Peppercorns are a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae and cultivated for its fruit, which is dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit produces white, black red/pink and green pepper.

White pepper only consists of the seed, with the fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by allowing fully ripe berries to soak in water for a week. The flesh of the fruit softens and decomposes. Rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the seed is dried. Alternative processes are used for removing the outer fruit from the seed, including removal of the outer layer from black pepper produced from unripe berries.