Black pepper

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/black-pepper

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the botanical classification?Perennial climbing vine, Piper nigrum
2. What is the primary pungency compound?Piperine
3. What is black pepper made from?Black pepper comes from the dried, unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, a climbing plant that grows in humid tropical climates.
4. How is black pepper different from white and green pepper?Black pepper is cooked in hot water before drying, which darkens and wrinkles its skin. White pepper is made by soaking ripe berries, removing the outer skin, and then drying the seed. Green pepper is either freeze‑dried or kept in brine to keep its fresh, fruity color.

Alkaloid: A naturally occurring organic compound, often with medicinal properties, containing nitrogen.
Bioavailability: The degree and rate at which a substance is absorbed into the body and becomes available at the site of action.
Pericarp: The part of a fruit formed from the wall of the ripened ovary; the skin or rind.