Black Pepper

Black pepper is a woody perennial climbing vine of the Piperaceae family that clings to trees or supports, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and hanging spikes of small berries that ripen from green to red. It is native to the evergreen forests of the Malabar Coast, and Kerala has been the heart of the pepper trade since ancient times.

The dried fruit, the peppercorn, is used. Known in Ayurveda as Maricha, it is valued as a pungent, warming spice traditionally used for digestion and respiratory comfort, and it is one of the three ingredients of the classical blend Trikatu.