Description

Safed Mirch — white pepper — is produced from the fully ripe red drupes of Piper nigrum, the black pepper vine, by soaking the berries in water and mechanically removing the outer fruit wall (pericarp) to expose the smooth, pale grey-white inner seed. The milling and decorticating process produces a milder, less complex flavour profile than black pepper while retaining the characteristic piperine-mediated pungency. Piper nigrum is native to the humid tropical forests and Malabar Coast of Kerala, India — the historical source of ‘black gold’ that drove European spice trading expeditions from the 15th century. Known in classical Ayurveda as Maricha and documented in the Charaka Samhita, pepper is a foundational spice in Trikatu (three pungent spices) preparations and classical digestive formulations. India, Vietnam, and Indonesia lead global pepper production.