A peppercorn is the small dried fruit of the pepper plant, the hard little ball you crush or grind to make the hot, dusty spice we call pepper. Black peppercorns are the whole dried berries; white ones are the same fruit with the dark skin taken off; green ones are picked younger.

A peppercorn一顆peppercorn is the small dried fruit of the pepper plant是胡椒植物的小小乾燥果實 the hard little ball you crush or grind就是你壓碎或磨碎的那顆小硬球 to make the hot, dusty spice we call pepper用來做出我們叫做胡椒的那種辛辣粉狀香料 Black peppercorns are the whole dried berries黑胡椒粒是完整的乾燥漿果 white ones are the same fruit with the dark skin taken off白胡椒是同樣的果實但去掉深色外皮 green ones are picked younger綠胡椒則是比較早採收的

Cooks who care will grind them fresh, because the smell lives in the cracked seed and fades in the ready-made powder.

Cooks who care講究的廚師 will grind them fresh會現磨 because the smell lives in the cracked seed因為香氣就在剛壓碎的種子裡 and fades in the ready-made powder在現成的粉裡會消退

Though actually English also stretches the word: a peppercorn rent is a rent so tiny it is almost a joke — historically you might pay one peppercorn a year, just to keep the agreement real. Nobody is handing over spice at the landlord’s office; it means ‘almost nothing, but still a payment.’ In ordinary cooking talk, though, a peppercorn is simply that little seed.

Though actually English also stretches the word不過其實英語也把這個詞延伸使用 a peppercorn rent is a rent so tiny it is almost a jokea peppercorn rent是小到幾乎像笑話的租金 historically you might pay one peppercorn a year以前的做法可能是一年付一顆胡椒粒 just to keep the agreement real只是為了讓這份合約算數 Nobody is handing over spice at the landlord's office沒有人真的拿香料去房東的辦公室交 it means 'almost nothing, but still a payment.'意思是「幾乎等於沒有，但仍然是一筆付款」 In ordinary cooking talk, though不過在一般的烹飪用語裡 a peppercorn is simply that little seedpeppercorn就只是那顆小種子