Black Pepper
Piper nigrum

Nearly every dining table in the country features a shaker of pepper, but few people know about the history and lore of this unique spice. It grows as a berry on a tropical vine that climbs jungle trees in India and Asia — the dried berry is what we call our "peppercorn." Ancient Romans valued peppercorns so highly, they actually used them as money! And Russians have traditionally added a bit of black pepper to their tea. The European demand for pepper during the 15th century led them to seek new ocean routes to the spice-growing East.

Commonly called: black pepper, black pepper