Black pepper, a cultivated flowering vine (Piper nigrum), produces dried peppercorns used as a spice. The dark red fruit, about 5 mm in diameter, contains a stone with a single pepper seed
: Details
Pepper is derived from the green, unripe drupe of the pepper plant. After a brief hot water treatment to clean and facilitate drying, the heat breaks cell walls, expediting the action of browning enzymes.