1: Black Pepper
Few spices have as much of a claim to fame as black pepper. The spice comes from the berries of a climbing vine native to India. Its spicy kick has turned many a bland dish into an exciting meal. In fact, it may be the most widely used spice in the world.
Some ancient cultures used pepper as currency. When Visigoths sacked the city of Rome in the fifth century, among the tributes they demanded from the Romans were three thousand pounds of pepper [source: BBC]. In some cultures, pepper was worth more than its weight in gold.
To make pepper, cultivators pick berries off the vines just as the berries begin to turn red. They then boil the berries for several minutes and dry them for several days. We call the dried berries peppercorns -- pepper is produced by grinding peppercorns.
Most cooks apply pepper directly to food after it has been cooked. Cooking pepper tends to sap its taste and aroma. Some cooks prefer to use white pepper for cream sauces. White pepper has a milder taste than black pepper and requires a different approach during production, although both kinds of pepper come from the same plant.
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