White Pepper Whole

White pepper is a mild form of pepper with a slightly fermented aroma and taste. It is harvested from pepper fruit that grows from a woody vine, or pepper plant, which is primarily cultivated in Vietnam, India and Indonesia. 

While black pepper is made from berries, that are dried and stored after being picked, white pepper comes from berries that are picked ripe, then soaked in water before they are dried -- allowing the outer flesh to rub off in a process known as “retting.”

Here at ofi, our pepper is either grown on our pepper estates in Vietnam and Brazil or secured through a farm level sourcing network managed in-origin by ofi personnel in Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Brazil and Malaysia. After drying, the peppercorns are processed at our state-of-the-art facility in the Gai Lai Province of Vietnam. 

So, when can I use whole white pepper? Whole white pepper has many applications, including: 

• In a peppermill to be ground fresh
• Used in white sauces, clear broths and light colored food 
• To season American, Asian, European or Indian cuisine

The history of white and black pepper is intertwined, as they are grown from the same vines. Peppercorns comes from tropical berries called Piper nigrum. Its origins can be traced back to Southeast Asia. 

The spice has been used throughout history, Indian chefs used it their cooking as early as 2,000 BCE, Ancient Egyptians used it to help mummify corpses and it was even used as currency in Ancient Rome.