Peppercorns are the fruit of a perennial vine with large leaves and white flowers. Green peppercorns are the unripe fruits picked early and pickled. Black peppercorns are picked just before they ripen. Most ground pepper is these ground down. White peppercorns are the ripe, black peppercorns with the black skin flaked off and white pepper powder is these ground. They are best kept whole and ground when required.
Peppercorns are the fruit of a perennial vine with large leaves and white flowers. Green peppercorns are the unripe fruits picked early and pickled. Black peppercorns are picked just before they ripen and white peppercorns are the ripe, black peppercorns with the black skin flaked off. They are best kept whole and ground when required. Historically, pepper was one of the world's most important spices, originating in Kerala in southern India. Columbus sailed West, not East, in search of pepper in the East Indies. Instead he found the Americas and allspice. It was the Portuguese navigator, Vasco da Gama, who found pepper in its native lands and brought it to the West. It is now under threat from a wilting disease. Dreadful thought.
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint, and has a high menthol content and strong flavour.
The peppery milk cap is an edible, creamy-white mushroom, but not recommended as the taste is poor. In fact, it is sometimes describes as inedible or even poisonous. It is difficult to digest if eaten raw. It is better dried and used as a seasoning in the absence of other, better mushrooms. Like other Lactarius mushrooms, this leaks a whitish milk when it is cut. In this mushroom it has a peppery taste. As with many more bitter flavours than the softened palates of some parts of the western world can tolerate, this has some popularity in Finland, Russia and Serbia. In Finland the mushrooms are bioled repeatedly, each time in a change of water, stored in salt water and then put in the fridge. It can then be pickled for use in salads. (If gathering mushrooms you must be absolutely certain what you have before you eat them as many are very poisonous.)
Rufous milk cap mushroom. A poisonous mushroom, but not deadly.
