Tag: Piperaceae

Despite their shared 'pepper' name, peppercorns come from a different plant family entirely and are not members of the nightshade family. This common point of botanical confusion often arises due to culinary similarities and historical naming errors. This guide will set the record straight.

Though often confused, black pepper and chili peppers belong to entirely different botanical families. This crucial distinction answers the question, is the spice pepper a nightshade?, with the answer depending entirely on the type of pepper used. Black pepper is not, while chili-derived spices are.