Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is one of the most commonly used spices in the world. Black pepper and white pepper both come from the same plant species, but they are made differently. Black pepper is made by cooking the dried unripe fruit. White pepper is made by cooking and drying the ripe seeds. Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe which is about 5 mm in diameter, dark red, and contains a stone which encloses a single pepper seed.