Black pepper is used as the main ingredient in Masala, which is a famous spice mix in India and Pakistan. Black peppercorns are the unripe, dried berries of the pepper plant native to the East Indies. Black pepper is also used to spice up meat and rice dishes as well as soups and stews and has a strong, bitter aroma. Peppercorns can be ground before seasoning, but in many Indian dishes they are added whole and later simply taken out or eaten with them.