Pepper -The peppers (Piper nigrum) which produce peppercorns are unrelated to the Capsicum family; they are members of thePiperaceae family and are native to the Malabar coast in south-east India.Vinepeppers produce strings of berries which are picked green and dried in the sunto become black peppercorns. Berries which are left to ripen, turn red; fromthese we get white peppercorns- the ripe berries are dried then soaked toremove the dark husk. Green peppercorns are the unripe berries; pinkpeppercorns are the pickled ripe ones. A Chinese tree produces Szechuanpeppercorns, which are reddish-brown and very hot; they are available whole andseeded. Black peppercorns are more aromatic but not as sharp as white ones.Like most spices, peppercorns should be bought whole and ground when needed.