 What's the difference between white pepper and black pepper? Wait a second, what about green, red, and pink peppers? So many peppercorns. Oh, pink isn't even a real pepper. Okay, time to sort this all out. Paper nigrum. This is the plant you really need to know, because this is where actually all peppercorns come from. We're on that in a minute. That's because, like we mentioned, the exception to this is pink peppercorns. Pink peppercorns can actually come from three different species of plants. And these fruits, yes. All peppercorns are actually fruits. They can be dried down to look and taste very similar to actual peppercorns. When it comes to taste, though, pink peppercorns aren't as strong and are more fruity and sweet, which now that I think of it, doesn't sound much like pepper at all. Brazilian and Peruvian pink peppercorns are also part of the cashew family. So if you have a nut allergy, you may have to skip this pseudo pepper. Let's get back to the important pepper nigrum. This true source of pepper is native to India, but you'll find it most commonly produced in Vietnam and Brazil these days. Piper nigrum is actually a vine that reaches about typically 13 feet in length, but there are cases of it going up to 30 feet in length. That's big. Now that we've established this is where all true peppercorns come from, let's start with green peppercorns. And this is actually the truest form of pepper. Before peppercorns fully ripen, they are green. As they are a fresh fruit, they're often preserved in brine, vinegar, or soaked in oil. Green peppercorn flavor is often described as fresh and aromatic, sometimes even tart, fruity and chewy. While still spicy, it's not nearly as sharp as black pepper. And once you let the pepper pick a... Peter, pepper picked a pack of pickled peppers. There is too much pepper on my paprika. Once you let the pepper ripen, you get black peppercorns. No! You get red peppercorns. For a very brief time though. Though still spicy, the flavor profile on these is milder than black pepper, with more of a fruity overtone to them. My describing wine or pepper here. And if you don't preserve the red peppercorn immediately, after three days of drawing, then they will turn black. Hey black pepper time! Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do. Woo! So we've already kind of covered how we get to black pepper. You let the green and the red mature and dry, and then we get black. Yeah, here we are. Now if you'd rather not wait, you could pick the green and red peppercorns, toss them in some boiling water for 10 minutes, and in about an hour, they'll turn black. But if you want the sun to do its job, it's going to take three or four days. Of all the peppers, black peppercorns are the easiest to keep fresh longest. All other forms of piper nigrum are subject to becoming stale, and need to be preserved. Most everyone knows the flavor of black pepper. It is the spiciest compadre of the peppercorns. But I'd say this is because it has the strongest bite. In some ways, white peppercorns have more heat. This is because white pepper actually has a broader, wider, lingering kind of heat, compared to that sharp panache of black pepper. White pepper also has an earthy, complex flavor, making it a great companion for soups, sauces, and mashed potatoes. White pepper is just black pepper that's done a strip tease. Mmm, you naughty pepper. Once black peppercorns are picked, they're soaked in water to ferment. Then the outer layer is removed, leaving a smooth, lighter seed inside. And that's why you don't find that sharp flavor of black pepper in white pepper, because it's partially contained in that shell. And that's it for peppercorns. Wait, wait, wait. We have another imposter. Szechuan peppercorns. These are made from the prickly ash shrub from the citrus family. This is one of the cornerstones of the Chinese five spice powder. Szechuan peppercorns have a citrus flavor. Duh, citrus family. That you likely won't get to notice, as this spice can quickly numb your mouth. As true peppercorns all come from piper nigrum, their benefits are pretty much the same. The only real differences are between the imposters and piper nigrum. The main one being that piper nigrum peppercorns are the only ones that have piperine, which give these peppercorns a lot of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. And the main difference with Szechuan peppercorns is they're considered a pain reliever because of that numbing ability. Pink peppercorns on the other hand are considered a bit better as an antibacterial, but they're also a bit more dangerous so they can have more side effects if eaten in large amounts. Now that you know something new about pepper, maybe you want to learn a little bit more about salt. I chose this outfit to kind of represent all the colors of the peppercorns, but I kind of feel like I have a little bit of a Christmas effect going on here. What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Christmasy or peppercornie? I know I'm corny. There's no doubt about that.