To produce white peppercorns, Black peppercorns are picked when almost ripe and sun-dried, turning the outer layer black., this outer layer is then removed before or after drying, leaving only the inner seed. White pepper tastes hotter than black but is less complex, with fewer flavor notes
White pepper
- White pepper consists solely of the seed of the ripe fruit of the pepper plant, with the thin darker-colored skin (flesh) of the fruit removed.
- This is usually accomplished by a process known as retting, where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week so the flesh of the peppercorn softens and decomposes; rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the naked seed is dried.
- Sometimes the outer layer is removed from the seed through other mechanical, chemical, or biological methods.
