Having been bitten by an insect while playing, the little boy ran to his mother for medical aid. She swiftly picked the first-aid kit that looked nothing like one. Opening the Anjarai Petti (spices box) she took out the king of spices. Pepper. Grinding 5 peppercorns with a handful of rice, she fed the little boy smiling. She trusted this King of spices to fight the allergies on her son’s behalf, and she was right!

Hop on board! Let’s run through the many ways the Black Pepper has been wooing us since time immemorial!

Is it because of the train of health benefits that follow?

From simple to complex and Indian to Italian, pepper, ground or whole, enhances the taste of your food preparation with ultimate health benefits, which makes it the King of spices among the other 80 more spices around the world.

• Improves your blood sugar level
• Lowers your cholesterol levels
• Serves as an antioxidant to insect bites
• Has anti-inflammatory properties
• Rich in Manganese
• Helps with bone health
• Aids in weight loss

Is it because it can make any dish all the more flavourful?

While Pepper leaves a burning aftertaste, it surprisingly has cooling and healing properties. To add on to the contradicting benefits, cooling and healing spice is known to replace Chili powder in the South Indian cuisine, particularly in Chettinad.