Green Peppercorn - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Green peppercorn, also known as under-ripe peppercorn, is a delicious ingredient that can give your food a moderately spicy flavour and serve as a great substitute for chilli powder. It can be used to season chicken meals as well as to make sauces and curries. In a nutshell, green peppercorn is still a desirable flavouring component that is utilised in fine dining meals, despite not being as well-known as its ripened form (black peppercorn). It is softer to bite and milder than black peppercorn because of its underripe nature. Green peppercorn, which is harvested as an immature fruit from the same plant as black pepper, is first cooked before being treated with potassium sulphide to stop it from oxidising and turning black.

What is Green peppercorn?

The Piper nigrum plant is the source of both black and green pepper. These peppercorn-shaped berries are produced by this tropical blooming vine. When they are picked and how they are prepared make a difference between green and black peppercorns.

Green peppercorns are the newest. When they are prematurely harvested and freeze-dried or brined, they keep that hue. Black peppercorns are the oldest and have the strongest flavour since they have fully ripened.

The only distinction between white pepper and green and black pepper is the removal of the outer shell. After being soaked in water and allowed to ferment for about 10 days, the mature black berries' skins are easily peeled off. White pepper is the most refined variety. 

Difference Between Green Pepper And Black Pepper

The most widely used peppercorn is black pepper, which is ground and used as a spice or condiment in many different dishes. Black pepper is made by harvesting the pepper plant's drupes while they are still green and immature. Unripe pepper drupes are used to make green pepper, which resembles black pepper. They are not boiled; instead, the green colour is preserved through drying, sulphur dioxide treatment, canning, or freeze-drying.

Health benefits of green peppercorn:

1. A Moderate Source Of Sodium Is Found In Green Peppercorns

The sodium concentration of green peppercorns is essential for controlling the blood flow rate.

2. It's Excellent For Digestive Health

Green peppercorns are no exception to the beneficial relationship between peppercorn consumption and good digestive health. Piperine is one of the most important substances in green peppercorns that supports this advantage. The presence of piperine promotes the release of stomach juices, speeding up the digestive process.

3. Green Peppercorn Treats Digestive Problems

Consuming green peppercorn also aids in the suppression of gas by promoting the release of hydrochloric acid. Additionally, hydrochloric acid's antimicrobial properties serve to eliminate food-borne germs before they enter the intestinal tract, protecting you from developing any intestinal disorders.

4. Packed With Antioxidants

Vitamins C and A, which are potent antioxidants that can help lower the concentration of free radicals and lower the risks associated with free-radical damage, are abundant in green peppercorns. Free-radicals, also known as free oxygen atoms, frequently mix with the body's healthy cells to cause oxidative stress, which weakens the cell walls. Contrarily, antioxidants have a propensity to mix with free radicals before they can harm healthy cells, lowering the risk of getting any diseases linked to free radical damage.

5. Excessive Dietary Fiber

One of the most crucial macronutrients needed for a healthy digestive system is fibre. An foodstuff that is high in fibre typically takes longer to digest because fibres are the indigestible portion of the diet. And as a result, the stomach uses more energy and burns more calories. As a result, green peppercorn, a food item high in fibre, can aid in the control of weight.