Some foods are considerably healthier than others from a nutritional perspective, and certain foods are considered extra beneficial by health professionals and nutritionists. Black pepper is just such an example. Not only is black pepper a useful flavoring element, but it’s also a rich source of minerals and nutrients.
Best of all, it’s easy to incorporate black pepper into your diet. A pinch of black pepper added to any recipe works more than just a flavor enhancer. This king of spices is known to offer a number of health benefits while providing an excellent depth of flavor to a dish.
A pinch of black pepper added to any recipe works more than just a flavor enhancer. This king of spices is known to offer a number of health benefits while providing an excellent depth of flavor to a dish. The use of black pepper in the diet helps to promote weight loss, improve digestion, relieve a cough and cold, boost metabolism, and treat skin problems.
Here are so facts you must know how to select and store black pepper.
Black pepper is available around the year in all the stores. It’s better to buy whole pepper seeds, not the powdered black pepper. Black pepper is available whole, crushed or ground into powder. To ensure best flavor, look for peppercorns that are compact, round, heavy, wholesome, and free of any blemishes. Buy whole peppercorns and grind them yourself in a mill just before adding to a recipe. In addition to superior flavor, buying whole peppercorns will help to ensure that you are purchasing unadulterated pepper since ground pepper is oftentimes mixed with other spices.
Peppercorns can be stored for months in a dry air-tight container at room temperature, in a dry and dark place. And keep the ground black pepper in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.
Even through dried herbs and spices like black pepper are widely available in supermarkets, you may want to explore the local spice stores in your area. Oftentimes, these stores feature an expansive selection of dried herbs and spices that are of superior quality and freshness than those offered in regular markets. Just like with other dried spices, when purchasing black pepper try to select that which is organically grown since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating black pepper may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C content.)
Black pepper should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. Whole peppercorns will keep almost indefinitely, while ground pepper will stay fresh for about three months. Pepper can also be frozen although this will make its flavor more pronounced.
Word of Caution:
Pepper may cause sneezing. Patients who have undergone abdominal surgery should not add excessive pepper to their diet because it can have an irritating effect on the intestines. Black pepper should not be taken in high concentration, and if you see signs of an allergic reaction, discontinue its use and consult a doctor.
