The main pepper producing areas in the world are Brazil, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Vietnam is the largest pepper exporter, accounting for 40%-50% of the global pepper trade.
Legend has it that Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions and brought it back to China. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, pepper had been introduced, and its planting range was gradually expanded, becoming one of the common plants in later generations.
China's pepper producing areas are Hainan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Taiwan Province, Fujian, Guangxi and other provinces, among which Hainan's pepper production accounts for more than 90% of China's total output, mainly distributed in Haikou, Wenchang, Anding, Qiongzhong, Sanya and other counties and cities.
Distribution of pepper varieties
1. Black pepper: A flowering vine of Piperaceae, native to the coast of Malaba, India, has been cultivated in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan and Hainan in China. It is one of the earliest spices used by people and may be the most widely used spice now.
2. White Pepper: The dry and nearly ripe fruit of Piper nigrum of Piperaceae is one of people's favorite condiments. Mainly produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places, the surface is yellow-white or yellow-white, the surface is smooth, and there are mostly light linear stripes between the top and the base, and the medicinal value is slightly higher than that of black pepper.
3. Green pepper: low spicy, used in duck dishes, cream and milk ester products, mainly produced in Brazil, Malaysia, Ceylon, Thailand, Singapore and other places.
4. Red pepper: The fruit of the Brazilian pepper tree originated in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and was later introduced to many places, mainly as a decorative or shading plant. Because it is an aggressive plant, the traces of Brazilian pepper tree can be seen in most temperate regions today.