Black pepper - seasoning, the second in prevalence after salt, in modern kitchen. Most often it goes on sale in already ground look, is more rare in the form of black peas. Some people so love such pepper that they cannot imagine without it life, but if to ask them as they imagine the plant which has given them this known seasoning, they will only make helpless gesture.
1. There is huge variety of the plants united by the name Piperaceae. In total them there are more than 3100 types. But only the few from them are good to consumption in the form of seasoning. One of them is Piper Nigrum, that is black pepper. And very few people know that the white and green pepper which are gradually gaining popularity in fact are the same black pepper only removed from bush in different degree of maturity.
2. Black pepper represents itself the long-term climber growing in tropic latitudes and capable to reach height to 10 meters. It possesses dark green oval leaves the sizes from 7 to 15 cm. Flowers at it small, white color are also collected in the inflorescences which are externally reminding ears about 15 cm. On one cone about 50 fruits ripen. Before achievement of maturity the fruits remain green, and then gradually change coloring for yellow and further for red. In order that fruits have turned black, their after collecting leave for 10 and more days under the scorching sun then they dry and take usual to most of people form.
3. Cultivation of black pepper - quite laborious work. The plant the shanks landed in places with warm and humid climate without the expressed winds breeds. It is considered that for successful growth pepper needs not less than 2500 mm of precipitation a year which is dropping out with uniform intervals. Initially pepper grew in the jungle and was very susceptible to the sun, preferring shady places. To the modern cultivated grades the sun has stopped being the enemy, moreover, it helps fruits to reach mature state quicker.
4. On "peppery bed" the special props supporting plants at the height about 4 meters are established. Since 7th year of life, pepper begins to fructify and it continues to wish for 15-25 years, bearing annually about 2-3 kg of fruits.
5. The period from blossoming to carpophore lasts about 5 months, in this regard in most farms the harvest is removed 2 times a year. Collecting fruits is still made manually. If to remove them in unripe state, at once on reaching the normal size, seasoning under the name green pepper will turn out. Semiripe yellow fruits after ten-day seasoning in the sun turn into usual all black pepper, and here if to allow fruits to ripen up to the end, the white pepper having more expressed taste and aroma than his black fellow as a result will turn out.