A peppercorn is the whole dried berry of the pepper vine Piper nigrum, as opposed to "pepper," which usually refers to the ground spice made from it. Peppercorns are picked at different stages of ripeness and processed differently to make the three common colors: black peppercorns (picked unripe, then dried and fermented, the boldest and most common), white peppercorns (fully ripe berries with the skin soaked off, milder and used where black flecks would show), and green peppercorns (picked unripe and preserved fresh, brined, or freeze-dried, with a sharper, grassier bite). Whole peppercorns go into pickling brines, stocks, and spice blends like garam masala and baharat, or get cracked coarsely for steak crusts and pepper sauces, where the flavor is punchier than pre-ground pepper. Major producers include India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brazil.