Kali mirch
The Hindi name for black pepper, the dried berry of Piper nigrum and the most traded spice in history.
Also: black pepper, milagu, kurumulaku, peppercorn
Kali mirch means black chilli pepper, a name from when the word mirch was extended from pepper to chillies. Black pepper is the dried unripe fruit of Piper nigrum, a climbing vine native to the Malabar Coast of India. The peppercorn gets its bite from piperine and its floral, woody smell from volatile oils. Ground pepper loses its aroma quickly, so many cooks keep whole berries and crack them to order. White pepper is the same berry with the skin removed, green pepper is picked unripe, and red is fully ripe. Pepper was once so valuable that it was used for rents, dowries and ransom.