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A container of black pepper seems to have both black and greyish bits. Why is this the case? Shouldn’t it all just be black?

Abraham Ray
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James Wilson
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    Could you post a picture of the container? Black pepper is not completely black through and through. The inside is lighter, which might come across as grey depending. – user141592 Apr 15 '19 at 13:55
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    The center of a black peppercorn is white. (and sold as 'white pepper' if it's been removed) https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/138263/whats-the-difference-between-black-and-white-pepper/ – Joe Apr 15 '19 at 16:39
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    I highly recommend buying a proper pepper grinder and buying good quality whole peppercorns so you can grind just prior to use. – JimmyJames Apr 15 '19 at 19:29
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    In the absence of a proper pepper grinder, I would still recommend using a bad pepper grinder, or even a mortar and pestle. If you're using pre-ground black pepper, you might as well use white. – Martijn Apr 16 '19 at 14:50
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    Why is ground beef not black and white cow spotted? – A C Apr 16 '19 at 16:17
  • Sorry, but if you are getting while pepper that is black pepper with the outer shell removed, you are not getting white pepper, you are getting polished peppercorns. White pepper is fully ripe peppercorns, black is picked under ripe and allowed to blacken. They are the same fruit but processed differently to a different taste. I see multiple comments about white pepper being trash or waste product. It is not, rather it is a different product intended to be used differently. – dlb Apr 16 '19 at 20:01

2 Answers2

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Here is a photo of a peppercorn. You can see why a ground one might contain both black and grey bits.

A photo of a split open peppercorn showing a light grey interior and dark exterior

lzam
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moscafj
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  • Yep. Seeds have a hardish outer casing for protection from weather etc., and innards full of carbs and protein to grow a new plant. Two purposes, at least two different compounds, two different colors. – Wayfaring Stranger Apr 17 '19 at 00:44
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https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/07/taste-test-black-pepper-what-are-differences-in-varieties.html

According to this article, consistency and the darkness of the color is a sign of the quality of the black pepper. Note that this is talking about the outside layer of the peppercorn, not the inside as moscafj has noted.

ElectronicToothpick
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