Black pepper

Black pepper – one of the most widespread spices which surely will be in the house of each hostess.

Description

Black pepper – a shrubby plant from family Peppery. The homeland of a plant are Malabarsky islands in India therefore often it is called "malabarsky berry".

Tree fruits – peas of green color which in processing darken. Depending on time of collecting and the production technology also receive red, green and white pepper. All kinds of pepper use in cookery, but black pepper enjoys the most wide popularity.

In the nature the bush clambers up, twisting trees. Since pepper began to cultivate, on plantations for it establish special poles, limiting growth of a plant to 4-5 meters. And in general in height the bush can reach 15 meters. Leaves have length to 10 centimeters. After the end of blossoming the plant bears round fruits which initially have green color, and later gain yellow or red color.

Length of a brush makes up to 14 centimeters on which can contain till 20-30 stone fruit. To receive black pepper, fruits collect immature, and already during drying under the sun they blacken and shrivel. Ripe fruits of a plant presoak in water, delete a soft pericarp and receive white pepper which not such burning as black, but more fragrant and also has success in cookery.

India grows up black pepper since ancient times, it was well known in Ancient Egypt, China, Rome and Greece. In the Middle Ages pepper was very much appreciated and widely used in cookery of Europe, despite the high cost. In those days the monopoly on deliveries belonged to merchants from Venice and Genoa. After that the right to deliver pepper to Europe was appropriated by Portuguese, and still later – Dutches.

Today the largest producer of pepper is India, Brazil and Indonesia. These countries grow up more than 40 thousand tons of pepper annually. Besides, black pepper is grown up on Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Java, Kalimantan and in other countries with tropical climate.

Use of black pepper in cookery

From all spices black pepper became widely known most. In cookery it is used in a ground look, by integral peas of pepper, and also as a part of various spicy mixes. Ground it is possible to refer more saturated aroma to properties of black pepper, however it quickly exhausts if not to store it in tight packaging.

Add pepper practically to all dishes – soups, gravies, sauces, forcemeats, salads, marinades, sausages, bean and vegetable dishes. Also it is traditionally used at preparation of all types of meat, a game and fish, in cookery.

Structure and caloric content of black pepper

In 100 g of black pepper 12,5 g of water, 25,3 g of cellulose, 10,4 g of proteins, 38,6 g of carbohydrates, 3,3 g of fats, 4,5 g of ashes, vitamins contain: beta carotene (A), thiamin (B1), Riboflavinum (B2), Niacinum (RR), sincaline (B4), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), ascorbic acid (C), tocopherol (E), phylloquinone (K); macrocells: phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium; microelements: fluorine, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron.

Caloric content of black pepper makes 250 kcal on 100 g of a product.

Advantage of black pepper

Useful properties of black pepper were highly appreciated in ancient times. For example, doctors of Ancient India used it at treatment of cough, quinsy, flu, asthma and as an anesthetic. And Ancient Greek doctors Hippocrates, Democritus and Pliny the Elder described advantage of black pepper in the works.

Black pepper possesses soothing, antiinflammatory, fortifying, bactericidal, vermifuge, expectorant and diuretic action. It increases resistance to stress and adjusts work of cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine and respiratory systems.

Alkaloid under the name capsaicine which gives it characteristic burning smack is a part of pepper, and also stimulates a metabolism, stimulates appetite, recovers work of a pancreas and stomach, liquefies blood, interfering with formation of blood clots, reduces arterial pressure.

Doctors recommend to use black pepper at fatigue, stresses and depressions, chronic indigestion, lack of appetite, cold, fever, high temperature, vitiligo, obesity, metabolism disturbances.

Harm of black pepper

It is not recommended to use this product in case of individual intolerance. Black pepper can do harm also at stomach ulcer and a 12-perstny gut, acute inflammations of kidneys and a bladder, anemia, after intestines and stomach operations.