Ceylon Black Peppers – ගම්මිරිස්

Incredibly popular black peppers known as the “King of spices” and account for the largest percentage in the international spice trade. It is the most widely used spice all over the world. Black peppers of commerce are the mature dried berries of the woody perennial evergreen climbing vine, Piper nigrum. Pepper is cultivated over an area of 37,500 ha of Sri Lanka and Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Nuwara Eliya are accounted as major districts of cultivation.

Botanically, peppercorn belongs to the family of Piperaceae of the genus of piper; and known scientifically as Piper nigrum. It is a perennial vine and climber that requires a supporting tree or pole to grow in height; thus it has similar growth characteristics to that of beetle leaf plant. The pepper plant starts producing small round berries after about three to four years of plantation. Technically, the pepper berry is a drupe, measuring about 5 mm in diameter, containing a single large seed at its center.