Black Pepper Powder - An Excellent Choice For Seasoning Food And Other Dishes

Black pepper powder is grounded form of Black pepper which is a fruit of flowering vine from Piperaceae family. The fruit of this vine is used as spice for seasoning when it has dried out completely. People use this fruit as spice in coarsely grounded form or in powder form. When unripe, this fruit is white and green in color that is why it is also called as White peppercorns or Green pepper though it is same fruit just in different stages of its growth.

Black pepper powder is one of the widely used spices all over the world and most traded spice too. This is native to South India and is grown extensively in this region. It can be grown in any tropical climate and contains Piperine which renders it its spiciness. Black pepper is plucked out of vine when green in color; conventionally it is boiled and dried in Sun till it turns black in color. When dried it is grounded to form a powder. This powder is stored in an airtight container to increase its shelf-life and protect its beneficial properties, freshness and aroma.

Black pepper is widely used as spice but it also possesses many medicinal properties due to which it is popular ingredient of various herbal and natural treatments. It is called â??King of Spiceâ?? due to its innumerable uses in cooking. Few culinary uses of Black pepper powder are as follows.

Black pepper is good source of anti-oxidants like carotine, cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lycopene. Anti-oxidants fight free radicals in the body and inhibit their activity to fight diseases like cancer.

This powder is good source of vitamins of B - complex group like Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Thiamine and Niacin. It also supplies vital minerals like Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Manganese, Iron and Magnesium. Abundant supply of these minerals to the body maintains healthy heart rate and blood pressure; these also improve oxygen carrying capacity of blood and promote healthy cell reproduction. Calcium is good for bones and Zinc is vital for improving male potency.

Peppercorns are potent digestion stimulators and improve secretion of digestive enzymes. These improve absorption of selenium, beta-carotene and B-complex vitamins.

All these above health benefits make it an excellent choice for seasoning food and other dishes. This is reckoned as one of the healthiest food on the planet due to its varied health benefits. Due to tremendous health benefits and unique taste or black pepper, it is one of the key ingredients of many spice blends.

Read about Indian Spiced Tea Blend Masala Chai. Also know Darjeeling Loose Leaf Black Tea. Read about Darjeeling Loose Leaf Green Tea.

Jacob Franklin is a passionate writer who has written numerous articles on topics concerning ayurvedic remedies for men health and women health. He writes informative articles on health-related issues and the use of natural health supplements.