Black Pepper is the dried form of Piper nigrum L. berries. It is widely used as spice/condiment in Indian cooking. The berries are generally picked before complete ripening and may be brown, grey or black in color. It is known for its various nutritional benefits, as well as its flavor-enhancing properties in the food products.Piper nigrum is native to the tropical forests of the Malabar Coast in southwest India, around the regions of Kerala, Goa, and Karnataka. This spice is the dried unripe fruit — the peppercorn — of the trailing vine plant, and it has different coloration depending on when it is harvested. Black pepper is the most common. To get black pepper, you pick almost-ripe peppercorns and leave them to dry until they turn black.Black pepper was a cherished commodity in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and it reached even greater popularity during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.Today, about 39 percent of all black pepper production comes from Vietnam. Indonesia produces about 15 percent, and India and Brazil each produce about 10 percent.