pimienta negra
/pimjenta neɡɾa/from spelling rules
Black pepper in Spanish is pimienta negra.
pimienta negra refers to the pungent spice made from the dried berries of a flowering vine. In many cooking contexts, you may simply use pimienta to refer to pepper in general.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pimienta (pepper) and negra (black).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the phrase pimienta negra molida is used specifically to mean ground black pepper.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun pimienta is feminine, which requires the adjective to be in the feminine form, negra.
Did you know?
- The word pimienta actually shares its roots with the English word 'pigment'. This is because the Latin ancestor pigmentum originally referred to dyes or colors rather than the spice itself.
- In Spanish, the words for black pepper pimienta and bell pepper pimiento differ by only one letter. Changing the gender from feminine to masculine completely changes the plant from a spice to a vegetable.
- In many Spanish-speaking culinary traditions, you might encounter the term pimienta de Jamaica. Although it uses the word for pepper, it actually refers to allspice, which is a different berry altogether.
Examples in context
- Añade una pizca de pimienta negra al guiso.Add a pinch of black pepper to the stew.
- ¿Me pasas un poco de pimienta para mi ensalada?Can you pass me some pepper for my salad?
- Necesito un poco de pimienta negra.I need a little black pepper.
- La pimienta negra le da mucho sabor.Black pepper gives it a lot of flavor.
- No olvides añadir la pimienta negra.Don't forget to add the black pepper.
Example conversation
Javier and María are cooking dinner in their kitchen.
- Javier¿Tienes la pimienta negra en la despensa?Do you have the black pepper in the pantry?
- MaríaSí, la tengo aquí mismo.Yes, I have it right here.
- JavierPerfecto, pásamela por favor.Perfect, pass it to me please.
- MaríaAquí tienes, Javier.Here you go, Javier.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pimienta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
