Used for centuries in Mediterranean, African, Indian, and Indonesian cooking. The pepper, shaped like a black spike grows within a flower on a vine. It is said that Attila the Hun once asked for pay in Long Peppers. A relative of the species piper nigrum, with a hotter earthy taste and sweet spicy overtones. Use as you would black pepper, but particularly good with artichokes, asparagus, and mushrooms. Try with sweet dishes, salads and BBQs.