interior of the berry, the endocarp, remains unaffected and retains its white to off-white appearance.
White pepper, selected for Kalsec? extract, is the fully ripened berry. Ripening is marked by a change in color from green to red. Because ripening does not occur uniformly, harvesting requires laborious careful hand selection. The ripe berries are processed using a procedure known as "retting". This includes three steps: soaking; washing to remove the epicarp and mesocarp; followed by drying. The soaking step is usually performed in ambient temperature water with berries held in burlap bags. During the seven to fourteen day process, fermentation softens the epicarp and mesocarp allowing it to be easily removed during the washing step. Finally, the fermented endocarp is dried yielding a white to yellowish-white berry. Color is only a superficial difference. This fermentation process yields a distinct flavor profile. "White pepper" from which the epicarp and mesocarp have been removed by abrasion or other physical processes (mechanically decorticated) does not have the classic fermented flavor and aroma of true white pepper.