White Peppercorns (ounce)

White, black and green pepper are all harvested from the woody, tropical plant Piper nigrum. Contrary to what some believe Piper nigrumis not related to Capsicum pepper family (which includes chile peppers and paprika). Native to the monsoon regions of Southeastern Asia, Black Peppercorns are the most common of the peppers and are harvested while the berries have not fully ripened (and are still green). They are then placed in the sun to dry and they turn dark brown and shriveled. White peppercorn berries are allowed to fully ripen before they are picked and the black outer shell is then removed in one of two ways. Sarawak peppercorns are held under a constantly flowing stream of spring water while these are Muntok peppercorns which are soaked in water until the black shell loosens. This gives White pepper a subtle, less intense flavor and cooks will often season more liberally with white pepper than with black pepper.