Pepper is native to the Western Ghats of South India, extensively cultivated in various tropical countries. Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice. India is the second largest producer of pepper in the world, with 50,000 metric tons per year. It is an evergreen perennial plant that grows in hot humid areas with good rainfall. It attaches itself to trees or trellises by means of aerial roots. Black pepper is extensively cultivated in Karnataka and Kerala, mostly as an intercrop on the shade trees in coffee and cardamom estates. The main problem with the cultivation of pepper is root rot, caused by Phytophthora. Pepper generally starts yielding from its 5th year onwards. It flowers in May or June, and fruits are ready to be harvested from November to February, depending upon the elevation of the estate.

Berries must be picked when they are ripe or red, then soaked in boiling water and dried in the sun for about three days to make black pepper. To get white pepper, the berries are fermented to remove the flesh by means of bacterial fermentation, followed by drying in the sun for 12 hours. The conversion ratio of black pepper is about 33 kg, while that of white pepper is 25 kg. Pepper has numerous uses in the culinary industry where three different categories of pepper are used - black pepper, white pepper and green pepper, all produced from the same green pepper. Its pungent smell, peppery/hot taste and health-friendly properties make pepper a favourite spice all over the world. India itself is a large consumer. It is one of the most common spices added to European cuisine.